 Katzenelson returned home with the last exiles from Kenya on July 12, 1948, after Israeli independence was declared; upon arriving in Israel, he adopted his code name, "Tamir" (meaning "tall and slender") as his legal name.He had a notable career as a lawyer and conducted several famous political cases, including the Yedidya Segal and Rudolf Kastner trials.He was one of the founders of Menachem Begin's Herut party, but left in 1952.