In the article, we will talk about Gold Meir, who was a political and statesman of Israel, as well as the Prime Minister of this state. We will consider the career and life paths of this woman, and also try to understand the political upheavals that happened in her life.
Family and childhood
Consider the Golda Meir biography with the birth of a girl in Kiev. She was born into a rather poor and impoverished Jewish family, where there were already seven children. Five of them died in infancy, only Gold and her two sisters Klara and Shane survived.
Moses' father was a carpenter at that time, and his mother was the nurse for the children of wealthy women. As we know from history, the beginning of the 20th century was a rather turbulent time, therefore, Jewish pogroms were held with sad regularity in the Kiev province. That is why people of this nationality could not feel safe in Russia. For this reason, in 1903, the family returned to Pinsk, a large city in Belarus, where there was a house with Golda's grandmother.
Growing up
In the same year, the father of the family leaves for America to work, because the family is in great need. After 3 years, the girl with her mother and sisters moves to her father in America.
Here they are located in the north of the country in the small town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the fourth grade, the girl first showed her humanistic leadership inclinations. So, together with her friend Regina, she created the Society of Young Sisters, which was engaged in raising funds for the purchase of textbooks for poor and needy children.
Then little Golda made a speech that impressed many adults who gathered in order to give some kind of donation and look at the performance of the children. This is incredible, but the money raised was really enough to buy books for all children in need. At the same time, an article was published in the local newspaper about the chairman of the Society of Young Sisters in the person of Golda Meir. This was the first time in my life when it was printed in a newspaper.
Denver
In 1912, the girl graduated from high school and decides that she wants to get an education in Denver. She didn’t even have money for a ticket, so she had to try herself as an English teacher for immigrants. She worked at a rate of 10 cents per hour.
Naturally, the parents were against the desire of Golda Meir, but nevertheless the fourteen-year-old girl was determined. She managed to leave for Denver, and her parents left only a note in which she asked them not to worry.
In this city, her older sister Shane lived with her husband and little daughter, so the girl could count on the support of relatives. Note that at that time a hospital for Jewish immigrants worked in the city, which was the only one in the whole country. Among the patients were Zionists. This is important because the period of life that the girl spent in Denver influenced her views in the future.
There she met her husband Maurice Meyerson. Golda Meir later wrote in an autobiography that lengthy debates had a strong influence on the formation of fundamental beliefs. However, the girl’s life at that time was not so sweet. Shane's sister mistook Golda for a child and was rather strict. Once there was a serious scandal, as a result of which Golda forever left her sister's house. She managed to find work in a small studio and rent a room with the money. After a while, she received a letter from her father, in which he wrote that if she is dear to her mother, then she should immediately return. Golda Meir could not do otherwise, so she returned to Milwaukee.
Zionist activity
In 1914, the girl returned to her parents. During this period, life will be adjusted a bit, because the father finds a permanent job, and the Golda Meir family manages to move to live in a new, more spacious and beautiful house. There, the girl enters high school, which she finishes in 2 years. Then she enters a teacher’s college in Milwaukee. Already at the age of 17 he joined the Poalei Zion organization. In December 1917, he married Boris Meyerson, who fully shares his views.
The period before the independence of Israel
In the period 1921-1923, a woman worked in an agricultural commune. At this time, her husband contracted malaria, which caused Golda to leave work. Finally, he recovered in 1924 and received the work of an accountant in Jerusalem, which nevertheless paid rather poorly.
The family finds a small house, consisting of only two rooms, in which there is not even electricity, and settles in it. In November 1924, the couple gave birth to a boy Menachem, and two years later he had a sister, Sarah.
In order to be able to pay for the house, Golda is engaged in washing other people's clothes, which are washed in the trough. An irrepressible desire for social activity finally manifests itself in 1928, when she heads the women's branch of the Federation of Workers.
Golda Meir's biography continues with the fact that she occupies various public positions and begins to travel for work. So, in 1949, she was elected to the Knesset - the elected legislative body of Israel. In 1929, she was increasingly sent with international missions to other countries. In 1938, she acted as an observer at the Evian Conference, where 32 parties participated and addressed issues of assistance to Jews fleeing Hitler's regime.
