HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902.jpg
2.2 MB
Extraction Summary
6
People
8
Organizations
4
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / memoir page (included in house oversight committee production)
File Size:
2.2 MB
Summary
This document is page 54 of a book or memoir, bearing a House Oversight Committee stamp (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902), likely produced during investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's associates (specifically Ehud Barak). The text is a first-person narrative recounting the author's (contextually Ehud Barak) recruitment into the Israeli special forces unit 'Sayeret Matkal' in April 1960. It details his dissatisfaction with regular training, a conversation with a friend named Avraham Ramon who suggests the special unit, and his subsequent meeting with military intelligence officers Sami Nachmias and Shmil Ben-Zvi.
People (6)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | IDF Recruit |
The author of the text (Contextually Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister, given the biographical details regard...
|
| Rotem | Unknown |
Mentioned as the reason for delayed leave.
|
| Avraham Ramon | Soldier/Schoolmate |
A 'yeled chutz' (boy from outside) who recruits the narrator for the special unit.
|
| Yigal | Military Figure |
Served in Battalion 890 in the 1950s.
|
| Sami Nachmias | Military Intelligence Recruiter |
Described as shorter than the narrator, in his late 20s.
|
| Shmil Ben-Zvi | Military Intelligence Recruiter |
Described as tall, slim, with a quiet voice; a name well known to Israeli teenagers at the time.
|
Organizations (8)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| IDF |
Israel Defense Forces (implied by 'army', 'tironut').
|
|
| Sayeret Matkal |
Special reconnaissance unit the narrator is recruited into.
|
|
| Sayeret Golani |
Reconnaissance unit attached to the Golani Brigade.
|
|
| Sayeret Tzanhanim |
Paratroopers' reconnaissance unit.
|
|
| Golani Brigade |
Military unit near the northern border.
|
|
| Battalion 890 |
Company A of this battalion formed Sayeret Tzanhanim.
|
|
| Maka Esser |
Personnel department of military intelligence.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document production (footer).
|
Timeline (2 events)
End of April 1960
Narrator reports to Maka Esser for recruitment interview.
Army base near Tel Aviv
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Kibbutz where the narrator returned for leave.
|
|
|
Desert region where the narrator expected to serve in an APC unit.
|
|
|
Location narrator returned to after leave.
|
|
|
Location of the army base/hut where the narrator reported for recruitment.
|
Relationships (2)
described as 'schoolmates-turned-soldiers'
Meeting at Maka Esser
Key Quotes (4)
"“How would you feel about joining a sayeret?”"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902.jpg
Quote #1
"“It’s called Sayeret Matkal,” he replied."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902.jpg
Quote #2
"“I’m not allowed to say. But are you interested?”"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902.jpg
Quote #3
"“I’m Shmil Ben-Zvi.”"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,447 characters)
Under army regulations, training recruits got a five-day leave every few
months during tironut. My first one came a bit later than usual, due to Rotem.
But in April 1960, shortly before the Passover holiday, I headed back to
Mishmar Hasharon. Despite my minor triumph of desert navigation, I still had
every reason to believe I’d be spending the next couple of years in an APC unit
in the Negev, and can’t pretend I was looking forward to it. Still, the idea of
returning home in my army uniform, at least a bit stronger and bulkier than
before, did give me a sense of pride.
months during tironut. My first one came a bit later than usual, due to Rotem.
But in April 1960, shortly before the Passover holiday, I headed back to
Mishmar Hasharon. Despite my minor triumph of desert navigation, I still had
every reason to believe I’d be spending the next couple of years in an APC unit
in the Negev, and can’t pretend I was looking forward to it. Still, the idea of
returning home in my army uniform, at least a bit stronger and bulkier than
before, did give me a sense of pride.
It was on my third day back, when I was in the dining hall with a half-dozen
schoolmates-turned-soldiers, that Avraham Ramon sat down and joined us. He
was a yeled chutz, one of the “boys from outside” who had joined our class
when we were taken out of the regional high school. He, too, was now in the
army. As we were finishing lunch, he asked me: “How’s tironut?”
schoolmates-turned-soldiers, that Avraham Ramon sat down and joined us. He
was a yeled chutz, one of the “boys from outside” who had joined our class
when we were taken out of the regional high school. He, too, was now in the
army. As we were finishing lunch, he asked me: “How’s tironut?”
“Tough,” I said. “Boring.”
Smiling, he said: “How would you feel about joining a sayeret?”
The question took me by surprise. In Hebrew, sayeret meant “reconnaissance
unit”. It was the name given to special units that carried out missions behind
enemy lines, or under particularly exacting conditions. In the early 1960s, there
were only two of note. One was Sayeret Golani, attached to the Golani Brigade
near the northern border. The truly elite one was Sayeret Tzanhanim, the
paratroopers’ sayeret. It had been built from Company A of Battalion 890,
where Yigal had served in the 1950s.
unit”. It was the name given to special units that carried out missions behind
enemy lines, or under particularly exacting conditions. In the early 1960s, there
were only two of note. One was Sayeret Golani, attached to the Golani Brigade
near the northern border. The truly elite one was Sayeret Tzanhanim, the
paratroopers’ sayeret. It had been built from Company A of Battalion 890,
where Yigal had served in the 1950s.
“Which sayeret?” I asked.
“It’s called Sayeret Matkal,” he replied.
I’d never heard of it. When I asked what it did, he said: “I’m not allowed to
say. But are you interested?” The air of mystery made it seem only more
enticing. And no matter what it did, it had to be a step up from what lay ahead
of me in the Negev. “Yeah. Sure,” I replied.
say. But are you interested?” The air of mystery made it seem only more
enticing. And no matter what it did, it had to be a step up from what lay ahead
of me in the Negev. “Yeah. Sure,” I replied.
I heard nothing further in the days after I got back to Beersheva. But at the
end of the month, I was ordered to report to a small hut in an army base near Tel
Aviv. It belonged to Maka Esser, the personnel department of military
intelligence. I was greeted by two men in their late 20s. One of them, shorter
even than me, introduced himself as Sami Nachmias. The other was tall and
slim and said in a surprisingly quiet voice: “I’m Shmil Ben-Zvi.” They were
two names which I, like most Israeli teenagers at the time, knew well. Ben-Zvi
end of the month, I was ordered to report to a small hut in an army base near Tel
Aviv. It belonged to Maka Esser, the personnel department of military
intelligence. I was greeted by two men in their late 20s. One of them, shorter
even than me, introduced himself as Sami Nachmias. The other was tall and
slim and said in a surprisingly quiet voice: “I’m Shmil Ben-Zvi.” They were
two names which I, like most Israeli teenagers at the time, knew well. Ben-Zvi
54
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HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027902
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