Golda Meir(1898 — 1978)
Golda Meir
Israël, Palestine mandataire
8 min read
Golda Meir, née en Ukraine et émigrée en Palestine mandataire, est l'une des fondatrices de l'État d'Israël. Première femme Premier ministre d'Israël (1969-1974), elle incarne la construction du jeune État et affronte la guerre du Kippour en 1973.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« Nous pouvons pardonner aux Arabes de tuer nos enfants. Nous ne pouvons pas leur pardonner de nous forcer à tuer les leurs. »
« La paix sera quand les Arabes aimeront leurs enfants plus qu'ils ne nous haïssent. »
Key Facts
- Née à Kiev en 1898, elle émigre aux États-Unis puis s'installe en Palestine mandataire en 1921.
- Elle signe la déclaration d'indépendance de l'État d'Israël le 14 mai 1948.
- Ministre des Affaires étrangères de 1956 à 1966, elle développe la diplomatie africaine d'Israël.
- Première femme Premier ministre d'Israël, elle gouverne de 1969 à 1974.
- Elle démissionne en 1974 après les critiques sur la gestion de la guerre du Kippour (octobre 1973).
Works & Achievements
Golda Meir was one of the 37 founding signatories of the State of Israel. Her signature on this historic document symbolizes her central role in the creation of the Jewish state.
A few weeks before the declaration of independence, Golda Meir traveled across the United States to raise funds from American Jewish communities. She gathered $50 million in a matter of weeks, a decisive sum for arming the nascent Israeli forces.
For seven years, she led Israel's social policy, overseeing the construction of hundreds of thousands of housing units to accommodate Jewish immigrants from around the world.
Golda Meir represented Israel on the international stage for ten years, notably developing relations with the newly independent African states, symbolizing solidarity among developing peoples.
The first woman to lead the Israeli government, she managed the diplomatic crisis following the Munich Olympics (1972) and faced the ordeal of the Yom Kippur War (1973).
A personal account tracing her childhood in Ukraine, her immigration to America and then to Palestine, and her political career. This book remains a valuable historical source on the founding of Israel.
Anecdotes
Golda Meir was born in Kiev in 1898 into a poor Jewish family. As a child, she experienced the terror of anti-Jewish pogroms in Ukraine, a traumatic experience that forged her deep conviction that the Jewish people needed a state of their own to survive.
An immigrant to the United States at the age of eight, Golda Mabovitch (her maiden name) sold ice cream with her sister to pay for her studies in Milwaukee. She became a schoolteacher and then a passionate Zionist activist, organizing fundraising drives in American Jewish communities.
In 1948, a few weeks before Israel's declaration of independence, Golda Meir disguised herself as an Arab woman to secretly meet King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman. She hoped to prevent war, but the mission failed: the War of Independence broke out nonetheless on May 14, 1948.
Appointed Prime Minister in 1969 at the age of 71, Golda Meir was nicknamed 'the grandmother of Israel'. She was known for holding informal cabinet meetings around her kitchen table, where she herself served coffee and cakes while making crucial decisions of state.
During the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, Golda Meir was warned at 2 a.m. of an imminent attack by Egypt and Syria. Within hours, she had to make the decision not to strike first — a momentous decision that weighed on her for the rest of her life, even though it saved Israel diplomatically in the eyes of the international community.
Primary Sources
I remember the day I arrived in Palestine. The soil was arid, the conditions difficult, but I had the feeling of finally being home, in the land of my ancestors.
I am aware of the burden and responsibility that fall upon me. I will do everything in my power to guarantee the security and prosperity of our State.
We can forgive the Arabs for killing us. But we cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.
I bear the responsibility for this war on my shoulders. Had I made different decisions, perhaps we could have saved lives. It is a burden I will carry until my death.
Key Places
Golda Meir's birthplace, then part of the Russian Empire. It was there that she experienced the anti-Jewish pogroms that marked her childhood and shaped her political consciousness.
The city where Golda grew up after her family emigrated in 1906. She studied there, became a teacher, and an active Zionist activist within the American Jewish community.
Golda's first home in Mandatory Palestine from 1921. There she discovered pioneer Zionist communal life and developed as a leader.
The city where Israeli independence was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. Golda Meir signed the declaration in the museum hall and recounted bursting into tears during this historic ceremony.
The capital where Golda Meir served as Foreign Minister and then Prime Minister. Her official residence in Jerusalem was the nerve center of her governmental action.
The city where Golda Meir led numerous diplomatic missions and fundraising efforts for the Zionist cause, notably in 1948 to finance the nascent Israeli army.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Signature de la Déclaration d'indépendance d'Israël
14 mai 1948
Mission diplomatique aux États-Unis — collecte de 50 millions de dollars
1948
Ministre du Travail d'Israël
1949-1956
Ministre des Affaires étrangères d'Israël
1956-1966
Premier ministre d'Israël
1969-1974
My Life (Ma vie) — autobiographie
1975
