Avraham (Yair) Stern Figurine

Avraham "Yair" Stern (1907-1942) | Underground fighter and poet, founder and first commander of the Lehi (Israel Freedom Fighters) organization. Code-named "Yair" after Eleazer Ben Yair - commander of the Jewish patriots in Masada. Born in present-day northeastern Poland, immigrated to Israel in 1925, completed his matriculation and studied humanities at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. During his studies he wrote most of his poems, including "Unknown Soldiers", later the Irgun's anthem and afterwards the Lehi’s. In 1931, among the founders of the Irgun. Due to his opposition to ending the struggle against the British Mandate during World War II, he left and founded the Lehi in 1940. Published the Lehi’s goals and ideological platform in the document "Principles of Resurrection", when the overarching goal was to bring about by force the redemption of the land from foreign rule and the revival of the nation in Eretz Israel. The British authorities saw Lehi as a terrorist organization and persecuted its fighters. In February 1942, Yair was captured and murdered by British officers at his hideout in Tel Aviv, where he wrote until his last day.