Everything about Aluf totally explained
Aluf is the term used for
General and
Admiral in the
Israel Defense Forces. In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word. Together, they constitute the five
highest ranks in the IDF.
Rank order of Aluf and its derivatives
» *
Aluf:
Major General (
arms,
branches, and
regional commands)
» :*
Tat Aluf :
Brigadier General (
divisional and
corps-level)
» ::*
Aluf Mishne :
Colonel (
brigade-level)
» :::*
Sgan Aluf :
Lieutenant Colonel (
battalion-level)
Rav Aluf is usually translated as "Lieutenant General," but is often considered to equate to a full General, since it's the most senior rank. The rank is given only to the
Ramatkal (Chief of the General Staff), so there can only be one active
Rav Aluf under regular circumstances. However this could change in a time of war. During the
Yom Kippur War in
1973, retired rav aluf
Haim Bar-Lev was called back into service, replacing
Shmuel Gonen as the commander of the the southern front. Thus, along with chief of the general staff
David Elazar (who succeed Bar-Lev in that position the previous year), there were two people in active service holding the rank of rav aluf simultaneously.
Israel is essentially a
land power and
air power, with the
navy being apportioned less than five percent of the
military budget. Consequently, there are no separate naval ranks, and "Aluf" can be an Admiral as well as a General.
The term "Aluf" is taken from the
Bible, where it was a rank of nobility among the
Edomites, ancient
Judea's neighbors (and often, enemies) to the south. It comes from an archaic root meaning "to be attached to". The term is used in at the conclusion of the lengthy genealogy of
Esau found in to refer to the Edomite
chieftains who were his descendants. In modern Hebrew as spoken in contemporary Israel it can mean "champion" as well as being a military rank.
The non-Hebrew word "general" was also taken into Hebrew (גנרל), and is used to refer to the generals of foreign armies. It can also be used colloquially in reference to a senior Israeli officer, in a derogatory sense - implying that the officer concerned is over-officious, incompetent, and/or involved in internecine power struggles with other officers, to the neglect of proper military duties.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Aluf'.
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