Gad Navon

Rabbi Gad Navon (1922 – 25 June 2006) was the third chief Rabbi of the IDF.

Biography

He was born in Morocco in 1922 with the name Mimun Fahima He was ordained there as Rabbi after completing the whole Talmud and being recognized as an expert. He participated in the illegal immigration of Jews to Palestine in defiance of the British colonial government and was sent to France on behalf of the Zionist movement. He immigrated to Israel in 1948, served as a fighter of the Negev Brigade of the Palmach and was appointed chaplain in the brigade.

In 1950, he was appointed chaplain of the Southern Command and afterward of the Northern Command. In 1965, he served as a member of a military tribunal headed by Rabbi Shlomo Goren. During the Six-Day War he was the chaplain of the Northern Command, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In June 1971, with the retirement of Major-General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, he was appointed deputy chief military rabbi to Rabbi Mordechai Peron and was given the rank of Colonel, after the Yom Kippur War he was promoted to Brigadier General.

In February 1977 he was appointed the third chief military rabbi and given the rank of major general. During his tenure, there was a gradual transition of military chaplains from being Religious officers, to being military Rabbis. He also founded the military Rabbinical course; and in addition to the standard Sergeant chaplain present in every reserve battalion, he appointed a military Rabbi at the battalion rank.

Rabbi Navon published Halachic papers on the issue of identification of Fallen Soldiers, and during his tenure, technological means of identification were given more credibility. He served as chief military rabbi until May 2000.

He was a member of the Moriah Institute in the organization of the Freemasons. He died on the 25th of June, 2006, and was buried on Mount Herzl military cemetery.