WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.720 Welcome to the Deep Dive. To start things off 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.139 today, I really want you to just picture a resume 00:00:06.139 --> 00:00:09.460 in your head. Okay. I'm picturing it. You are 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.240 looking at a single document, and under the work 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.800 experience section, it lists elementary school 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.739 teacher. Which is, you know, a perfectly normal, 00:00:17.859 --> 00:00:20.460 noble profession. Right. But then right below 00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:24.570 that, the very next line says... covert paratroopers 00:00:24.570 --> 00:00:27.550 dropped behind enemy lines. Yeah, quite the career 00:00:27.550 --> 00:00:30.230 pivot. And it doesn't stop there. Below that, 00:00:30.230 --> 00:00:33.109 it lists hostage negotiator who talks down armed 00:00:33.109 --> 00:00:34.770 terrorists without shedding a single drop of 00:00:34.770 --> 00:00:36.850 blood. On paper, it really sounds completely 00:00:36.850 --> 00:00:38.810 fabricated. It totally does. It sounds like the 00:00:38.810 --> 00:00:41.729 plot of some... some Hollywood blockbuster where 00:00:41.729 --> 00:00:43.770 the main character is just handed every impossible 00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:45.570 skill to keep the movie going. It really does 00:00:45.570 --> 00:00:48.289 read like fiction. But today we are looking at 00:00:48.289 --> 00:00:50.770 the actual documented life of a real person. 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:53.649 Exactly. We are diving into a Wikipedia article 00:00:53.649 --> 00:00:56.280 on Rahabam Amir. who was actually originally 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:59.880 born Rahabam Sabludowsky. His life really serves 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.420 as a masterclass in how individuals get swept 00:01:02.420 --> 00:01:05.140 up by these massive, unpredictable tides of history, 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.739 and more importantly, how they choose to navigate 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:09.819 those tides rather than just letting themselves 00:01:09.819 --> 00:01:12.260 be carried away. So the mission of our deep dive 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:15.299 today is to map out one of the most astonishingly 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:18.000 varied lives of the 20th century. We're going 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:19.540 to take the source material we have on a mirror 00:01:19.540 --> 00:01:22.260 and extract the core insights on adaptability, 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:25.870 on duty, and... and on what it actually takes 00:01:25.870 --> 00:01:28.689 to show true leadership under unimaginable pressure. 00:01:28.829 --> 00:01:31.920 It's a lot to cover. It is. Okay. Let's unpack 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.159 this, because to understand how a school teacher 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:37.159 becomes a covert operative and a master diplomat, 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:39.019 we really have to start at the very beginning. 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.700 Where does a story like this actually take root? 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.500 Well, it takes root in a very turbulent setting. 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:47.819 He was born on January 1st, 1916. Right in the 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:49.939 middle of everything. Exactly. Born in Vilnius, 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:52.959 Lithuania. His parents were Malka and Yitzhak 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:55.819 Eliezer Zebludovsky. And right from the very 00:01:55.819 --> 00:01:58.019 beginning, global history is already imposing 00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:00.540 itself on his reality. Because of the First World 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:03.129 War. Yes. At the time of his birth, Vilnius was 00:02:03.129 --> 00:02:05.510 under German occupation. So he is born into a 00:02:05.510 --> 00:02:08.090 world literally defined by conflict and shifting 00:02:08.090 --> 00:02:10.789 borders. Right. But his initial trajectory doesn't 00:02:10.789 --> 00:02:12.830 point toward the military at all. It points straight 00:02:12.830 --> 00:02:15.069 toward the classroom. What kind of educational 00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:17.909 background does he actually have? So he was enrolled 00:02:17.909 --> 00:02:21.180 in a Tarbett High School. For a bit of context 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:23.400 for you listening, the Tarbett schools were a 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:27.219 network of secular Zionist institutions in Eastern 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:29.439 Europe. And they taught in Hebrew, right? They 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:31.819 did. They were highly focused on cultural identity 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:35.139 and education. After high school, he moves on 00:02:35.139 --> 00:02:37.719 to a teacher's college in Vilnius. But then in 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:41.240 1935, there is a major pivot. The first of many. 