Zev Golan

Zev Golan was one of the foremost hunters of Nazi criminals in the United States before his aliya. Through his efforts, coordinated with the Israeli police and with Simon Wiesenthal's office, Archbishop Valerian Trifa was removed from the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches (he eventually had to leave the US), Mineola's Boleslavs Maikovskis was forced to stand trial in Germany, the case against John Demjanjuk was kept in the public light (long before Israel requested his extradition), and budgeting was first arranged for the government's office of special investigations. Golan was also prominent in the struggle for Soviet Jewry. He was cofounder of the Long Island Center for Jewish Studies, which he administered and where he taught his aliya.

Golan was assistant curator of the Hall of Heroism Museum in Jerusalem, the former Jerusalem Central Prison. There he was in charge of research, and met many of the former Underground fighters who were imprisoned in the jail. His tape-recorded interviews formed the basis for Free Jerusalem.

Golan became associated with Rabbi Moshe Segal, former Irgun High Command member and top Lehi official, and assisted Rabbi Segal in many of his public activities until the rabbi's death. Rabbi Segal helped open many doors that were otherwise sealed, and many former fighters who had refused to be interviewed before then, agreed to let Golan record their stories. In addition, Golan assisted former Lehi leader Dr. Israel Eldad in some of his work, and benefited from Eldad's insights into past and current events. Golan prepared an as-yet unpublished translation of Eldad's autobiographical The First Tithe, with Eldad's permission and assistance.

Because Golan started interviewing the fightersyears ago, though the book was only prepared recently, Golan was able to interview and use material provided by people to whom any current researchers would not have access. With the help of 1930's Irgun High Command member Aharon Heichman, Golan was able to locate and get access to the Irgun's first Commander in Chief, Avraham Tehomi, who lived outside of Israel, and whom Golan interviewed eight months before Tehomi's death. Previously, Golan had interviewed the Irgun's second Commander in Chief, Moshe Rosenberg. Similarly, Golan interviewed two people, since deceased, who had been incarcerated with Jabotinsky when he founded the Hagana in 1920.

Over the years Golan published many articles as a freelance journalist, including some about poet Uri Zvi Greenberg (written for the World Zionist Press Service) and other historical figures.

From 1992-2003, Golan was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies in Jerusalem and Washington, DC (IASPS), first as assistant director and then as director of the Institute's main office, which is in Israel. This institute is Israel's foremost independent research institution. Under Golan's auspices the IASPS published some seventy-plus policy studies, mostly dealing with economic policy. Golan served as assistant editor of the prestigious series of studies, while the editor was the prominent American economist, Dr. Alvin Rabushka. Under Golan's leadership, IASPS has succeeded in initiating more economic reforms than any other independent body in Israel, and these have saved Israeli consumers and taxpayers literally hundreds of millions of shekels. Thanks to Golan and IASPS, Israeli milk is has since the mid-nineties been of European quality, the cost of local cement has been cut, Israeli drivers are paying less for auto insurance, and more.

Golan now directs the Koret Fellowship Program, through which he trains the top Israeli economics postgraduates in advanced research techniques and public policy work. He places up to 10 fellows each year in the Knesset as policy professionals.

Golan has lectured on the history of Israel, Jewish philosophy and Israel's economy in over 50 American cities, the former Soviet Union, and Israel. He has been the highlighted speaker at a prestigious CATO institute policy forum in Washington, DC. He has been a lecturer at local military "Colleges for Leadership," in Kfar Adumim and elsewhere, and a columnist for the Israeli daily "Globes."

Golan has just finished preparation of a history (in Hebrew) of the struggle for the Western Wall in the pre-State days, and a biography of Rabbi Moshe Segal.

In addition to the above, Golan studied philosophy for seven years, in a private framework, with the late Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz. His own philosophical writings have won praise from Professor Emil Fackenheim. He has published commentaries on the Torah in a local Jerusalem journal, Tehuda.