Center for Israel Education David Ben-Gurion The Leadership Series 1. His Early Life “We must master our own fate – we must take destny into our own hands! [This is] necessary…for our future survival as a free and independent people.” -David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion was born in Płońsk, Poland on October 16, 1886. Płońskwas at the tme part of the Russian Empire. His name at birth was David Grün, but he later changed his last name to Ben-Gurion, a Hebrew version of his last name. When he was 11, his mother, Scheindel, passed Leadership Series: David Ben-Gurion Copyright © 2019 by Center for Israel Educaton away. His father, Avigdor, was a lawyer, educator, and leader in the “Lovers of Zion” movement (in All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or Hebrew called Hovevei Zion). Zionism is the natonal transmited in any form or by any means without writen permission from the author. movement calling for the return of the Jewish people Published by Center for Israel Educaton, P.O. Box 15129, Atlanta, GA to Israel. “Lovers of Zion” partcularly emphasized 30333. furthering Jewish setlement in the Land of Israel www.israeled.org through agriculture. Ben-Gurion atended his father’s [email protected] Printed in USA. Hebrew school, which was very Zionist. 1 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 2. Ben-Gurion’s Teenage Years “If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert.” -David Ben-Gurion Source: Martn Gilbert, Wikimedia Commons. public domain (details). Ben-Gurion as volunteer in Jewish Legion in 1918 Map of European Russia at the end of the nineteenth century Ben-Gurion became very interested in Zionism Source: public domain. as a teenager, infuenced heavily in his home. At the age of 14, together with two friends, he founded a youth club called “Ezra.” The club promoted studying Hebrew and emigraton to the land of Israel. He atended college at the University of Warsaw, where he joined the Social-Democratc Jewish Workers’ Party (in Hebrew called Poalei Zion). During the Russian Revoluton of 1905, he was arrested 2 twice. 3 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved Ben-Gurion discussed his hometown in his memoirs: "For many of us, ant-Semitc feeling had litle to do with our dedicaton [to Zionism]. I personally never sufered ant-Semitc persecuton. Płońsk was remarkably free of it ... Nevertheless, and I think this very signifcant, it was Płońsk that sent the highest proporton of Jews to Eretz Israel from any town in Poland of comparable size. We emigrated not for negatve reasons of escape but for the positve purpose of Founding of the Hebrew University of rebuilding a homeland ... Life in Płońsk Jerusalem (1925) was peaceful enough.” Source: Matson (G. Eric and Edith) Photograph collecton at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictons on the use of this work. Source: Rafał Zieliński. This fle is licensed under the Creatve Commons - Atributon- Share Alike 3.0 Poland license. House in Płońsk, Poland where Ben-Gurion grew Source: Cohen Fritz, Natonal Photo Collecton 4 5 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 4. Ben-Gurion’s Family 5. The Britsh Mandate “In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in "No mater what the future holds, I will not despair miracles.” - David Ben-Gurion of achieving higher educaton in philosophy and in the natural sciences." - David Ben-Gurion Prior to, during, and afer World War I, Britain entered into a series of agreements with local In 1915, Ben-Gurion met Russian-born Paula leaders in the Middle East. In return for supportng Munweis while in New York City. Ben-Gurion and Britsh during the war, they secured Britsh Munweis got married in 1917. The couple had three infuence. On April 25, 1920, the Supreme Council children: two daughters, Geula Ben-Eliezer and of the League of Natons allocated the Palestne Renana Leshem, and one son, Amos. Amos would Mandate to Great Britain. The twenty-eight artcles later become Deputy Inspector-General of the Israeli in the Mandate for Palestne refected Britain’s Police, as well as the Director-General of a textle commitment to the development of a Jewish factory. Renana would go on to work as a natonal home. microbiologist for the Insttute for Biological Because the artcles in the Mandate for Palestne Research. were pro-Zionist, the Arabs of Palestne boycoted ofcial cooperaton with the Britsh. Each tme questons arose about changing the precise language in the Mandate artcles, Jewish and Zionist leaders did their best to prevent any changes. The Mandate’s Artcles were not altered, but Britain did periodically revise, sometmes dramatcally, the manner in which it supported the development of the Jewish natonal home. The most notable example was in 1939 when it severely limited Jewish immigraton and land purchase in response to L to R: David & Paula Ben-Gurion, youngest daughter violence in Palestne, contrary to the spirit and Renana, Geula, father Avigdor Grün, and Amos. wording in the artcles of the Mandate. Source: GPO Photographer, public domain. 