The Way It Was: Autobiography: Unique Israeli Leader and Visionary

An examination of Major General Amos Horev and his pivotal role in shaping Israel’s military and technological advancements through personal experiences and historical insights.

This important memoir, translated into English for the author’s 100th birthday, tells the life story of Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Horev, a visionary leader whose contributions helped shape Israel’s growth across many fields.

Rooted in memories of growing up in Jerusalem in the 1920s and ’30s, where he built foundational friendships with other future leaders, such as Yigael Yadin, Uzi Narkiss, and Yohay Ben-Nun, Horev tells the story of Israel through the personal lens of his own experiences. One of the first Palmach commanders and deputy to Yigal Allon and Moshe Dayan during Israel’s War of Independence, he went on to shape the evolution of the Israel Defense Forces’ weaponry and logistics, later serving as president of the Technion--Israel Institute of Technology and chair of the board of Rafael, Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.

In this autobiography, Retired Major General Amos Horev reveals the stories of the daily lives of the fighters and commanders in the Palmach--their failures, their successes, and most especially their motivation to fight to the end, even when the results were unknowable and the chances were slim.

Through wars and missions, Amos remained a family man. He reveals another layer of his inner life when he speaks about Shoshana, his wife and the love of his life. Amos Horev’s life story, which he tells with candor and integrity, combines with the story of Israel, and the generation that broke the ground, for those who followed.