David Basis

Former Deputy Water Commissioner of Israel.

At the age of 16 David joined the Lechi (a small group of young patriots, also known by the derogatory name: the Stern Gang). Once the British mandate was over, David volunteered to serve in the Palmach and together with a few volunteers, was assigned to guard the main water transmission stations, the target of daily Arab attacks on the way to Jerusalem. Fighting to defend the besieged facility which was providing water to Jerusalem was brutal. These positions also controlled a stretch of the main road leading to the blockaded city where 60,000 Jews were kept without food or water.

David was wounded in the fighting and was taken to a hospital. After recovery, he returned to active duty and participated in the first Officers Training Course earning him the rank of lieutenant in the new Israel Defense Forces. Once the War of Independence was over David as many pioneers, settled in Beer Sheba the capital of the Negev and held executive positions in the emerging industrial complexes in the area.

In 1957 David was selected, together with 30 promising young leaders, to join a special college program for Study and Research in Bet Berle Zoffit. The program included a rigorous academic discipline, in addition to meeting with the top political leadership of the country. In the years hence, David became the regional director of the Labor party and worked with associates such as Moshe Dayan and Shimon Peres. !n 1986 David joined the production team of Israel A Nation Is Born with Ambassador Abba Eban. His administrative responsibilities included working with producers, studios, camera crews, and vendors. He also maintained contact with broadcasters, in the USA, Israel and the UK.