"David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion (; , born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first Prime Minister of Israel. Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946. As head of the Jewish Agency from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency Executive, he was the ""de facto"" leader of the Jewish community in Palestine, and largely led its struggle for an independent Jewish state in Mandatory"
"Nicodemus ben Gurion Nicodemus ben Gurion (Hebrew: נקדימון בן גוריון Nakdimon ben Gurion) was a wealthy Jewish man who lived in Jerusalem in the 1st century CE. He is believed by some to be identical to the Nicodemus mentioned in the Gospel of John. Elsewhere he is discussed in Josephus' history, ""The Jewish War"", and later, rabbinic works: Lamentations Rabbah, Ecclesiastes Rabbah, the Babylonian Talmud, and Avot of Rabbi Natan. ""Ben Gurion"" means ""son of Gurion"" in Hebrew and his real name was apparently ""Buni"" or ""Bunai"". He acquired the nickname ""Nicodemus"", meaning ""conqueror of the people"" (from νίκη and"
"retirement in 2014, he was the world's oldest head of state and was considered the last link to Israel's founding generation. From a young age, he was renowned for his oratorical brilliance, and was chosen as a protégé by David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father. He began his political career in the late 1940s, holding several diplomatic and military positions during and directly after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. His first high-level government position was as Deputy Director-General of Defense in 1952 which he attained at the age of 28, and Director-General from 1953 until 1959. In 1956, he took part in"
"Ben-Gurion's Hut Ben-Gurion's hut (, ""Tzrif Ben Gurion"") was the retirement home of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula (Pola) from the years 1953 until Ben-Gurion's death in 1973. The ""hut"", located on Kibbutz Sde Boker, was preserved exactly as it was left by the Ben-Gurion and now serves as a museum with a visitor's center operated by the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute. In 1952, on a tour of Southern Israel, Ben-Gurion passed by a small community with only a hut and a few tents – Sde Boker. He stopped to greet the founders of the community, who"
"Breakfast. In his writings and speeches, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973) emphasized his vision of the state of Israel as a moral and social beacon to the whole world, and by that, in his view, it shall implement the vision of the prophets. The selection of the Menorah as the Emblem of Israel was derived from the image of the state of Israel as a """"Light Unto the Nations"""". According to Israeli author Jonathan Kis-Lev the view of Israel as a """"Light Unto the Nations"""" is a key drive for Israelis activism for peace in the Middle East. Along with"
"David Ben-Gurion to discuss the outbreak of the Korean War. He protested to the State Department when, in June 1949, President Truman criticised Israel and threatened sanctions following announcements that Israel might annex the Gaza Strip. In November 1948 he lobbied the State Department in favour of Israel's membership of the United Nations. He was also active in getting Menachem Begin a visitor's visa to enter the U.S. reversing the ban on members of terror organisations entering the country. He campaigned for a U.S. loan for the upgrading of Haifa harbour and was involved in the first formal commercial agreement"
"throughout the country. The Jewish Agency played a central role in the founding and the development of the State of Israel. David Ben Gurion served as the Chairman of its Executive Committee from 1935, and in this capacity on May 14, 1948 he proclaimed independence for the State of Israel. He became Israel's first Prime Minister. In the years before and after the founding of the state, the Jewish Agency oversaw the establishment of about 1,000 towns and villages in Mandate Palestine. It serves as the main link between Israel and Jewish communities around the world. By law, the Jewish"
"Later in the year he became Prime Minister again, following the 1955 elections. Under his leadership, Israel responded aggressively to Arab guerrilla attacks, and in 1956, invaded Egypt along with British and French forces after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal during what became known as the Suez Crisis. He stepped down from office in 1963, and retired from political life in 1970. He then moved to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev desert, where he lived until his death. Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of ""Time"" magazine's . David Ben-Gurion was born in Płońsk in Congress Poland – then"
"David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel. While in Beer Sheva, he was a Labour supporter. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival has stated that Brunner's mother, Clara, wanted him to study law, but he was 'too smart for his own good', and thought that being a filmmaker would be lucrative and provide him an opportunity to travel. Brunner studied film at Tel Aviv University at the Ramat Aviv campus in the Katz Faculty of the Arts' Department of Film and Television. Brunner served in the Israeli Defense Forces and is a veteran of the Yom Kippur War, during"
