Golda Meir

Golda Meir
גולדה מאיר
4th Prime Minister of Israel
In office March 17 1969 – June 3 1974
Preceded by	Levi Eshkol
Succeeded by	Yitzhak Rabin
Personal details
Born	(1898-05-03)3 May 1898 Kiev, Russian Empire
Died	8 December 1978(1978-12-08) (aged 80) Jerusalem, Israel
Political party	Mapai, Alignment, Labor

Golda Meir (IPA: [Gol-da My-ear]; Hebrew: גולדה מאיר‎, Arabic: جولدا مائير‎, born Golda Mabovitch, 3 May 1898 - 8 December 1978, known as Golda Myerson from 1917 to 1956) was the fourth prime minister of the State of Israel. Meir immigrated with her family to the United States in 1906. She graduated from the Milwaukee State Normal School and found work as a teacher. While in Milwaukee, she embraced the Labor Zionist movement. In 1921, Meir and her husband immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, settling in Merhavia, later becoming the kibbutz's representative to the Histadrut. She was a signatory of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. Meir was elected to the Knesset in 1949 and served as Labor Minister until 1956, when she was appointed Foreign Minister by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. She retired from the ministry in 1966 due to ill health.

Golda Meir became Prime Minister of Israel on March 17 1969 after serving as Minister of Labour and Foreign Minister. She was said to be the "Iron Lady" (a strong-minded woman) of Israel's politics years before that name became said about the British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Meir was Israel's first and so far only female prime minister. She was the world's third female prime minister. She was Israel's first and only female head of government and the first in the Middle East. The two biggest events of her time as prime minister were the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. After questions about her handling of the war, Meir left her job even though she had been found to be not to blame for problems with the war. A controversial figure in Israel, Meir has been lionized as a founder of the state and described as the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics, but also widely blamed for the country being caught by surprise during the war of 1973. In addition, her dismissive statements towards the Palestinians were widely scorned. Most historians believe Meir was more successful as Minister of Labour and Housing than as Premier.

Role in the Palestine War and the establishment of Israel

Main article: 1948 Palestine war

Golda Meir in Haifa, 1947.

On the 17th of November in 1947, shortly before the outbreak of the 1947-1949 Palestine war, Meir met with King Abdullah I of Jordan. Abdullah I was seen as the only Arab leader willing to ally with a future Israeli state, as he also opposed the Mufti of Jerusalem and was rivals with other Arab countries. The meeting was cordial and confirmed that Abdullah was uninterested in invading and quietly willing to cooperate in the future.

Before she became prime minister

Her birth name was Golda Mabovitch (Ukrainian: Голда Мабович). She was born in Kiev in the former Russian Empire (today Ukraine), and her parents were Blume Naidich and Moshe Mabovitch, a carpenter. The family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States. Her father found a job as a carpenter, and her mother ran a grocery store. At the age of eight, she was already put in charge of watching the store when her mother went to the market for supplies.

When she was 14 years old, Golda went to North Division High School and worked part-time. Her mother wanted her to leave school and marry, but she did not. She ran away from home and bought a train ticket to Denver, Colorado, and went to live with her married sister, Sheyna Korngold. The Korngolds held evening meetings at their home where Meir learned about the Jews' desire for a country of their own, literature, women's rights, trade unions and more. In Denver, she also met Morris Meyerson, a sign painter, whom she married when she was 19.

During time as prime minister

The two biggest things to happen during her time as prime minister were the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games by the terrorist group Black September, and the twenty-day war called the Yom Kippur War between Israel and the Arab states led by Egypt and Syria in October 1973.

End of time in office

The Yom Kippur War was from October 6 to October 26, 1973 and was between a group of Arab countries led by Syria and Egypt against Israel. Israel was surprised by the attack and after the Yom Kippur War, the government was asked questions about Israel's not being ready for the war. A group of people who were asked to look into the war decided that it was not Meir's fault. Her political party won the elections in December 1973, but Meir stopped being prime minister on April 11, 1974, because she felt that was what the people of Israel wanted. Yitzhak Rabin became prime minister after her on June 3, 1974.

In 1975, Meir was awarded the Israel Prize for her services to the State of Israel.

Death

On December 8, 1978, Golda Meir died of cancer in West Jerusalem at the age of 80. She was buried Helkat Gdolei Ha'uma in Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on December 12 1978.

Golda Meir's grave on Mount Herzl

Commemoration

Israeli 10 New Sheqalim Banknote commemorating Golda Meir.

Cultural references

In Israel, the term "Golda's shoes" (na'alei Golda) has become a reference to the sturdy orthopedic shoes that Golda favored. These shoes were also supplied to women soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces from its foundation to 1987.

Other websites

• Bio at Knesset Website

Party political offices
Preceded by Yigal Allon Interim leader	Leader of the Alignment 1969–1974	Succeeded by Yitzhak Rabin

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