Israel Diner was born in 1903 in Warsaw. He started playing chess as a child. His family immigrated to Brussels, Belgium in 1930, and Diner worked in his chosen field, optics. After winning three chess championships, Diner was awarded the title Chess Master. In 1936, Israel married Tamar, and two years later, their daughter Leah (Liliane) was born.
When the Germans invaded Belgium in May 1940, Israel and Tamar took Leah and fled to France. Israel hid in various places while the pregnant Tamar hid in a convent with Leah. The three of them escaped to Toulouse in southern France, were subsequently caught, and escaped again. In September 1940, their second daughter, Miriam, was born in Nice. While living in Nice, Israel won the Vichy regime's chess championship.
In November 1942, the Germans occupied the Free Zone and the Italians occupied Nice. Israel's mother, Esther, was deported to the Terezin ghetto, where she was murdered. Israel was sent to a concentration camp. Convinced that he wouldn't survive, he attempted suicide unsuccessfully, and was eventually released with the help of an acquaintance who held a senior position in the Vichy regime. Leah and Miriam were taken into hiding again. In March 1943, Israel and Tamar's third daughter, Yehudit (Claudine) was born.
In September 1943, following the surrender of Italy to the Allies, the Germans occupied the area of Nice. Yehudit was hidden, and Israel, Tamar and their two other daughters escaped the occupied zone on foot to Italy, crossing the Swiss border with the help of Italian soldiers.
In September 1944, after the liberation of Nice and its surroundings, the Diners made their way there and were reunited with Yehudit. The family returned to Belgium, and in 1949, a fourth daughter, Etti, was born. In September 1949, the Diner family immigrated to Israel. Israel Diner went on to compete in the most prestigious local chess tournaments, including four national championships, and was a member of the national chess team.
