Brigadier General (reserve duty), Dr. Yitzchak Arad, was born in Lithuania in 1926. During the Second World War he fought alongside the Soviet Partisans. He arrived in British Mandated Palestine aboard a Maapilim boat in December 1945, and shortly thereafter joined the Palmah. During the War of Independence, he fought in the “Harel” division and participated in the battles for Jerusalem and the Negev.After his retirement from the armed services in 1972, he served as the Chairman of the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, for 21 years. Dr. Arad has a PhD in Philosophy from Tel-Aviv University and has published numerous articles and books.