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.139 Right. Sponsored by his uncle, who was the well 00:02:44.139 --> 00:02:47.379 -known poet Kadish Yehuda Silman, Rehavam moves 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:50.120 to Eretz Israel, which was then Palestine under 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:52.759 the British mandate. So he arrives in Jerusalem 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:56.060 and he just keeps pursuing this path in education. 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:59.060 Precisely. He stays with relatives and completes 00:02:59.060 --> 00:03:01.219 his studies at the local teacher's college in 00:03:01.219 --> 00:03:03.979 Jerusalem. And this was operating under the directorship 00:03:03.979 --> 00:03:06.879 of a prominent historian named Benzion Denor. 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:10.020 You can see this incredibly clear, stable path 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:12.159 he is walking. Oh, absolutely. After graduating, 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:14.360 he goes to teach in a frontier settlement in 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:17.520 the Galilee called Yavnail. And Yavnail is significant 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:21.120 because that is where he meets his future wife, 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.360 Avril Branstad. Yes, they meet there. And eventually, 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.180 by 1939, he moves to Tel Aviv and takes a position 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:31.919 teaching at the Gretz Elementary School. Wow. 00:03:32.020 --> 00:03:34.099 If the story stopped right here, it would be 00:03:34.099 --> 00:03:36.780 a perfectly respectable, quiet life of a dedicated 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.280 educator building a foundation for the next generation. 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:42.419 But the narrative makes a really sharp turn because 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:44.300 while he is standing in front of chalkboards 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:47.319 and managing classrooms, he is actively living 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:50.120 a completely secret double life. He really is. 00:03:50.830 --> 00:03:52.770 How does a teacher get involved in an underground 00:03:52.770 --> 00:03:55.550 militia? What's fascinating here is the stark 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:57.969 contrast between his public identity and his 00:03:57.969 --> 00:04:02.430 private actions. As early as late 1936, Amir 00:04:02.430 --> 00:04:04.930 had quietly joined the Haganah. Which was the 00:04:04.930 --> 00:04:07.370 main underground military organization of the 00:04:07.370 --> 00:04:09.430 Jewish population during the British Mandate. 00:04:09.569 --> 00:04:12.210 Exactly. So while he is grading papers, he is 00:04:12.210 --> 00:04:14.909 also secretly participating in one of the Haganah's 00:04:14.909 --> 00:04:17.709 very first wireless operators courses. And they 00:04:17.709 --> 00:04:19.629 are holding these courses in secret locations, 00:04:19.790 --> 00:04:23.180 I assume. Yeah. This early training was held 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:26.740 clandestinely in Kibbutz Eilat Hashahar up in 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:29.779 the Upper Galilee. Even during his time teaching 00:04:29.779 --> 00:04:32.800 in that frontier settlement of Yavnel, he wasn't 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:35.300 just a teacher. Right. He was secretly serving 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:37.540 as the primary contact between the settlement 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:40.079 and the Haganah headquarters. I just want you 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:43.149 to imagine. The psychological compartmentalization 00:04:43.149 --> 00:04:45.990 required for that. It's staggering. It really 00:04:45.990 --> 00:04:48.490 is. You are an elementary school teacher by day, 00:04:48.610 --> 00:04:50.870 maintaining this calm, authoritative presence 00:04:50.870 --> 00:04:54.829 for children. And by night, you are running clandestine 00:04:54.829 --> 00:04:57.709 radio operations. And he clearly had a natural 00:04:57.709 --> 00:05:00.709 aptitude for it. Because by 1941, he is no longer 00:05:00.709 --> 00:05:02.870 just taking courses. He is running them. That 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:05.350 is the turning point. In 1941, he is requested 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:07.829 to actually head a Haganah communication course 00:05:07.829 --> 00:05:10.329 taking place in the Oriental Bazaar in Tel Aviv. 00:05:10.410 --> 00:05:12.949 And this wasn't just any course. It was specifically 00:05:12.949 --> 00:05:15.350 for members of the Moshe Dayan Network. For those 00:05:15.350 --> 00:05:16.990 listening who might not be familiar with that 00:05:16.990 --> 00:05:19.149 specific network, what was its actual purpose? 00:05:19.410 --> 00:05:22.189 At that time, there was a very real fear that 00:05:22.189 --> 00:05:26.029 the Axis powers might invade Palestine. The Moshe 00:05:26.029 --> 00:05:29.279 Dayan Network was essentially a covert... intelligence 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:31.360 and communication infrastructure. Being built 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:33.220 in preparation for that worst case scenario. 