Israelis You Should Know: Hilik Magnus

The Fellowship  |  July 31, 2015

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Name: Yechiel “Hilik” Magnus

Age: 66

About him: Yechiel “Hilik” Magnus was born in Sweden in 1949. His family moved to the newly formed state of Israel a year later. Growing up in Israel, Hilik served in the IDF, seeing action in the 1967 War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, and the First Lebanon War. After the IDF, he further served his country by acting as Director of Nature Conservation in southern Israel and the Sinai.

During his time in Israel’s roughest environments, Hilik gained experience rescuing those who became lost or needed assistance. His first rescue operations were as a volunteer, but in 1994, Hilik and his wife Esti founded Magnus International Search & Rescue in Ramat Gan.

For over two decades, Hilik has assisted in the rescue of thousands of travelers, not only in Israel but around the world. He also advises foreign governments and security forces, and provides aid to families of those who are missing. While he has trained a specialized team to do this needed work, Hilik still leads most search parties himself. His tireless work helping others has led Yechiel “Hilik” Magnus to be called Israel’s “National Rescuer.”