Golda Meir ( Mabovitz )

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Golda Meir (born Golda Mabovitz, May 3, 1898; died December 8, 197 was one of the founders of the State of Israel.

Meir served as the Minister of Labor, Foreign Minister, and then as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel from March 17, 1969, to June 3, 1974. As BBC put it, Golda Meir was the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics years before the epithet was coined for Margaret Thatcher.[1] David Ben-Gurion once described her as "the only man in the Cabinet." She is the first (and, to date, only) female Prime Minister of Israel, and was the third female Prime Minister in the world.

Birth and early life

Meir was born Golda Mabovitz in Kiev in the Russian Empire (today Ukraine), to Blume Naidtich and Moshe Mabovitz. She wrote in her autobiography that her earliest memories were of her father boarding up the front door in response to rumors of an imminent pogrom. Living conditions in the Pale of Settlement were tough; she and her two sisters (Sheyna and Tzipke) were often hungry and cold. Her other five siblings had died in their childhood. Golda especially looked up to Sheyna. Her father left for the United States in 1903; the rest of the family stayed in Pinsk. Golda's older sister Sheyna was engaged in Zionist-Revolutionary activity, which endangered her. It impressed young Golda very much, but compelled the rest of the family to follow Moshe to the United States in 1906.



Emigration to the United States, 1906

The family settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, Golda's father worked as a carpenter, and her mother ran a grocery store. When Golda was only eight years old, she had to oversee the store for a short time each morning while her mother bought supplies at the market.

Golda Meir attended the Fourth Street School (now Golda Meir School) across from the Schlitz Brewing Complex from 1906 to 1912. It was here that Golda undertook her first public works project, by organizing a fundraiser to pay for her classmates' textbooks. After forming the American Young Sisters Society, she rented a hall and scheduled a public meeting for the event. Despite not having known English upon entry, Golda graduated as valedictorian of her class.

When Golda was 14 she began attending North Division High School and took part-time jobs to pay expenses. Her mother suggested that she give up school for work and marry. Golda rebelled and ran away to Denver, Colorado, where her older sister, Sheyna, was living. She stayed for about a year in a duplex at 1606 Julian Street. Golda attended North High School there and met Morris Meyerson, a sign painter, whom she would later marry.


In 1913 Golda returned to Milwaukee and re-enrolled at North Division, graduating in 1915. While there, she was an active member of the youth movement, Habonim. She participated in public speaking at meetings and often advocated for Socialist Zionism in her speeches. Often she hosted visitors from Palestine.

Upon her graduation from the Milwaukee State Normal School (now University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee), she taught in public schools. She formally joined the Labor Zionist Organization in 1915.

Golda and Morris married in 1917 and began planning to make aliyah (emigration to the land of Israel, then part of various Ottoman provinces). The couple and Golda's elder sister Sheyna emigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1921.



Emigration to Palestine, 1921

Golda and Morris wanted to join a kibbutz. She applied to join Kibbutz Merhavia and was turned down at first, but eventually was accepted into the community. Her duties there included picking almonds, planting trees, caring for chickens, and running the kitchen. She also began to emerge as a leader. Her kibbutz chose her to represent them at Histadrut, the General Federation of Labor. By 1924, her husband had grown tired of the kibbutz life, and the couple left.



They lived briefly in Tel Aviv, before settling in Jerusalem. There they had two children, son Menachem and daughter Sarah. In 1928, Golda was elected secretary of the Women's Labor Council of Histadrut. This required her to move to Tel Aviv, but her husband stayed in Jerusalem while the children stayed with her. Morris and Golda grew apart but never divorced. Morris died in 1951.

She grew increasingly influential in Histadrut, which evolved into a shadow government for the yet-to-be-born nation of Israel. In 1946, the British cracked down on the Zionist movement in Palestine, arresting many of its leaders. Golda, however, was never arrested. She gradually took charge of the organization. She negotiated with the British, but also kept in contact with the growing guerrilla movement.




Israel established, 1948

Golda Meir was one of twenty-four people (and one of only two women) who signed the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. She later recalled, "After I signed, I cried. When I studied American history as a schoolgirl and I read about those who signed the Declaration of Independence, I couldn't imagine these were real people doing something real. And there I was sitting down and signing a declaration of establishment."

The following day, Israel was attacked by joint forces from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Iraq. Golda was issued Israel's first passport[citation needed] and went to the United States to raise money for the fledgling nation.

When she returned, she was assigned to be the first ambassador to the Soviet Union. She served there briefly, leaving in 1949. During her stay in Moscow, she attended high holiday services and was mobbed by thousands of Russian Jews chanting her name; Stalin's repression of Jewish identity in the Soviet Union made many observers wonder whether there was still a strong sense of community, but the crowd's welcoming treatment provided the answer. The picture on the back of Meir's Israeli shekel banknote is that of the crowd in Moscow surrounding her and lifting her in happiness. She then entered the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), where she served continuously until 1974.

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Political life prior to becoming Prime Minister

From 1949 to 1956, Meir was the Israeli Minister of Labor. In 1956, she became Foreign Minister under Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. The previous Foreign Minister, Moshe Sharett, had ordered that all members of the foreign service Hebraicize their last names. Golda had ignored that order as ambassador, but now that she was becoming Foreign Minister herself, Ben-Gurion asked Golda to change her name to a Hebrew name. She chose Meir, meaning "makes a light."

