Yonatan Netanyahu

Born March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976), was the American-born commander of the elite Israeli army commando unit Sayeret Matkal. He was the only Israeli soldier killed in action during Operation Entebbe in Uganda.

He was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War. His younger brother, Benjamin Netanyahu, is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He has another brother, Iddo. Both Iddo and Benjamin are veterans of Sayeret Matkal.

• 1Biography
• 2Military career
• 2.1Personal letters
• 2.2Biographical film and play
• 3Legacy
• 3.1The Jonathan Institute

Yonatan Netanyahu was born in New York City, the eldest son of Zila (née Segal; 1912–2000) and Benzion Netanyahu (1910–2012), a professor emeritus of history at Cornell University. He was named after his paternal grandfather, rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky, and Colonel John Henry Patterson, who formerly commanded the Jewish Legion and attended his circumcision.^[2] His two brothers are Benjamin and Iddo.Benjamin (nicknamed “Bibi”) was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1996, in 2009 and reelected in both 2013 and 2015. Iddo, the youngest of the three, is a radiologist and writer. All three brothers served in Sayeret Matkal.

Netanyahu attended Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1964 as a classmate of Baseball Hall of Fame member Reggie Jackson.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Netanyahu married his long-time girlfriend Tirza (“Tuti”) on August 17, 1967. Shortly after their wedding, they flew to the U.S., where Yoni enrolled at Harvard University. He took classes in philosophy and mathematics, excelling in both, and was on the Dean’s List at the end of his first year.^[9] However, feeling restless at being away from Israel, especially with Israel skirmishing against Egypt during the War of Attrition, Yoni transferred to Jerusalem’s Hebrew University in 1968. In early 1969, he left his studies and returned to the army.

In 1972, he and Tuti were divorced. Netanyahu was living with his girlfriend of two years, Bruria, at the time of his death.

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The Jewish Library

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