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:36.399 Exactly. So Amir is suddenly working alongside 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:40.019 top tier professional wireless experts like Peretz 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:42.379 Rosenberg, building the hidden infrastructure 00:05:42.379 --> 00:05:45.160 of resistance. He transitions from absorbing 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.759 information to actively building the network, 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:51.160 which leads us to a massive life altering invitation. 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:55.069 Upon completing this communication course, Amir 00:05:55.069 --> 00:05:57.110 is asked to go to the home of a very important 00:05:57.110 --> 00:05:59.810 figure. Yes, he is called to the home of Eliyahu 00:05:59.810 --> 00:06:01.829 Goulom. The head of the Haganah. The head of 00:06:01.829 --> 00:06:04.050 the Haganah. And Goulom presents him with an 00:06:04.050 --> 00:06:06.990 extraordinary request. He essentially asks Amir 00:06:06.990 --> 00:06:09.490 if he is willing to go behind enemy lines into 00:06:09.490 --> 00:06:11.990 occupied Europe. Disguised as a British soldier? 00:06:12.410 --> 00:06:14.490 Disguised as a British soldier to reach Jewish 00:06:14.490 --> 00:06:16.329 communities. Think about the gravity of that 00:06:16.329 --> 00:06:19.529 request. It's 1941. Europe is engulfed in the 00:06:19.529 --> 00:06:22.009 Second World War. You're asking a schoolteacher 00:06:22.009 --> 00:06:25.189 to drop his entire life, put on a foreign uniform, 00:06:25.350 --> 00:06:28.569 and infiltrate occupied territory. And Amir simply 00:06:28.569 --> 00:06:31.689 agrees to do it. He doesn't hesitate. No. With 00:06:31.689 --> 00:06:34.170 the full backing of his Haganah commanders Ghulam 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:37.250 and Reuven Zazlani, who is also known as Shailoa 00:06:37.250 --> 00:06:40.879 Amir, departs. In the winter of 1941, he is sent 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.430 to the British headquarters in Cairo. And his 00:06:43.430 --> 00:06:46.069 initial task there actually utilizes his teaching 00:06:46.069 --> 00:06:48.470 skills, right? But in a totally different context. 00:06:48.730 --> 00:06:51.189 Yeah, military context. He is asked to establish 00:06:51.189 --> 00:06:53.670 a school for wireless operators, specifically 00:06:53.670 --> 00:06:57.269 to train Yugoslav volunteers from Slovenia, whom 00:06:57.269 --> 00:06:58.970 the British had captured in the Western Desert. 00:06:59.209 --> 00:07:01.790 So he's training prisoners of war to become Allied 00:07:01.790 --> 00:07:04.750 radio operators. But he is also getting some 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:06.910 intense training of his own during this period, 00:07:07.009 --> 00:07:10.629 isn't it? He is. By February 1942, while commanding 00:07:10.629 --> 00:07:18.610 this course, he completes a parachute. And ISLD 00:07:18.610 --> 00:07:21.009 is not just some random military branch. Not 00:07:21.009 --> 00:07:23.730 at all. ISLD was actually a cover name used in 00:07:23.730 --> 00:07:26.509 the Middle East for MI6. The British Secret Intelligence 00:07:26.509 --> 00:07:29.670 Service. The very same. So our former elementary 00:07:29.670 --> 00:07:31.970 school teacher is now receiving specialized covert 00:07:31.970 --> 00:07:34.529 operations training from one of the most elite 00:07:34.529 --> 00:07:36.970 intelligence agencies in the world. But then 00:07:36.970 --> 00:07:39.490 after all this intense buildup, there is this 00:07:39.490 --> 00:07:43.529 agonizing waiting game. For months, his deployment 00:07:43.529 --> 00:07:46.329 is delayed. Bureaucracy, even in wartime. Right. 00:07:46.829 --> 00:07:49.610 During this holding pattern, he actually marries 00:07:49.610 --> 00:07:54.029 Avatar in September 1943. And it's only a month 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:56.930 later, in October, that his deployment orders 00:07:56.930 --> 00:07:59.569 finally come through. He takes a boat from Alexandria 00:07:59.569 --> 00:08:02.569 to Bari in Italy. Moving closer to the front. 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:05.040 Yeah, he makes contact with Eretz Israel units 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.720 in Salerno, transfers Jewish agency money to 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:10.680 them, and then by late December, he is on a motor 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:13.199 torpedo boat heading into the Adriatic Sea toward 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.720 the Isle of Wyss. Why was the Isle of Wyss so 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:17.699 strategically important? The Isle of Wyss is 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:20.160 a crucial geographic detail. At this time, it 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:22.360 was the only island in the entire Adriatic Sea 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:24.420 that was controlled by Tito's partisans and allied 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:26.839 forces. And just to clarify for everyone, Tito's 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:29.120 partisans were the communist -led anti -fascist 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:32.360 resistance movement in Yugoslavia, correct? Exactly. 