On March 17, 1969, 71 year-old Golda Meir was elected the fourth Prime Minister of Israel following the untimely death of Levi Eshkol. After serving as Minister of Labor and Foreign Minister, Golda Meir became Israel’s first and only woman to hold the office of Prime Minister. Born in Kiev, Russia, she grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
She served as Israel’s Prime Minister during a very difficult period, including the Munich Olympics massacre (1972) and Yom Kippur War (1973). At one point when she was a member of Israel’s Parliament, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion sent her on a secret mission, disguised as an Arab, to plead with King Abdullah I of Jordan not to enter into a war with Israel.
Here, Ms. Meir is offered a few words of counsel by UN journalist David Horowitz.
Ralph Buntyn is executive vice president and associate editor of United Israel World Union. A historian and researcher, his many articles and essays have appeared in various media outlets.