Israeli diplomat and historian
Moshe Yegar (; 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.
Early life and education.
Moshe 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.
Military service.
From 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.
Diplomatic career.
Yegar 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.
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).
India-Israel relations.
Yegar 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.
Academic career and research.
As 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, published in Hebrew and English. His research primarily covers the Muslim communities of Myanmar, the Southern Philippines, and Southern Thailand.
Awards and recognitions.
In 1994, Moshe Yegar was honored with the Palacky Gold Medal by the Czech National Academy of Science in recognition of his extensive research on Islam in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the Rohingya community in Burma. This award highlighted his contributions to understanding the region's complex religious and ethnic dynamics.
In 2013, Yegar's efforts in diplomacy were acknowledged when he received the M.L. Sondhi Prize for International Politics from the Institute for Asia and the Pacific for his instrumental role in facilitating diplomatic relations between India and Israel.
In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Jabotinsky Prize for Literature and Research, further solidifying his reputation as a scholar and a diplomat who has significantly contributed to both academic inquiry and practical diplomacy.
Public roles.
In 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.
Yegar is married to Dr. Dvorah Barzilay-Yegar, a historian who specializes in the life of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel. The couple has one son and one daughter.
References.
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