Moshe Dayan: The One-Eyed General

The moment we hear the name Moshe Dayan, the image of the tough and manly general with his famous eye patch pops to mind.

Dayan is considered to be the first #tzabar, a true Israeli born and raised, who dedicated his life to defend Israel and the Zionistic movement - he even lost an eye while doing so!

Despite his Rambo-Esque persona, it appears Dayan had quite a sense of humor, even if underrated at times. We gathered up a few lesser-known anecdotes about Dayan and some of his sharp-witted quotes, that we think you will find both interesting and exciting:

Dayan was born on Israel's first kibbutz, Degania, in 1915. He was a part of Israel's underground defense force, the Haganah, and fought with them alongside the British against the Nazis in WWII! It was during an operation in this war that a blast shattered the binoculars held to his eyes, taking out his left eye!

Dayan held an integral role in the SIx-Day War in 1967 as a military hero.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Dayan liked to drive extremely fast, and when he was caught speeding, he would say that he was driving half the actual speed because only one of his eyes worked.

• One time, while speeding, Dayan avoided a military police checkpoint and sped away at 150 kph. During his drive, he stopped at a vineyard to “borrow” some grapes. The guard at the vineyard caught him and immediately recognized the one-eyed officer, and offered him his assistance. And to that Dayan replied: “I am fully capable of stealing on my own!”

• Whenever Dayan was asked about a G-d or religion, his answer would always be the same: there is no G-d because he cannot see Him.

• Dayan was also an ancient artifact collector, and held digs (some of them even illegal) to find some of the most precious archeological artifacts including pottery and sarcophagi!

Here are some of Dayan’s most amusing (and our favorite) quotes: “Only when I read the interview I understood what I wanted to say.” “A good person in the bad sense of the word.” “I also stared at death in the eye. I don’t recommend it.” “A soldier that never sat in prison is not a soldier.”

Even when Dayan may have partaken in some shady business, he was respected and revered as a hero of Israel, and was accepted and loved for all of his (angelic and mischievous) sides!