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:35.320 They were a formidable guerrilla force fighting 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:38.679 the Axis occupation. Amir, along with another 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.820 ISLD representative, sets up direct radio contact 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:44.580 with the Allied headquarters in Bari. He spends 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:47.159 three months there. Three months networking with 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:50.899 commandos and volunteers. But crucially, he encounters 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:54.139 a group of 200 Jewish refugees from Yugoslavia 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:56.639 whom the partisans had helped reach the island. 00:08:56.940 --> 00:08:59.100 And he immediately shifts into a protective role. 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:01.549 Right away. He tells them about the refugee camps 00:09:01.549 --> 00:09:03.649 established and liberated southern Italy and 00:09:03.649 --> 00:09:05.669 actually assists in their transfer to safety. 00:09:06.029 --> 00:09:08.669 He is saving lives before his primary mission, 00:09:08.789 --> 00:09:11.429 even if it only begins. It really highlights 00:09:11.429 --> 00:09:13.669 his core motivation. He wasn't there just to 00:09:13.669 --> 00:09:16.230 play soldier. He was there to protect his people. 00:09:16.429 --> 00:09:18.669 Here's where it gets really interesting. It is 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:22.570 the spring of 1944. Amir returns to Bari, gets 00:09:22.570 --> 00:09:24.789 promoted to lieutenant, and prepares for the 00:09:24.789 --> 00:09:27.090 real operation. We're talking about the night 00:09:27.090 --> 00:09:31.029 of May 12th leading into the 13th, 1944. Amir, 00:09:31.090 --> 00:09:33.830 who is now operating under the MI6 codename Lieutenant 00:09:33.830 --> 00:09:36.470 Allen, parachutes directly into what was called 00:09:36.470 --> 00:09:39.029 the Fourth Zone. And the Fourth Zone was an area 00:09:39.029 --> 00:09:42.730 southeast of Julbiana in Slovenia. It was technically 00:09:42.730 --> 00:09:44.850 controlled by the partisans, but it was completely 00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:48.129 encircled by the German army. Dropping into that 00:09:48.129 --> 00:09:50.549 environment is an exercise in extreme isolation 00:09:50.549 --> 00:09:53.070 and risk. Absolutely. What were his specific 00:09:53.070 --> 00:09:55.519 objectives once he hit the ground? His mission 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:58.580 was multifaceted. Officially, for the British, 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:01.980 he had to locate a lost military mission that 00:10:01.980 --> 00:10:04.639 had parachuted in previously but had gone completely 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:06.919 off the grid. A rescue and recovery mission. 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:10.360 Yes. He was also tasked with improving the partisans' 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:13.019 radio communication systems, training them in 00:10:13.019 --> 00:10:15.580 complex encoding, and setting up an independent, 00:10:15.779 --> 00:10:18.080 secure wireless link back to the headquarters 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:21.559 in Bahrain. And unofficially. For his own people. 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:23.840 Unofficially, he was instructed by the Haganah 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:26.820 to find fleeing Jews and help them navigate the 00:10:26.820 --> 00:10:29.120 escape routes to freedom. And he spends the entire 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:33.019 summer of 1944 doing this. Yes, embedded with 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:35.659 the partisans, literally marching on foot from 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:38.779 camp to camp through hostile territory. He leaves 00:10:38.779 --> 00:10:41.519 for Bari in September, but immediately goes right 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:43.580 back to Slovenia with more technical equipment. 00:10:43.899 --> 00:10:47.279 By the end of 1944, he is infiltrated behind 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:50.259 enemy lines three separate times. Three times. 00:10:50.990 --> 00:10:53.889 It is so easy to look at a record like that and 00:10:53.889 --> 00:10:56.870 mythologize the person to view them as this fearless 00:10:56.870 --> 00:10:59.250 action hero. Sure. The Hollywood version. Right. 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.240 But Amir himself had a very grounded perspective 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.080 on what he and his peers accomplished. I actually 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:06.700 have a direct quote from our source material 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:09.200 where Amir looks back on these tasks. He said, 00:11:09.259 --> 00:11:11.179 We were all of a generation that had been educated 00:11:11.179 --> 00:11:13.139 to fulfill the missions that were thrust upon 00:11:13.139 --> 00:11:16.019 us. I do not remember one of our fellow emissaries 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:18.259 who looked for publicity or craved a battle. 