Golda Meir Political Career
In May 1948, a woman signed the Declaration of Independence of Israel. Among the 38 people who signed it, there were only 2 women - Golda and Rachel Cohen-Kogan. In her memoirs, the woman wrote that this day was very memorable for her, and she did not even believe that she lived to see it. Nevertheless, she clearly realized what price she had to pay for it. However, the very next day Israel was attacked by the combined armies of Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Syria. Thus began the two-year Arab-Israeli war.
In the role of ambassador
A young unstable state, which was attacked from all sides, required a large number of weapons. It was the USSR that first recognized Israel as a separate country, and it was the Soviet Union that became the supplier of weapons.
In the summer of 1948, Golda was sent as ambassador of the USSR, and already in early September she was in Moscow. She was in the post of ambassador until March 1949, but even during that time she managed to prove herself.
So, I met with a whole crowd of Jews during a visit to the synagogue in Moscow. This meeting was received with incredible enthusiasm and is considered very important for the Jewish people. For example, Israeli events with a face value of 10, 000 shekels reflect this event.
As far as we know, Golda did not speak Russian, so when she was at a reception in the Kremlin, Polina Zhemchuzhina addressed her in Yiddish with the words: "I am a Jewish daughter."
Golda Meir did a lot for Israel. So, even as an ambassador in Moscow, she contributed to the fact that the Jewish anti-fascist committee, several publishing houses and newspapers were closed, and unworthy figures of Jewish culture were arrested, their creations were seized.
Promotion
The woman also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Golda Meir has been in this position for 10 years, from 1956 to 1966. And even before that, from 1949 to 1956, she worked as Minister for Social Security and Labor.
As prime minister
In March 1969, a woman conquered a new career peak. This happens after the death of Levi Eshkol, who was the third prime minister. However, the government was overshadowed by various conflicts and disputes that took place within the coalition, as well as serious disputes that did not stop in government circles.
The woman had to work on strategic mistakes and deal with the problem of a lack of leaders. And in the end, this led to failures in the Doomsday War, which is also called the 4th Arab-Israeli War. Therefore, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned, transferring leadership to her successor.
It should be noted that in 1972 there was a terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics, which was carried out by members of the Black September terrorist group. The operation killed 11 members of the Olympic team. After the perpetrators were detained and shot, Golda Meir ordered Mossad to track down and destroy all those who were involved in this attack in one way or another.
Resignation
After Israel won the Doomsday War with great difficulty, the Meir political party was still the leader in the country. However, there was a strong wave of public discontent with the huge military losses, which was supported by artificial conflicts within the party. All this led to the creation of a new coalition government, which forced Meir to resign.
So, in April 1974, the entire cabinet headed by Golda resigned. The successor of the woman was Yitzhak Rabin. And so her political career ended.
last years of life
A woman died of lymphoma in the winter of 1978. It happened in Israel. The tomb of Golda Meir on Mount Herzl is still a place where not only relatives come, but also ordinary people who still appreciate the huge contribution this woman made to the development of Israel. It should be noted that she installed a monument in New York.
Memory
Golda is mentioned in two songs of the Russian poet Vladimir Vysotsky. Also in 1982 in the UK came the feature film "A Woman named Golda". The main role was played by Ingrid Bergman, a talented Swedish actress, for whom the role of the Israeli warrior was the last in her life.
In 1986, the Gideon Sword tape was released, which spoke about the destruction of the Black September terrorists. The role of Meir was played by Canadian actress Colleen Dewhurst. In 2005, the world saw the Munich film from director Steven Spielberg, where Lynn Cohen acted as Golda.
It is also known that the woman wrote a memoir, "My Life." Golda Meir tried to frankly tell the story of her life, which was very closely intertwined with Israel and its fate. We strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with this work if you are interested in this topic, because the story told by Meir will impress you and will forever remain in your heart.
