Begin worked his entire life to bring comfort to his people.  In 1939, he became head of the Betar movement.  When World War Two started, he ran away to Lithuania to escape the Nazis.  He was arrested by the Soviets and held in prison.

 

In 1942, he was released and went to the Land of Israel (then called Palestine).  At that time, the British were in power there.  He joined the Irgun, and eventually became the commander. www.begincenter.org.il

At that time, the Jewish People did not control Israel.  It did not have an official army.   The Irgun was a military group.  In addition to helping Jews enter Israel (even though the British did not want them to), they attacked British soldiers.   The Irgun even did an incredible prison escape out of the prison in Acco (Acre)!

 the prison and Acco both after and before the great escape

www.etzel.org.il

Some Jews thought Begin and the Irgun were heroes.  Others thought they were hurting the Jewish cause by attacking soldiers.  Some Jews even tried to help the British to capture Begin and his Irgun soldiers.  However, Begin refused to fight against fellow Jews.

In 1948, after Israel became a state, Irgun soldiers were on a boat trying to bring guns into Israel.  They said that Israel needed the guns.  Other Jewish soldiers sunk the boat, saying that the Irgun wanted to take over Israel.  Again, Begin refused to fight against fellow Jews.

Begin led the Herut (Freedom) and later the Likud party in Israel.  In 1977, he was elected Prime Minister.

 

Begin was a soldier, but also a peace maker.  In 1978, he signed a peace treaty with Egypt.

 

Begin was a traditional Jew who was very close with such great rabbis as Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (with Begin below), Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook and the Lubavicher Rebbe.

www.begincenter.org.il

Menachem Begin truly spent his life trying to bring comfort to the Jewish People and to Israel.