Moshe Pearlman Dead at 75

Moshe Pearlman, a well-known author, the first Israel Defense Force official spokesman, founder and first director of the Israel Government Press Office, and an early director of Israel Radio, died Saturday at the age of 75. He was buried in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Pearlman, known as Moish to his many friends around the world, lapsed into a coma six weeks ago while hospitalized for back problems. He never recovered consciousness.

Pearlman was born in London, graduated from the London School of Economics and became editor of the Zionist Review in the 1930’s, working out of the London offices of the Jewish Agency. He spent a year in a kibbutz in 1936 and subsequently published his first book, “Collective Adventure.”

He fought in the British army during World War II, serving in North Africa and Greece. He was mentioned in dispatches. During and after his army service he was active in the Aliya Bet, the clandestine Jewish immigration movement.

In Israel, when the State was established, Pearlman established and commanded the IDF press liaison unit during the War of Independence, and served as the first IDF spokesman. After the war he founded and headed the Government Press Office, and in 1952 was appointed director of Israel Radio while running the government’s Information Services.

He was a close adviser to Prime Minister David Ben Gurion. He was recalled to the army in the Six Day War, when he served with his friend, Moshe Dayan.

AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS BOOKS

His numerous books, on which he collaborated with others, include: “Ben Gurion Looks Back,” which he wrote together with Israel’s first Premier; a book about the Eichmann trial; and, with Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, a book about Jerusalem.

His own books included “In The Footsteps of Moses”; “In the Footsteps Of The Prophets”; “The Maccabees”; and his last published work, “Digging Up The Bible.”