View source for Haim Ben-David

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{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix  =
| name              = Haim Ben-David
| native_name       = חיים בן-דוד
| native_name_lang  = He
| image         = File:Aluf Haim Ben-David.jpg
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = Haim Ben-David
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1919|05|06}}
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1967|11|22|1919|05|06}}
| birth_place   = [[Vienna]], [[Austria]]
| death_place   = [[Israel]]
| placeofburial = [[Kiryat Shaul Cemetery|Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery]]
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial_coordinates = {{Coord|32.150109|34.790869|display=Kiryat Shaul Cemetery}}
| nickname      = 
| birth_name    =
| allegiance    = {{flagu|Israel}}
| branch        = 
{{Plainlist |
* [[File:Haganah Symbol.svg|13px]] [[Haganah]]
* {{Flagicon|Israel|tsahal}} [[Israel Defense Forces]]
}}
| serviceyears  = 1938-1966
| rank          = [[File:IDF aluf rotated.svg|50px]] [[Aluf]]
| servicenumber = <!--Do not use data from primary sources such as service records.-->
| commands      = 
{{Plainlist |
* Company commander of [[Carmeli Brigade]]
* Battalion commander of [[Carmeli Brigade]]
* Battalion commander of [[Golani Brigade]]
* Chief of Staff of the [[Israeli Northern Command]]
* Head of Administration
* [[Military Secretary to the Prime Minister]], 1957 – 1963<ref name=aluf1 />
* Head of the [[Manpower Directorate]], July 1963 – July 1966<ref name=aluf1 />
}}
| battles       = 
{{Plainlist |
* [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine]]
* [[File:Independence war ribbon.svg|30px]] [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
* [[File:Sinai war ribbon.jpg|30px]] [[Sinai War]]
}}
| spouse        = 
| laterwork     = Israel Ambassador to [[Ethiopia]]
| signature     = 
| module        =
}}

'''Haim Ben-David''' ({{langx|he|חיים בן-דוד}}; May 6, 1919 &ndash; November 22, 1967<ref>{{cite web|title=בן-דוד חיים|url=http://www.yadlabanim.org.il/cgi-webaxy/sal/sal.pl?lang=he&ID=878080_ylabanim&act=show&dbid=noflim&dataid=094982|publisher=Yad Labanim|accessdate=23 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=אלוף חיים בן דוד|url=http://www.izkor.gov.il/HalalView.aspx?id=094982|publisher=The State of Israel, Ministry of Defense|accessdate=23 January 2014}}</ref>) was a [[Aluf|major general]] in the [[Israel Defense Forces]], the second [[Military Secretary to the Prime Minister|Military Secretary to Prime Minister]] [[David Ben-Gurion]], and the head of the [[Manpower Directorate]]. After his military service, Ben-David was appointed ambassador to [[Ethiopia]] where he was killed in a plane accident in line of duty.<ref name="Davar1">{{cite web|title=אלוף ח. בן דוד, שגריר ישראל באדיס אבבה, נספה בתאונת מטוס|url=http://jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Skin=TAUHe&BaseHref=DAV/1967/11/23&EntityId=Ar00114&ViewMode=HTML|publisher=[[Davar]]|accessdate=23 January 2014|language=Hebrew|date=November 23, 1967}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Ben-David was born in [[Vienna]], the capital of [[Austria]] in 1919.<ref name=aluf1>{{cite web|title=אלוף חיים בן-דוד|url=http://www.izkor.gov.il/HalalKorot.aspx?id=94982|publisher=Izkor, [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Ministry of Defense]]|accessdate=23 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Maariv" /> He studied Hebrew at the local Jewish community which was headed by [[Tzvi-Peretz Hayot]] at the time. Soon after, Ben-David joined the [[Gordonia (youth movement)|Gordonia]], a [[Zionist youth movement]] and in 1938 he [[Fifth Aliyah|immigrated to Israel]]. Soon after arriving in Israel, Ben-David joined the [[Haganah]] where he aided Jewish immigrants during the [[Aliyah]].<ref>{{cite web|title=על חב"ד שאיננו|url=http://jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Skin=TAUHe&BaseHref=DAV/1967/11/28&EntityId=Ar00615&ViewMode=HTML|publisher=[[Davar]]|accessdate=23 January 2014|language=Hebrew|date=November 28, 1967}}</ref> 

== Career ==
Ben-David became one of the first fighters in the [[Special Night Squads]] watching over the [[Mosul–Haifa oil pipeline]] in the [[Jezreel Valley]]. He eventually settled in [[Beit She'an]] valley where he became the area's first commander of [[Hish (Haganah corps)|Hish]].

