Yishai Zimmerman, Elite Commando and Decorated Hero, Dies at 93

By מערכת ice

Translated & summarized from Ice by baba

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Hebrew · 4 newsrooms covering

Yishai Zimmerman, a decorated fighter from the elite Unit 101 and recipient of the Medal of Courage, died at 93 in Kibbutz Ein Harod Ichud. He was known for his bravery in Unit 101 operations and leading the capture of an Egyptian artillery complex during the Sinai Campaign. Zimmerman also served in reserve duty, was injured in two wars, and continued volunteering until old age. He was also an inventor and spearheaded efforts to bring a fighter jet to his kibbutz.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Yishai Zimmerman, a decorated Unit 101 fighter, died at 93 in Kibbutz Ein Harod Ichud.
He received the Medal of Courage for his actions during the 1956 Sinai Campaign.
Zimmerman was injured in the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
He was an inventor who won multiple awards at the Technion.
At 87, he funded the placement of a Kfir fighter jet at his kibbutz.

Yishai Zimmerman, Elite Commando and Decorated Hero, Dies at 93 — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Yishai Zimmerman, one of the last surviving fighters of the elite Unit 101 and a recipient of the Medal of Courage, passed away Monday at the age of 93. Zimmerman, born and raised in Kibbutz Ein Harod Ichud, was considered a courageous role model in the history of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He is survived by six children, 15 grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. His funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in his kibbutz.

Born in 1933, Zimmerman's family was divided during the 1950s kibbutz movement split. He joined the Armored Corps early in his military career but was recruited to the newly formed Unit 101 by Ariel Sharon, who released him from military detention for unauthorized leave. Zimmerman participated in many of the unit's daring operations before its merger with the Paratroopers Brigade. He later completed an officers' course.

During the 1956 Sinai Campaign, Zimmerman led the capture of a fortified Egyptian artillery complex near Nitzana. Despite having recently taken command of his platoon and knowing his soldiers only briefly, he single-handedly assaulted the objective, an act of bravery that earned him the Medal of Courage. After his release from regular service, he worked as a mechanic but continued active combat reserve duty, sustaining injuries in the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where he fought under Sharon's command. He remained a volunteer tank transporter driver in the reserves until well past age 80, reportedly the oldest in the IDF.

Beyond his military exploits, Zimmerman was known for his adventurous spirit. He obtained a civilian pilot's license in his youth. During the First Lebanon War, while serving in an intelligence unit at Beirut Airport, he took a local Cessna aircraft and flew it to Israel. The plane was intercepted by two F-16s over Israel due to fears of hijacking and escorted to land in Haifa. Zimmerman was court-martialed, served a month in confinement, and the plane was returned to Lebanon.

Zimmerman also excelled as a craftsman, inventor, and skilled metalworker at the kibbutz garage. His technical talent led him to win first place three times in the Technion's "Techno-Rash" invention and engineering competition (2012, 2014, 2018). At age 87, he spearheaded a determined bureaucratic effort, investing hundreds of thousands of shekels of his own money to bring and erect a "Kfir" fighter jet in Ein Harod in honor of the kibbutz's pilots. Concurrently, he worked to return the historic Uzi submachine gun belonging to Knesset Member Shlomo Lavie for display in the community.