Yitzhak Shamir

Prime Minister of Israel from 1983-1984 and from 1986-1992.

He went to work the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service and served in several posts for the Israeli government. He was a top agent in France but returned to Israel and spent several years in business. He joined Mr. Begin's Herut Party in 1970 and was elected to Israeli Parliament in December 1973. He was elected speaker in 1977. He abstained from the Camp David accords in 1978. He became Foreign Minister in 1980. He became Prime Minister in 1983 and won the election in 1988. He remained Prime Minister until 1992 and succeeded by Yitzak Rabin.

After World War II, the three major Jewish underground groups cooperated until the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Israel on July 22, 1946 which killed many casualties. He was arrested and exiled to an internment camp in Eritrea. He escaped a few months later and took refuge in France before returning to the newly independent Israel in May 1948.

In Palestine, he was a bookkeeper and construction worker. After the Arabs attacked Jewish settlers and the British in 1936, he joined the Irgun Zvai Leum, the underground Jewish defense league. He became a member of the militant Lehi or Stern Gang under Abraham Stern. He became group's top commanders in 1942 after Stern's murder. He met his wife, Shulamit Levy, who was courier and confidante. They married at a location in Jerusalem, Israel and gathered people off the street as witnesses to the ceremony before each departed for another city.

He was born in a Polish town under Russian control to Shlomo Yezernitzky and Perla Penina Yezernitzky. He immigrated to Palestine mandate in 1935 and selected Shamir as his Hebrew surname which means thorn or sharp point. His family in Poland died in the Holocaust during World War II. His father was killed by Poles whom the family regarded as friends.

Yitzhak Shamir was born on October 22, 1915 in Ruzhany, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire as Itzhak Yezernitksy. He was married to Shulamit Levy.