Shmuel Tamir
| Shmuel Tamir | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 10 March 1923 |
| Place of birth | Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine |
| Date of death | 29 June 1987 (aged 64) |
| Knessets | 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 1965–1967 | Gahal |
| 1967–1974 | Free Centre |
| 1974–1976 | Likud |
| 1976–1977 | Free Centre |
| 1977–1978 | Democratic Movement for Change |
| 1978–1981 | Democratic Movement |
| 1981 | Independent |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 1977–1980 | Minister of Justice |
Shmuel M. Tamir (Hebrew: שמואל תמיר, born Shmuel Katzenelson; 10 March 1923 – 29 June 1987) was a prominent Israeli independence fighter, lawyer, patriot and Knesset member. After a successful career fighting the British he entered the Knesset from 1965 to 1980, rising to become Minister of Justice in the government of Menachem Begin from 1977 until 1980. A hero of the Yishuv and Eretz Yisrael Tamir was an ardent anti-Nazi leading proactive legal cases to prosecute perpetrators of the Holocaust and war criminals. A larger than life character, Tamir's maverick politics finally led him into a party of one after several coalitions with nationalist parties.
Born in Jerusalem, Shmuel was the son of Reuven Katzenelson (a member of the Jewish Legion and Joseph Trumpeldor's sergeant and companion in the Battle of Gallipoli) and Batsheva Katznelson (a member of the Knesset). Two of his uncles were Joseph Katzenelson, a companion of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and one of the Irgun's two Chiefs of Illegal Immigration and Avraham Katznelson, one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence, and his aunt was Rachel Katznelson-Shazar, wife of Zalman Shazar, the third President of Israel.
Shmuel joined Etzel in 1938 and after the declaration of the Revolt in February 1944, and took part in operations against British targets, most notably the 26 February 1944 attack on income tax offices in Jerusalem. In 1944 he was a commander of the Jerusalem District and commanded the operation that blew up the Income Tax offices in the city; Commander of Intelligence in Jerusalem District. During 1946 he served as Deputy Commander of the Jerusalem District and was in charge of the Irgun Intelligence unit in Jerusalem.
He was arrested by the British several times, and in March 1947 was exiled to Detention Camps in Kenya where he finished his Law studies. In the camp he served as the Supervisor who represented the detainees to the British Authorities.
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