Gershon Zak
Gershon Zak (1913-1989) was the first commander of the Israeli Navy.[1][2]
On March 17, 1948 future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (and at the time the leader of the Haganah) gave the order to create a Jewish naval service. Gershon Zak was born in a part of the Russian Empire that is now Ukraine. He remained as commander of the Israeli Navy until 1949 when he resigned in order to pursue a career in teaching. In 1986 he received the Israel Prize for his achievements in education.