"I Was Born into Orphanhood, 5 Months After My Father Was Killed"

"My father was a terrorist," says Yair Stern, who has already reached old age, without a tremor in his voice. "Personally, I don't connect with that definition, because I believe my father was a freedom fighter, but I don't get upset when he's defined as a terrorist," he adds. "After all, he was the first commander and founder of the Lehi underground. He truly engaged in acts of terrorism, although, of course, they were directed solely at specific British targets, not at children or innocent civilians."

Stern (the son) was born in 1942, five months after the murder of his father, Avraham Stern, known by his underground nickname "Yair." "My father was killed by a British soldier," his son recounts. "It happened while my mother was pregnant with me, so in essence, I was born into orphanhood and never got to meet my father."

Avraham ('Yair') Stern in the last months of his life

A Discovery at Age 5 and a Half

What happens to a child who grows up as an orphan? At first, Stern lived with his mother in Ramat Gan, at her parents' house, and the conditions were very harsh. "My father was busy with underground activities, he didn't work and left no money behind," Stern clarifies. "My mother was a musician looking for work in the music field, but she couldn't find any, so we literally starved. Eventually, an acquaintance helped my mother and arranged for her to play in two kindergartens, and that's how we made ends meet."

Four years after his father's murder, his mother remarried and started a new family. This gave Yair a younger sister. "Overall, I had a good childhood," he says. "I had good friends, grandparents who loved me, and even though there was a murder, I still had a family."

The first time he heard he didn't have a father was at the age of five and a half, on November 29, 1947, when the establishment of the State of Israel was declared. "People took to the streets and started dancing and rejoicing, and then my mother called me and told me that although we had gained a state, my father was killed in the great war for the country. That was the first time I understood I didn't have a father, and I remember the trauma I went through and how it affected me. For weeks I cried all day, and honestly, the absence continues to accompany me to this day. My father is with me all day in thought. There are days when I feel his absence more, and days less, but the memories don't let go."

Being a smart child, Stern wanted from the very beginning to hear as many stories as possible about his father, and he also asked a lot of questions. "I used to ask everyone willing to answer me," he notes, "my mother, my grandparents, and my uncles. The days after the establishment of the state were characterized by the fact that Lehi members were no longer underground and didn't have to hide, so they came to visit my mother and me, told us stories about my father, and I listened to every word. Over the years that followed, many articles and publications about my father were released, and I read each one eagerly, which continues to accompany me to this day. From time to time, I would come across new facts about my father's life, the way he conducted himself, and his true dedication to the Jewish people. I try to build his personality and fully understand it, and the truth is, to this day, I don't think I've reached full comprehension."

"The Wars Won't Stop"

Can you tell us a little about your father?

"My father was a great fighter, he didn't fear the enemy and wasn't afraid of death, he did what he thought was right and was aware that he was risking himself, saying in the process: 'If I fall, others will come after me and continue the fight.' My father was also a great poet, writing songs full of faith, national vision, and national emotions. In one of the songs, my father wrote: 'If we fall in the streets,/ at night they will bury us quietly/ in our place, thousands more will come/ to fight and conquer forever.' That's exactly what happened here in the end, when my father and his comrades fell, others came in their place. I truly believe my father was a great leader. You can agree with his views and think they were extreme, but you cannot help but respect him."

Do you think you resemble him?

"I can't testify about myself, especially since I never met or heard my father's voice, but my mother says I have traits that remind her of him. I respect my father, but I never tried to be like him. I understood that those shoes were too big for me, so I developed a career entirely different from my father's, spending years in writing and journalism. At one point, I went to study communications in Philadelphia, and when I returned, I got married and lived most of my years in Jerusalem."

Yair Stern

Were you sometimes recognized as 'the son of...'?

"I've been recognized by people for as long as I can remember, especially since I bear the name 'Yair Stern,' which is essentially my father's name. Even as a small child, I felt obligated to behave appropriately and justify my family affiliation with my father. I felt that people expected me to act responsibly and not succumb to foolishness or pranks, and it had a significant impact on me. Later, I even wrote a book about him, and I still feel I haven't fully captured his character."

"Over the years, Lehi members became like family to me, I would meet them often and ask each time to hear more and more stories about my father and the activities during the underground period. This connected me to them greatly, and also connected me to my father."

For the past twenty years, Stern has served as the chairman of the Lehi Heritage Foundation and is extensively involved in commemorating the Lehi underground members, most of whom are no longer living. "I feel our mission is to pass on the heritage," he explains, "to tell about these people so that everyone will know who they were."

Even today, more than 80 years after your father's death, the wars with the surrounding enemies have not ended. How do you feel about this reality?

"I don't want to sound pessimistic, but as it currently seems, in our generation there won't be an end to the wars with the Palestinians, and as it looks, not in the generations of our children and grandchildren either. It seems the situation will continue as it is now, with periods of 'ups and downs', moments of calm, and more turbulent times. Already 90 years ago, my father used to say that 'the Land of Israel will be realized like a green island in the middle of an Arab desert,' and that's exactly what is happening here, one to one.

"There is not much we can do to end the war with the enemies, the Arab terrorism will continue, and there is no other way. But we can at least try to solve the wars among ourselves. There is a greater chance for that."