8 9 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 6. Founding of Mapai Ben-Gurion’s lef-wing, socialist politcs ofen clashed with the right-wing revisionist politcians, led by Vladimir Jabotnsky. The majority of the Mapai party supported the 1937 Britsh Peel In 1930, Ben-Gurion created Mapai, the Land Commission, which called for the creaton of both a of Israel Workers’ Party, which was a coaliton of the Jewish and Arab state, with the Britsh retaining major labor Zionist movements. The two partes that control of Jerusalem and part of central Israel. The merged together were The Young Workers Party Revisionists opposed this partton. They argued that (Hapoel Hazair) and Labor Unity (Ahdut Ha’avodah). this would set a dangerous precedent for In 1933, Mapai took control over the Zionist compromising Jewish rights to parts of the land. Organizaton. Two years later, Ben-Gurion became Despite Ben-Gurion’s mobilizaton of support for this Chairman of the Zionist Actons Commitee and of plan, the Britsh abandoned it in response to Arab the Jewish Agency, an organizaton founded in 1929 oppositon and challenges to implementaton. in order to build up the land of Israel and connect world Jewry to the development of a Jewish state. Source: public domain. Hebrew writng translatng to: “We should be given the task of completng the work.” Source: A Mapai Party billboard prior to the 1951 Knesset electons. Peel Commission 10 Plan map 11 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved . 8. Founding of State of Israel David Ben-Gurion became the frst Prime “To tell you the truth, the joy was not a part of me - Minister of the State of Israel, the head of the cabinet and executve branch of the government. He also not because I didn't appreciate the decision of the UN. Rather, I knew what was to come - war with all of the became the frst minister of defense. Ben-Gurion Arab armies.” -Ben-Gurion emphasized the necessity of the Jewish community in Israel being united. In a batle over arms reaching Israel in June 1948, called the “Altalena Afair,” Ben-Gurion At the end of World War II, Ben-Gurion and made clear that he would not accept competng armies other Zionists led the Jewish community in a in the new state. successful struggle against the Britsh. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was established, in Immediately, Ben-Gurion had to unify the army accordance with the United Natons General in the Independence War against the invading Arab Assembly. Israel was established with the support of armies from Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. The war the two main internatonal powers at the tme, the ended with an Israeli victory. In the following years, United States and the Soviet Union. United States Ben-Gurion played a major role in building up the President Harry Truman recognized Israel the same naton and absorbing Jewish immigrants from around day, releasing the “Ross Papers” statng that America the world who moved to Israel. “recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the state of Israel.” Source: Russia believed that quickly ending Britsh Natonal Photo presence in Palestne could enable Moscow a faster Collecton route to spreading Communism in eastern Mediterranean countries which included Greece, Turkey, and other places in the Middle East. Gradually in the 1950s, relatons between the two countries deteriorated as the Soviet Union sided with Israel’s Arab foes, partcularly Egypt, Syria, and Henry Moregenthau, former US Treasury Palestnian organizatons. 16 17 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 5. The Peres Center for Peace “Making peace is not a simple endeavor. It is a constant struggle. But its complexity should not overshadow its purpose.” -Peres The opening of the Peres Center for Peace Source: Milner Moshe, Natonal Photo Collecton Source: Milner Moshe, Natonal Photo Collecton In 1996, Shimon Peres founded the Peres Center for Peace and Innovaton, an organizaton dedicated to promotng a “prosperous Israel” and paving the way forward “for shared-living and lastng peace in the region.” The Center has received numerous awards since its founding, including the 2010 Peace and Sports Award for best non-governmental organizaton. The organizaton has programs in innovaton, sports, Peres examining tomatoes at Sdot cultvaton of leadership and entrepreneurship, Negev Regional Council, near Gaza health, business, and environment.