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:21.220 Most of us were young, regular guys. Each and 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:22.980 every one of us regarded the mission as a great 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:26.330 privilege and unhesitatingly answered yes. That 00:11:26.330 --> 00:11:28.649 quote is the absolute key to understanding his 00:11:28.649 --> 00:11:31.289 psychology. He operates purely from a sense of 00:11:31.289 --> 00:11:35.330 duty. There is zero ego involved. None. He explicitly 00:11:35.330 --> 00:11:37.629 points out that they didn't crave battle or look 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:40.009 for publicity. They were educated to fulfill 00:11:40.009 --> 00:11:42.570 the missions dressed upon them. It is a mindset 00:11:42.570 --> 00:11:45.450 that prioritizes the collective need over any 00:11:45.450 --> 00:11:48.250 desire for personal glory. And that mindset is 00:11:48.250 --> 00:11:51.470 exactly what drives his next chapter. Late 1944, 00:11:52.049 --> 00:11:55.399 Amir returns to Eretz Israel. He doesn't take 00:11:55.399 --> 00:11:57.879 a vacation. No rest at all. He dives right into 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:00.840 the complex machinery of state building. He joins 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:03.159 the SHAA, which was the Haganah's intelligence 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:06.019 service, working first in Tel Aviv and then in 00:12:06.019 --> 00:12:08.919 Haifa. And in this beautiful full circle moment 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:11.639 while he is in Haifa, he also serves as the headmaster 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:13.860 of the Riali Elementary School. He seamlessly 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:16.320 blends his intelligence work with his roots as 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:18.720 an educator. It's brilliant. Then, when the State 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:21.700 of Israel is established in May 1948, he is appointed 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:24.399 military governor of Acre and the Western Galilee. 00:12:24.500 --> 00:12:26.720 So he is transitioning from covert operations 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:29.580 into the literal mechanics of governance. Yes. 00:12:29.700 --> 00:12:32.179 And this transitions into his diplomatic career. 00:12:32.299 --> 00:12:34.320 He joins the senior ranks of the foreign ministry 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:35.919 as the head of personnel and administration. 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:38.899 And this role leads to a logistical feat that 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:41.659 is just mind -blowing. The overnight move. In 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:44.840 the summer of 1953, he is tasked with transferring 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:47.639 the entire foreign ministry from Tel Aviv to 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.539 Jerusalem. Moving an entire government apparatus 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:53.600 is usually a process that takes months of phase 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:56.559 transitions. You expect massive disruptions to 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:58.659 daily operations. Exactly. I mean, think about 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:01.419 your last office move. You lose half your staplers. 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:04.419 The Wi -Fi doesn't work for a week. But Amir 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:07.620 executes this entire logistically massive operation 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:10.860 in one single night. It's unbelievable. By the 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:13.580 very next day, all the offices, the files, the 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:15.820 communication lines and the departments are fully 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:18.519 functioning in a completely different city. How 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:20.700 does someone even orchestrate that? You have 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:22.379 to look at the skills he developed during the 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:24.919 war. The logistical mind required to organize 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:27.519 clandestine radio networks behind enemy lines 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.899 is built on principles of compartmentalization, 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.480 strict timelines, and flawless communication. 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:35.259 He applied the strategy of a covert military 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:38.320 insertion to a bureaucratic problem. He understood 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:41.120 how to manage moving parts in absolute secrecy 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:43.960 and execute a plan swiftly without disrupting 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:46.179 the overarching mission. The context changed 00:13:46.179 --> 00:13:49.559 from warfare to bureaucracy. Exactly, but the 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:52.539 core competency remained identical. That administrative 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:55.120 brilliance propels him right into high -level 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:59.159 diplomacy. In August 1953, he is appointed Israel's 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:01.899 Consul General to the United Kingdom. He moves 00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:04.700 to London for five years with Avital and their 00:14:04.700 --> 00:14:08.120 two daughters, Shulamit and Dalia. A major post. 