Yitzhak Sadeh

Yitzhak Sadeh
General Sadeh, 1950
Birth name	Izaak Landoberg
Nickname(s)	HaZaken (the old man)
Born	August 10, 1890 Lublin, Poland, Russian Empire
Died	August 20, 1952(1952-08-20) (aged 62) Tel Aviv, Israel
Allegiance	Israel
Service/branch	Palmach
Rank	Commander

Yitzhak Sadeh (Hebrew: יצחק שדה‎‎, born Izaak Landoberg, August 10, 1890 – August 20, 1952), was the commander of the Palmach, one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel and a cousin of British philosopher Isaiah Berlin.

Sadeh was born as Izaak Landoberg to a Polish-Jewish family in Lublin, in the Russian Partition of the Russian Empire (now in Poland). His mother, Rebecca, was the daughter of rabbi Shneur Zalman Fradkin. In his youth, he studied with rabbi Hillel Zeitlin.

When World War I broke out, he joined the Imperial Russian Army. He saw action and was decorated for bravery. In 1917, he met Joseph Trumpeldor, and between 1917 and 1919, assisted him in the founding of HeHalutz (The Pioneer) movement. In 1920, Sadeh made aliyah to Eretz Israel, where he became one of founders and leaders of Gdud HaAvoda (The Work Battalion).

In 1921, Sadeh was a Haganah (Defense) commander in Jerusalem. During the 1929 riots he took part in the battle defending Haifa. When the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine began, Sadeh established the Nodedet (Wandering Troop or Patrol Unit) in Jerusalem, that confronted the Arabs in their villages and bases. He demanded that his troops "leave the defences" and initiate military operations.