Moshe Yegar (Hebrew: משה יגר; born 30 October 1930, Buenos Aires) is an Israeli retired diplomat, historian, and scholar. He is known for his expertise on Islam in Southeast Asia and the history of Israel’s diplomatic service. Throughout his career, Yegar held various diplomatic positions worldwide and authored numerous works on related topics.
Moshe Yegar | |
|---|---|
 Moshe Yegar (left) shakes hands with Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1960 | |
| Born | 30 October 1930 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Education | Hebrew University of Jerusalem (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) |
| Occupation(s) | Diplomat, historian |
| Years active | 1956–1995 |
| Known for | Research on Islam in Southeast Asia, contributions to Israel's diplomatic service |
| Notable work | The Muslims of Burma - A Study of a Minority Group, Islam and Islamic Institutions in British Malaya - Policies and Implementation, Israel in Asia: Selected Essays |
| Spouse | Dvorah Barzilay-Yegar |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Palacky Gold Medal (1994), M.L. Sondhi Prize for International Politics (2013), Jabotinsky Prize for Literature and Research (2019) |
Early Life and Education
editMoshe Yegar was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1930 to Jacob and Chava Yegar. His father, Jacob Yegar, was an educator and one of the founders of the first Hebrew school in Buenos Aires, named after poet Hayim Nahman Bialik. The Yegar family immigrated to Eretz-Israel in 1935, settling in Haifa, where Moshe attended the Hebrew Reali School. He pursued Islamic history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, obtaining his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.[1]
Military Service
editFrom 1946 to 1948, Yegar was involved in the Hagana, a Jewish paramilitary organization under the British Mandate. After Israel's establishment, he served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces from 1949 to 1955, reaching the rank of Major.[1]
Diplomatic Career
editYegar joined Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1956, serving in various roles until his retirement in 1995. His diplomatic postings included assignments in Rangoon (now Yangon), Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York City, Stockholm, and Prague. In 1965, he was assigned to open a semi-diplomatic presence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, though it closed within a year due to the lack of formal diplomatic relations.[2]
In Jerusalem, he held senior positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Head of the Information Department (1975–1978), Deputy Director General and Head of the Division for Information and Communication (1980–1985), and later Deputy Director General overseeing Asia, Africa, and Oceania (1990–1993).[3][4]
India-Israel Relations
editYegar contributed to the establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel. He documented this process and the negotiations in the *Indian Defence Review*, a journal on foreign policy and national security.[5][6]
Academic Career and Research
editAs an expert on Southeast Asian Islam, Yegar taught a course on the political history of Southeast Asia at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for nine years. He has authored numerous books and articles on Islam in Southeast Asia and Israel's foreign policy, which have been published in Hebrew and English. His research primarily covers the Muslim communities of Myanmar, the Southern Philippines, and Southern Thailand.[7]
Awards and Recognitions
editYegar’s contributions to academia and diplomacy have earned him several awards, including the Palacky Gold Medal from the Czech National Academy of Science in 1994 for his research on Islam in Southeast Asia, with a focus on the Rohingya community in Burma. He was also awarded the M.L. Sondhi Prize for International Politics from the Institute for Asia and the Pacific in 2013 for his involvement in establishing diplomatic relations between India and Israel.[8] In 2019, he received the Jabotinsky Prize for Literature and Research.
Public Roles
editIn addition to his diplomatic and academic work, Yegar has held public roles as chairman of Beit Agnon in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, and The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature in Jerusalem.
Personal Life
editYegar is married to Dr. Dvorah Barzilay-Yegar, a historian with a specialization in the life of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel. The couple has one son and one daughter.
References
edit- ^ a b Kehat, Amira (2012). HometownTourist. The Haifa History Society. pp. 249–252, 254–256.
- ^ Coppa, Giovanni (2001). Ten Years of Diplomatic Life in Prague. Prague: Karmelitanske Marladatelstvi. pp. 162–164. ISBN 80-7192-944-1.
- ^ Yarkoni, Amos (2017). Ish Makom (in Hebrew). Azur:Reuveni Publisher. pp. 284–287.
- ^ Gonnen, Ch. (2017). The Teacher Chava (in Hebrew). Haifa:Novack Publishing. p. 64.
- ^ Yegar, Moshe. "The normalization of relations between India and Israel". Indian Defense Review. Lancer Publishers and Distributors.
- ^ Becher, Giora (2013). India-Political Diary (in Hebrew). Azur:Reuveni Publishers.
- ^ "The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for The Advancement of Peace".
- ^ M.L.Sondhi Institute for Asia -Pacific Affairs. New Delhi: The Professor M.L.Sondhi Memorial Trust. 2015. pp. 100–110.
Selected Publications
edit- Yegar, Moshe (1972). The Muslims of Burma - A Study of a Minority Group. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
- Yegar, Moshe (1979). Islam and Islamic Institutions in British Malaya - Policies and Implementation. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. ISBN 965-223-310-2.
- Yegar, Moshe (2002). Between Integration and Secession - The Muslim Communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, and Western Burma/Myanmar. Lanham: Lexington Books.
- Yegar, Moshe (2016). Israel in Asia: Selected Essays. Jerusalem: Yuvalim Press.
- Yegar, Moshe (2021). The Beginning of Israel's Foreign Service 1948 - 1967. Jerusalem: Carmel Publishing. ISBN 978-965-7791-12-7.
External links
edit- * Published books by Moshe Yegar in the Stanford University library catalog.