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:11.620 And then, in late 1958, he gets appointed as 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:14.559 the head of Israel's legation to Poland. This 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.879 seems like a particularly heavy assignment given 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:19.220 the timeline. It is. If we connect this to the 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:21.740 bigger picture, the Poland posting carries an 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:23.980 immense, almost suffocating emotional weight. 00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:27.720 It is late 1958. Evidence of the Holocaust is 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.259 still being systematically uncovered and documented. 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:33.019 That's also fresh. Very fresh. The actual physical 00:14:33.019 --> 00:14:35.460 sites of the extermination camps are just becoming 00:14:35.460 --> 00:14:38.580 known to the wider world in a tangible way. Amir 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:40.519 and his diplomatic staff were among the very 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:43.080 first Jewish visitors to these camps after the 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:45.460 Second World War. It is hard to even conceptualize 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:47.580 the emotional toll of that. You have a man who 00:14:47.580 --> 00:14:50.440 actively jumped into occupied Europe to save 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:53.200 fleeing Jews during the war. And now... just 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:56.039 a little over a decade later, he is walking through 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.539 the remnants of the extermination camps, witnessing 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:00.659 the scale of what happened to the people who 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:03.379 couldn't escape. It was a profound confrontation 00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:06.200 with history. But even amidst that darkness, 00:15:06.539 --> 00:15:09.580 Amir was highly focused on his diplomatic mission. 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:12.759 During his three -year tour, Poland's prime minister 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:15.740 at the time, Wiaty Sogomuka, actually enacted 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:19.379 policies that enabled Jews to leave Poland. And 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:21.600 Amir was positioned right there to facilitate 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:24.019 that emigration. Yes. He is once again organizing 00:15:24.019 --> 00:15:26.159 the safe passage of his people, just as he did 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:28.419 on the Isle of Viz. But this time he's using 00:15:28.419 --> 00:15:30.480 diplomatic channels instead of military ones. 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:33.299 Precisely. After his tenure in Poland, he returns 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:35.820 to Israel and holds several high -level foreign 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:39.600 ministry posts. In 1963, his career shifts again. 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:42.000 He transfers to the prime minister's office to 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.600 become the advisor for air affairs to David Ben 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:47.480 -Gurion. And when Ben -Gurion resigns... Amir 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:49.720 is deemed so indispensable that he stays on to 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.080 work with the next prime minister, Levi Eshkol. 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:55.100 His ability to manage complex relationships is 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:58.840 clearly unmatched by this point. In 1964, he 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.159 is the one who coordinates Pope Paul VI's historic 00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:05.120 visit to Megiddo and Nazareth. Then, from 1965 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:08.600 to 1968, he goes to the Jewish Agency as the 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:10.460 director of Jewish education in the diaspora. 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:12.539 Always returning to those educational roots. 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:15.000 Always. Then it is back to the foreign ministry, 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:17.559 serving as consul general in New York City from 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:20.840 1968 to 1971. And all of this is building toward 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:24.059 1971, when he is appointed as Israel's ambassador 00:16:24.059 --> 00:16:26.580 to Thailand. And this posting to Thailand is 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:28.980 the crucible. It is the moment where his entire 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:32.240 lifetime of disparate skills converge. The military 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:34.460 coolness under fire, the logistical planning, 