"de facto leader of Jewish population even before the state was declared. In this position, Ben-Gurion played a major role in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War When the IDF archives and others were opened in the late 1980s, scholars started to reconsider the events and the role of Ben-Gurion. On 14 May 1948, on the last day of the British Mandate, Ben-Gurion declared the independence of the state of Israel. In the Israeli declaration of independence, he stated that the new nation would ""uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of religion, race"". In his"
"at a face-to-face meeting with Eden.” On 22 October 1956 David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of Israel, gave the most detailed explanation ever to foreign dignitaries, of Israel’s overall strategy for the Middle East. Shlaim called this Ben-Gurion’s ""grand design"". His main objection to the ‘English plan’ was that Israel would be branded as the aggressor while Britain and France would pose as peace-makers. ”Instead he presented a comprehensive plan, which he himself called ‘fantastic’, for the reorganization of the Middle East. Jordan, he observed, was not viable as an independent state and should therefore be divided. Iraq would get the"
"Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion resigned from office and moved to the kibbutz. Although he returned to politics in 1955, he continued to live in the kibbutz until his death in 1973, when he was buried nearby at Midreshet Ben-Gurion alongside his wife Paula Ben-Gurion. Ben-Gurion moved to the kibbutz inspired by his vision of cultivating the Negev desert and building up its surrounding towns such as Yeruham and Dimona. He believed that eventually the Negev would be home to many Jews who would move to Israel, and he felt that Sde Boker was a trailblazer and example for what should"
"One day, he returned to his chambers from Court and found an urgent telegram from David Ben-Gurion. Ben Gurion asked Margo to come out to Israel to serve as Ben Gurion's chief advisor on the establishment and organization of the Israeli Air Force. Though he had been in combat for years as a pilot in World War II and now had a wife and small child, Margo later wrote in his memoirs that he felt he had to go. The newly declared State of Israel had been attacked by the armies of five Arab countries and its prospects for survival"
"led the Ben Gurion ordered attack by the IDF against the Irgun on the beach of Tel Aviv as part of the Altalena Affair. In the following period he was the deputy commander of Operation Danny, the largest scale operation to that point, which involved four IDF brigades. The cities of Ramle and Lydda were captured, as well as the major airport in Lydda, as part of the operation. Following the capture of the two towns there was an exodus of their Arab population. Rabin signed the expulsion order, which included the following: <br> ""... 1. The inhabitants of Lydda"
"David Ben-Gurion died, Segal conducted the last comprehensive interview with Ben-Gurion. In 1985–1997, Segal served as an observer for the Israel Press Council and a member of its ethics tribunal. He was one of the drafters of the Kinneret Covenant (אמנת כנרת) which seeks to create a common ground for various currents in Israeli society (right-left, religious-secular). Segal was an associate of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He was also chairperson of the Israel Diaspora Forum at the World Zionist Organization and co-chairperson of the Forum of Law and Society. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Segal as ""an"
"was such that David Ben Gurion refused to mention it by name, and would only speak of ""that particular magazine"". The magazine was divided into two sections, the first half dealing with indepth muckraking journalistic investigations into corruption, the second half writing up titillating gossip. It featured nudes on its back cover. The editorial office and printer of the paper were subject to three bombing attacks. He was arraigned on charges of sedition, survived two assassination attempts, and, in 1953, an unknown person - in one version he states that soldiers were involved - assaulted him, leaving him with both"
"until 1963, Ben-Gurion resided in his home in Sde Boker, and he continued living there until his death in 1973. Per Ben-Gurion's request in his will, the hut and everything inside remained intact and open to the public. A museum documenting the life and writings of Ben-Gurion was built at the site of the hut and attracts many tourists each year. A special focus was put on Ben-Gurion's vision to build up and settle the Negev Desert. Ben-Gurion's Hut Ben-Gurion's hut (, ""Tzrif Ben Gurion"") was the retirement home of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula (Pola)"
