Netiva Ben Yehuda (Hebrew: נתיבה בן-יהודה; July 1928, Tel Aviv – 28 February 2011) was an Israeli author, editor and media personality. She was a commander in the pre-state Jewish underground Palmach.
Ben-Yehuda joined the Palmach at the age of 18 and was trained in demolition, bomb disposal, topography, and scouting.[2] Her duties included transferring ammunition, escorting convoys, and training recruits.
The Palmach generally opposed women fighting at the front, however Ben-Yehuda was a commander and participated in several battles by performing sabotage operations.[3] On February 11, 1948, Ben-Yehuda and her comrades planted a mine for a busload of Arabs. This event and the ensuing death impacted Ben-Yehuda psychologically.[3]
Photo of Netiva Ben-Yehuda with Dahn Ben-Amotz from Palmach Archive
Ben Yehuda worked as a freelance editor, and in 1972 published The World Dictionary of Hebrew Slang. Between 1981 and 1991, she published her Palmah trilogy, a series of three novels based on her own experience in the War of Independence (see "Published works").[4] She wrote over 30 books, including a Hebrew slang dictionary, coauthored with Dahn Ben-Amotz.
She was the host of a late-night Israel Radio show for 14 years where she played old-time Israeli songs and spoke with callers.[5] She was a resident of Palmach Street in the capital, and the local cafe she patronized on that street became known as "Cafe Netiva."[5]
Ben Yehuda died on 28 February 2011 at the age of 82.
On the subject of the Palmach: "I don't think that there has ever been any other underground movement in the world in which 'male chauvinism' triumphed so powerfully and so proudly".[7]
^Pennington, Reina (2003). Amazons to Fighter Pilots: a Biographical Dictionary of Military Women. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 51. ISBN0313327076.
^ abPennington, Reina (2003). Amazons to Fighter Pilots: a Biographical Dictionary of Military Women. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 51. ISBN0313327076.
^Feldman, Yael. "Netiva Ben Yehuda". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