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:37.840 the diplomatic tact, it all comes into play during 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:42.200 one critical event. It is December 1972. The 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:44.580 PLO's Black September Group attacks the Israeli 00:16:44.580 --> 00:16:47.519 embassy in Bangkok. A terrifying situation. For 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:49.220 context, for you listening, Black September was 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:51.220 a militant Palestinian organization that was 00:16:51.220 --> 00:16:53.200 actively targeting Israeli interests globally 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:55.480 during this era. They violently breached the 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:57.860 embassy building in Bangkok and take every single 00:16:57.860 --> 00:17:00.200 occupant inside as a hostage. It is a highly 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:02.519 volatile international crisis. But amidst the 00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:04.740 chaos, there is one incredible stroke of luck. 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:07.440 Amir and his wife, Avital, were not in the embassy 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:09.680 building when it was breached. They were attending 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:13.160 an official ceremony at the royal palace. Because 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:15.859 they avoided capture, Amir remained completely 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:19.140 free to act on the outside. So what does this 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:21.799 all mean? It means that the militants holding 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:24.640 the embassy hostage now have to negotiate with 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:27.460 a man who used to drop behind enemy lines for 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:29.700 MI6. They probably had no idea who they were 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:31.900 dealing with. Right. They're dealing with a former 00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:35.059 intelligence officer and military governor who 00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:37.720 possesses a profound understanding of how to 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:41.380 handle high -stakes life -or -death crises. How 00:17:41.380 --> 00:17:43.819 does he approach this negotiation? He doesn't 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:46.579 approach it like a traditional diplomat. He approaches 00:17:46.579 --> 00:17:49.140 it like a strategist. First, he has to navigate 00:17:49.140 --> 00:17:51.920 the host country's demands. The king of Thailand 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.079 was personally involved and made an absolute 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:57.279 non -negotiable mandate. There must be no bloodshed 00:17:57.279 --> 00:17:59.839 on Thai soil. So Amir has to find a way to resolve 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:02.619 the terrorist hostage situation without authorizing 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:04.980 any use of tactical force. Which forces him to 00:18:04.980 --> 00:18:07.960 look for unconventional leverage. And he finds 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.440 it through an incredibly unlikely alliance. Amir 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.339 manages to work with the Egyptian ambassador 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:17.220 to negotiate directly with the captors. Why is 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:19.960 that alliance so remarkable for 1972? Because 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:22.420 at that time, Israel and Egypt had absolutely 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:25.920 zero formal diplomatic relations. They were active 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:28.880 adversaries who had fought multiple wars. Yet 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.240 Amir recognizes that the Egyptian ambassador 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:33.880 might carry cultural and political sway with 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:36.950 the captors that he himself does not have. He 00:18:36.950 --> 00:18:40.009 uses his intelligence background to open an unprecedented 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:42.930 back channel. He assesses the risk, swallows 00:18:42.930 --> 00:18:46.230 any political pride, and forges this courageous 00:18:46.230 --> 00:18:48.329 cooperation right in the middle of a crisis. 00:18:48.650 --> 00:18:51.490 It is a masterclass in utilizing whatever tools 00:18:51.490 --> 00:18:53.710 are necessary to complete the mission. Through 00:18:53.710 --> 00:18:56.190 these intense, delicate negotiations, utilizing 00:18:56.190 --> 00:18:58.490 this back channel, and strictly respecting the 00:18:58.490 --> 00:19:00.549 king's mandate, they achieve the impossible. 00:19:00.829 --> 00:19:02.730 They really do. The captors agree to stand down. 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:05.420 The hostages are finally released, no tactical 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:07.740 force is used, and not a single person is injured. 