After the formation of the [[Carmeli Brigade]] on February 22, 1948, he became a company commander. During the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] Ben-David fought in the [[Battle of Ramat Yohanan]]. He participated in [[Operation Dekel]] and [[Operation Hiram]] in the [[Western Galilee]] in an attempt to free [[Yehiam]].<ref name="Maariv" /><ref name="Davar2">{{cite web|title= (Part 2) אלוף ח. בן דוד, שגריר ישראל באדיס אבבה, נספה בתאונת מטוס|url=http://jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Skin=TAUHe&BaseHref=DAV/1967/11/23&EntityId=Ar00201&ViewMode=HTML|publisher=[[Davar]]|accessdate=23 January 2014|language=Hebrew|date=November 23, 1967}}</ref>

In October 1951, he was appointed assistant [[Chief of General Staff (Israel)|Chief of General Staff]] under the command of [[Mordechai Maklef]].<ref name="Maariv" /> In 1953 he was appointed to organize the Department of Human Resources under the [[Manpower Directorate]]. In 1955 he was appointed Battalion commander of [[Golani Brigade]], a position he held for a year.<ref name="Maariv" /><ref name="Davar2" />

Ben-David became the [[Military Secretary to the Prime Minister]] under the command of [[David Ben-Gurion]] following the suicide of [[Nehemiah Argov]]. He held that position for five years while the [[Lavon Affair]] intensified. Following the resignation of [[David Ben-Gurion]] in 1963, Ben-David was appointed Head of the [[Manpower Directorate]].<ref name=aluf1 /> In April of '64 Ben-David was promoted to [[Aluf]] rank.<ref name="Davar2" />

=== After his release and plane accident ===
[[File:חיים בן-דוד (חב"ד) ודוד בן-גוריון.png|thumb|left|Haim Ben-David (left) and [[David Ben-Gurion]]]]
After his release from the military in 1966, Ben-David was appointed [[List of ambassadors of Israel to Ethiopia|Israel's ambassador in Ethiopia]].<ref name="Maariv" /> In November 1967 Ben-David was killed in a plane accident while flying from [[Addis Ababa]] to an Israeli farm as part of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the [[United Nations]].<ref name="Maariv">{{cite web|title=אלוף חיים בן דוד נהרג בתאונה אווירית באתיופיה|url=http://jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Skin=TAUHe&BaseHref=MAR/1967/11/23&EntityId=Ar00301&ViewMode=HTML|publisher=[[Maariv (newspaper)|Maariv]]|accessdate=23 January 2014|language=Hebrew|date=November 23, 1967}}</ref> Ben-David was married and had three sons.  He is buried in [[Kiryat Shaul Cemetery|Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite web|title=מקום מנוחתו|url=http://www.izkor.gov.il/HalalMakomMenucha.aspx?id=94982|publisher=The State of Israel, Ministry of Defense|accessdate=23 January 2014}}</ref> A street in the [[Yad Eliyahu]] neighborhood in [[Tel Aviv]] is named after him.

{{clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{ManpowerDirectorateChiefs}}
{{Military Secretaries to the Prime Minister of Israel}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-David, Haim}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents]]
[[Category:Austrian Zionists]]
[[Category:Israeli generals]]
[[Category:Israeli military personnel of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
[[Category:Haganah members]]
[[Category:Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery]]


{{Israel-mil-bio-stub}}
[[Category:British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1967]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Israel]]
[[Category:Immigrants of the Fifth Aliyah]]