Zvi Bar
Zvi Bar is a retired Israeli military officer, police official, and politician. After serving in a variety of military and police command positions, Bar served as the fourth mayor of the Israeli city of Ramat Gan between 1989 and 2013.
Biography
Bar was born in Kfar Yona during the Mandate era to parents of Kurdish Jewish origin. His father changed the family name from Barazani to Bar at the recommendation of David Ben-Gurion. Bar studied at the Tcherniovsky high school in Netanya. In 1954, Bar joined the Israel Defense Forces as a combat soldier in the Givati Brigade, and became an officer. Following the Suez Crisis, he joined the Paratroopers Brigade. After Yoav Shaham, the commander of Battalion 202 of the Paratroopers Brigade was killed in action during the Samu Incident in 1966, Bar was appointed to replace him.Bar fought as the commander of Paratrooper Battalion 202 during the Six-Day War, participating in combat operations in Gaza City. In 1968, he participated in the Battle of Karameh. He later served as the deputy commander of the 275th brigade and as commander of the ID school of officer training. In October 1973, one day before the Yom Kippur War broke out, he was appointed commander of the 820th Brigade, which was positioned on the Golan Heights, and commanded that brigade through the war. He later testified before the Agranat Commission, an Israeli government investigation of failures that occurred during that war. He was then transferred to the Armored Corps and commanded the 166th Brigade, which was based in northern Israel.
Bar attended staff college in Israel and France, and completed a BA in political science from Bar-Ilan University in 1976. After completing his degree, he joined the Israel Police, and was appointed deputy commander of the Border Police. In January 1977, he was promoted to the rank of Major. In 1983 he was appointed head of the police operations department and served in this position until 1985.