On this day in 1942, Avraham (Yair) Stern was killed. Stern was born in Poland and raised in a Zionist family. He spent time studying at both the Gymnasia in Jerusalem and at Hebrew University, while also temporarily moving to Italy to study at the University of Florence. He permanently returned to Mandatory Palestine in 1929 to join the Haganah, choosing the military over his education. Stern was a passionate Zionist who supported the armed struggle for Israel’s independence, eventually leaving his studies and his position in the Haganah to focus on fighting the British during the period of the Mandate. He felt that Jewish sovereignty was more restricted by British policy than by Arabs or other communities, and he would sooner oppose them without being tied to any official organization.Following the Arab riots of the 1920s, in which Arab leaders during the British Mandate era attempted to drive Jews out of Palestine through violence, Stern’s ideas only amplified. He felt that the Haganah, as a legal organization with a specific position of restraint, restricted the effectiveness with which Jews could respond to threats and acts of violence. In 1931, other Haganah members broke away to form a new Zionist paramilitary organization that Stern soon joined. Within this organization, known as the Irgun, he worked under the alias "Yair.”.Just as World War II was beginning, Stern was arrested and remained in custody until 1940. During that time, the Irgun had chosen to cooperate with the British, which Stern strongly opposed. Even as the Nazis became a serious threat to Jews, he still viewed the British as the number one opponent to Israeli independence. Thus, he ended his involvement in the Irgun and founded "Lehi," or, as it’s known in English, “Fighters for the Freedom of Israel.” The British referred to this group as “The Stern Gang.”.Although both Jews and Britons frequently despised Stern's radical actions, he admitted that Britain was the main obstacle to Israel's independence. It was ultimately the termination of the British Mandate over Palestine in 1948 that paved the way for freedom. Once the British were finally gone, the Jewish leaders were able to declare independence. However, this would not be easy, as war with the fledgling state’s neighbors was just around the corner.