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:10.720 It is a testament to his sheer willpower and 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:12.960 his ability to remain analytical when others 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:16.339 would panic. He saved his people without a single 00:19:16.339 --> 00:19:19.599 shot being fired. After that monumental triumph, 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:23.299 he returns to Israel in 1975 and is appointed 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:26.750 chief of protocol. a very prestigious role. In 00:19:26.750 --> 00:19:29.250 this role, he is responsible for managing the 00:19:29.250 --> 00:19:31.890 official visits of foreign dignitaries, which 00:19:31.890 --> 00:19:35.150 means he is the man handling the logistics for 00:19:35.150 --> 00:19:38.970 the historic 1977 visits to Jerusalem by U .S. 00:19:38.970 --> 00:19:41.410 President Jimmy Carter and Egypt's President 00:19:41.410 --> 00:19:44.170 Anwar Sadat. Think about that. The very nation 00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:46.849 he had to back channel with in Bangkok is now 00:19:46.849 --> 00:19:48.829 sitting at the peace table and he is managing 00:19:48.829 --> 00:19:51.390 the protocol. He's poetry. He eventually finishes 00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:53.869 his official diplomatic career serving as ambassador 00:19:53.869 --> 00:19:57.690 to Finland from 1979 to 1982. But even in retirement, 00:19:57.809 --> 00:20:00.349 that sense of duty never left him. He volunteered 00:20:00.349 --> 00:20:02.750 his time extensively. He advised the legendary 00:20:02.750 --> 00:20:05.390 mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Colick. He served on 00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:07.069 the board of the David Yellen Teachers College. 00:20:07.369 --> 00:20:09.390 Tying his life all the way back to his earliest 00:20:09.390 --> 00:20:12.549 days in Jerusalem. Exactly. He also served on 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:15.309 the board of ERAN, a mental health hotline, and 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:17.369 the board of governors of Ben -Gurion University 00:20:17.369 --> 00:20:20.529 of the Negev. He remained active, serving his 00:20:20.529 --> 00:20:23.170 community, right up until he passed away on April 00:20:23.170 --> 00:20:28.369 4, 2013, at the age of 97. 97 years. When you 00:20:28.369 --> 00:20:30.529 zoom out and look at the total sum of everything 00:20:30.529 --> 00:20:33.809 we just discussed, the breath is simply staggering. 00:20:34.430 --> 00:20:36.269 Staggering is the right word. He went from a 00:20:36.269 --> 00:20:39.029 chalkboard in a frontier settlement to a parachute 00:20:39.029 --> 00:20:41.609 drop in surrounded enemy territory to the high 00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:44.250 -stakes negotiating table in Bangkok. He was 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:46.569 a man who never once sought the spotlight, yet 00:20:46.569 --> 00:20:48.470 he repeatedly found himself shaping the course 00:20:48.470 --> 00:20:51.859 of history in quiet, monumental ways. This raises 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:53.579 an important question, and it is something I 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:55.519 want to leave you, the listener, to ponder today. 00:20:55.680 --> 00:20:57.980 When we analyze Amir's life, we see a specific 00:20:57.980 --> 00:21:00.759 set of skills forged in the crucible of wartime 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:04.220 espionage. Absolute secrecy, swift and decisive 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:07.980 action, risk assessment, and a rigid, selfless 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:11.259 dedication to duty. What is truly profound is 00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:13.460 that these are the exact same skills he later 00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:15.619 utilized to build government infrastructure in 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:18.259 a single night, to facilitate the safe passage 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:21.299 of refugees out of post -war Europe, and to negotiate 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:23.960 the peaceful release of hostages without firing 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:26.660 a weapon. The exact same skill set. So how might 00:21:26.660 --> 00:21:29.700 you apply that same adaptable, mission -oriented 00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:32.359 mindset to the unexpected crises in your own 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:35.660 life? How do the hard, tactical lessons you learn 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:38.220 in your most difficult moments prepare you to 00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:41.460 build peace? stability later on. That is a brilliant 00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:43.799 thought to end on. Taking the skills from our 00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:46.119 hardest battles and using them to build rather 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.460 than destroy. Thank you so much for joining us 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:50.880 for this deep dive. Keep asking questions, keep 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:52.819 looking for those incredible stories hidden in 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:54.900 the footnotes of history and we will catch you 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:55.299 next time.