The Lehi Organization (Stern Gang)

Correspondence Between Hitler’s Government and Yitzhak Shamir

In late 1940, after concluding that there were shared interests between the objectives of the emerging Nazi regime and Jewish nationalist aspirations, the Lehi organization proposed forming an alliance with Nazi Germany during World War II. The organization offered cooperation on the following terms: Lehi would revolt against the British, while Germany would recognize the establishment of an independent Jewish state in Palestine/Eretz Israel and allow all Jews to leave Europe—whether voluntarily or under government orders—and immigrate to Palestine without restrictions on the number of immigrants.

The Lehi organization was established in the summer of 1943 under the leadership of Yitzhak Shamir, who had successfully escaped from prison in September 1942, following the failure of efforts to reconcile the divisions that had torn apart the Irgun, which had been plagued by internal disputes and contradictions as well as British persecution of its leaders. Shamir succeeded in establishing a leadership structure and publishing a newspaper called HaHazit, meaning “The Front.” Its publications gained a positive response among intellectuals and young people.

On May 29, 1948, shortly after the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel, the Israeli government officially dissolved Lehi and integrated many of its members into the newly established Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

However, a faction of former Lehi members assassinated Count Folke Bernadotte, the United Nations mediator, in September 1948. The assassination sparked widespread international condemnation, including from his successor, Ralph Bunche.

In response, the Israeli government classified Lehi as a terrorist organization, arrested approximately 200 of its members, and brought several of its leaders to trial. However, as the first parliamentary elections in the Zionist state approached, a general amnesty was granted to all Lehi members. They subsequently participated in the elections but failed to secure enough votes to win seats.

Yitzhak Shamir later became prime minister of the Zionist state, serving from 1983 to 1992.