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Moshe Yegar (משה יגר; born October 30,1930, Buenos Aires) is a retired Israeli diplomat and historian of Islam in Southeast Asia; also, he is author of books and research articles on the history of Zionism during the British Mandate, and about Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its policies and activities.

Education
Yegar went to the Hebrew Reali School of Haifa. He continued his studies at the Hebrew university in Jerusalem where he received his B.A, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He specialized in the History of Islamic Peoples.

Paramilitary and military service
In the years 1946 - 1948, Yegar was a member in the HaHagana, the largest paramilitary Jewish organization in the British mandate; later on, in the years 1949 - 1955, he served as an officer in the Israel defense Forces, the military forces of Israel, and was discharged with a rank of Rav-Seren (equivalent to Major in  the  British army).

Diplomacy
In 1956, Yegar joined Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served until his retirement in November 1995. Among his posts abroad, he served at the Embassy of Israel in Rangoon, Burma (now known as Yangon, Myanmar); as Consul at Israel's Consulate General in Los Angeles (1966 - 1969); as Consul General in Philadelphia (1969 - 1972); as Consul General in New-York (1985 - 1988); as Ambassador in Stockholm (1988 - 1990); and as Ambassador in Prague (1994 - 1995). Also, in 1965, Yegar was sent to Kaula-Lumpur, Malaysia, which had no diplomatic relations with Israel, to open semi-diplomatic presence under cover of a business office. After one year, Yegar was requested to close the office and move out of Malaysia. In between assignments abroad, Yegar served in the Ministry's Head office in Jerusalem in senior positions: Head of the Information Department (Hasbara, in Hebrew) (1975 - 1978); Deputy Director General and Head of the Division for Information and Communication (1980 - 1985); Deputy Director General in charge of Asia, Africa, and Oceania (1990 - 1993).

Festivities organizer

 * While in his service in New-York, Yegar chaired the 40th Anniversary public committee which organized a mammoth celebration attended by thousands;
 * While in Prague, Yegar organized "the Old Testament in the Arts Festival, October 1955", which included scores of musical, theatrical events, exhibitions, films and symposia.

Academia
As an expert and author of books and research articles on Southeast Asia, Yegar was invited by the Hebrew University to teach a course on the political history of Southeast Asia. He did that for nine years. Yegar is a Research Fellow at the Abba Eban Centre for Israeli Diplomacy at the Hebrew University's Harry S. Truman Research Institute in Jerusalem.

Family
Yegar is married to Dr. Dvorah Barzilay-Yegar, historian, who specialized in the life and works of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel. He has a son and a daughter.

Awards

 * In 1994, Yegar received from the Czech National Academy of Science, the Palacky Gold Medal, for his research of Islam in Southeast Asia, the Muslim community of Burma in particular (including the Rohingya).
 * In 2013, Yegar received from the Institute for Asia and the Pacific, in New Delhi, India, the Prof. M.L. Sondhi Prize for International Politics, "for his pivotal role in the establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel which enabled these two important Asian democracies to enjoy a rich and variegated, mutually beneficial and expanding relationship"(words inscribed on the Prize).

Public Roles

 * Chairman, Beit Agnon in Jerusalem (3 years)
 * Chairman, The Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra
 * Chairman, The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature, Jerusalem

Publications
Yegar published twenty books on Islam in Southeast Asia and on matters of Israel's foreign policy and on Zionist history, mostly in Hebrew and English. Three of his books were translated to other languages: Arabic, Czech and Burmese. Yegar wrote many articles in Israeli periodicals and journals on historical personalities and events as well as on current issues. In addition, he translated from English into Hebrew eight books of legends and folk-tales for children.

Books in English

 * The Muslims of Burma - A Study of a Minority Group, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1972 (note: this book was published also in Burmese in Yangon);
 * Islam and Islamic Institutions in British Malaya - Policies and Implementation, Jerusalem: Magnes Press, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1979;
 * Neutral Policy - Theory versus Practice: Swedish-Israeli Relations, Jerusalem: Israel Council on Foreign Relations, 1993
 * Between Integration and Secession - The Muslim communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, and Western Burma/Myanmar , Lanham, Boulder, New-York. Oxford: Lexington Books, 2002
 * Israel in Asia: Selected Essays. Jerusalem: Yuvalim Press, 2016