In the early 1960s Meir was diagnosed with lymphoma, which she concealed, concerned that others might deem her unfit for service. She resigned from the Cabinet in 1965, citing illness and exhaustion from her years of service. At first, she returned to her modest life, but was soon called back into service. She served as Secretary General of the Labor Party for eight months and retired again on August 1, 1968.



Prime Minister
After Levi Eshkol died suddenly on February 26, 1969, the party chose Meir to succeed him as Prime Minister. Meir came out of retirement to take office on March 17 and would serve as Prime Minister until 1974. When Meir took office, Israel was brimming with confidence, having won a decisive victory over the Arabs and capturing large areas of territory in the Six Day War. Nonetheless, Meir had to deal with the continuing Egyptian shelling of Israeli forces along the Suez Canal in the War of Attrition.



Operation Wrath of God
Following the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, Meir appealed to the world to "save our citizens and condemn the unspeakable criminal acts committed."[1] Meir and the Israeli Defense Committee felt that the world did not adequately respond and therefore authorized the Mossad to kill Black September and PFLP operatives wherever they could be found (Morris 1999). The 1986 TV film Sword of Gideon, based on the book Vengeance by George Jonas, and Steven Spielberg's subsequent movie Munich (2005) were loosely based on these events.



1973 Yom Kippur War
In the lead up to the Yom Kippur War, Israeli intelligence was not able to determine conclusively that an attack was imminent until the day before the war began. Six hours before the outbreak of hostilities, Meir met with Moshe Dayan and Israeli general David Elazar. While Dayan continued to argue that war was unlikely, Elazar advocated launching a pre-emptive strike on Syrian forces.

Meir believed that Israel could not depend on European countries to supply Israel with military equipment as European countries were under the threat of an Arab oil embargo and trade boycott, and that as a result, the only country who could come to Israel's assistance would be the United States. Fearing that the U. S. would be wary of intervening if Israel were perceived as initiating the hostilities, Meir finally decided against launching a pre-emptive strike. In hindsight, this was apparently a wise decision; then-U. S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger would later confirm Meir's assessment by stating that if Israel had launched a pre-emptive strike, Israel would not have received "so much as a nail." Meir's decision may have been crucial in making Operation Nickel Grass politically feasible for the United States.


Resignation

Following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Meir's government was distracted by internal squabbles among the governing coalition and had to face serious questions over strategic misjudgments as well as the general lack of leadership that resulted in inadequate preparedness at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War. On April 11, 1974, Golda Meir resigned as prime minister and was succeeded by Yitzhak Rabin on June 3, 1974.

On December 8, 1978, Golda Meir died of cancer in Jerusalem at the age of 80. She is buried on Mount Herzl, in Jerusalem.

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[mike435]

i can see you like woman in power
it good that their are those who can see past physical beuty

[donsaeid]

There is actually more women then men in world! So if we had use their inteligence and power centuries ago now we may had populated other planets! that is a shame to not take them in consideration! And that is a shame that they are abused in Workplace, and Advertisment and Films so even they start believing that they are nothing more than sex symboles!

[mike435]

couldnt agree more with what you said

after all they are 50 percent of the inteligance
and it is a shame when that intallagice and talant goes to waist
thak g-d for open sociotys

[donsaeid]

in some cases women are even better then us!

But first thing which have to be done is to Remove this culture of SEX SEX and SEX which women are being abused by in every single way!

Women are more than just a par of breast, and gorgoues body, and long legs ++++

[mike435]

you are not a person to say it should be removed it should not be removed better answer is other talants should dhould be better incorperated

some woman are benefiting from their body and why shouldnt they
the same way one can use their brains to their benefits they should also be able to use thier other assets to.

[Rasputin]

in some cases women are even better then us!

But first thing which have to be done is to Remove this culture of SEX SEX and SEX which women are being abused by in every single way!

Women are more than just a par of breast, and gorgoues body, and long legs ++++

Agree 100% with Mr saeid .

[donsaeid]

you are not a person to say it should be removed it should not be removed better answer is other talants should dhould be better incorperated

some woman are benefiting from their body and why shouldnt they
the same way one can use their brains to their benefits they should also be able to use thier other assets to.

no way!

it is just sexoholic men who say that it is ok!

Prostitution is what i call it! to sell your body for whatever amount of money!

[mike435]

becuase of my own belifes i see that to be wrong

but really why is it wrong

why is it wrong to be a model
why is wrong to be lungure model
it would even be ok if one chooses to be a porn star if they choos to i dont think it beneficial for socioty but than again people have free will to choose

many of the activites we engage everyday are not beneficial to socioty as a whole and we still do it why shoudl selling of ones body be any diffrnt
people should have the right to choose

it is not sexohalic
also it is not up to the men it is up to the womman them slfs
can some laydys express some opinon

[mike435]

look the smae way ones brain is an asset, or voice, or face , or what ever what makes the body any diffrnt

my own perdonal belife is that it is wrong
but the same oppertunity that gives the the freedom to have this belife should enable the woman to have their belife in their own body.
not mine not sociotys
infact i think if we are to restrict it is more of a sight that shows men view woman as secondary and we decide what good or bad for them. and that is ludicrius

[donsaeid]

fo too long have we told them what is good and what is bad for them! that this is good for them to sell their body! so they have start believing that that is good for them!

so that have to change! if we stop encourge them to that they will stop! so simple is that! they will understand that that is wrong and they are more then just some meat and flesh!!!