Career
In Israel his first name is popularly known as "Eliezer". Having arrived in Palestine in 1911 he worked as a school teacher and tour guide. He participated in the "War of the Languages" that erupted among Zionist activists in Palestine in 1913.
He served in the British army in World War I in the 40th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers which became known as the Jewish Legion.
In addition to his important excavations in Jerusalem (including the "Third Wall" and numerous ossuary tombs) he played a central role in the establishment of the Department of Archaeology of the Hebrew University. He recognized the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls to Israel and worked for the Israeli state to buy them.
He was the father of soldier, politician and archeologist Yigael Yadin, the actor Yossi Yadin, and Mati Yadin, who was killed in action during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Unlike the other graves in the cemetery, which are covered by uniform limestone blocks, the couple"s gravestones are uniquely decorated with carvings and motifs of the Second Temple era.
He was the paternal uncle of Herbert Sukenik.