"Ben Gurion in 1958 at the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the modern state of Israel. Jim Novy was involved in rescuing perhaps hundreds of people from Europe under Nazi suppression. He got most of his family out of Europe, often through Latin America. In 1938, he made a harrowing journey across Nazi Germany to visit his hometown of Knyszyn. Armed with lots of cash and 42 blank visas, he helped restore the synagogue, established free loans to the needy, and he successfully got 42 people to America. He and his friend Lyndon B. Johnson saved numerous people under"
"Palestine. On 14 May 1948, he formally proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, and was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence, which he had helped to write. Ben-Gurion led Israel during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and united the various Jewish militias into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Subsequently, he became known as ""Israel's founding father"". Following the war, Ben-Gurion served as Israel's first Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. As Prime Minister, he helped build the state institutions, presiding over various national projects aimed at the development of the country. He also oversaw the absorption"
"an organization that lobbied the British on behalf of the DPs' political, social, and cultural aims, including the right to emigrate to British-controlled Palestine. Many survivors supported a self-determined Jewish presence in Palestine, even though they had not been Zionists before the war. Having lost their families, houses and possessions, they saw no future for themselves in Europe. DPs demonstrated against the British policy and sent protest notes. International contacts were established, e.g. to the Zionist Congress at Basel or the United Jewish Appeal to gain support abroad. In October 1945, David Ben Gurion, president of the Jewish Agency for"
"met with Eden, were the British informed of the secret Franco-Israeli alliance. On 22 October 1956, during negotiations leading to the Protocol of Sevres, David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of Israel, gave the most detailed explanation ever to foreign dignitaries, of Israel's overall strategy for the Middle East. Shlaim called this Ben-Gurion's ""grand design"". His main objection to the ""English plan"" was that Israel would be branded as the aggressor while Britain and France would pose as peace-makers. Instead he presented a comprehensive plan, which he himself called ""fantastic"", for the reorganization of the Middle East. Jordan, he observed, was not"
"truce, Ben-Gurion announced his resignation as Prime Minister and as Minister of Defence. In the negotiations that followed the cabinet agreed to withdraw the committee's recommendations and Ben-Gurion dropped his appointment suggestions and his threat of resigning. Galili was removed from all positions of influence and Ben-Gurion remained supreme commander. The Generals' Revolt Prior to the establishment of the state of Israel the leader of the Yishuv, David Ben-Gurion, made several attempts to reorganise the main underground militia, the Haganah, and its elite force, the Palmach. In 1948 this led to a series of confrontations between Ben-Gurion and leaders of"
"sessions. The British proposals were published two months later in what became known as the 1939 White Paper. The Jewish Agency delegation was led by Chaim Weizmann, chairman of the World Zionist Organization, but it was David Ben Gurion, leader of the Jewish Agency, who dominated decision making. It was Ben Gurion who argued that the delegation should be in the name of the Jewish Agency rather than be called the Jewish delegation. But since they claimed to represent all Jews it included some non-Zionists such as Sholem Asch and Lord Melchett, as well as the president of Agudat Yisrael."
"an internationally publicized trial for various offenses including crimes against humanity, and was subsequently executed in 1962. Ben-Gurion is said to have been ""nearly obsessed"" with Israel obtaining nuclear weapons, feeling that a nuclear arsenal was the only way to counter the Arabs' superiority in numbers, space, and financial resources, and that it was the only sure guarantee of Israel's survival and the prevention of another Holocaust. Ben-Gurion stepped down as prime minister for personal reasons in 1963, and chose Levi Eshkol as his successor. A year later a rivalry developed between the two on the issue of the Lavon"
"establishment of the state's institutions. He presided over various national projects aimed at the rapid development of the country and its population: Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of Jews from Arab countries, the construction of the National Water Carrier, rural development projects and the establishment of new towns and cities. In particular, he called for pioneering settlement in outlying areas, especially in the Negev. Ben-Gurion saw the struggle to make the Negev desert bloom as an area where the Jewish people could make a major contribution to humanity as a whole. He believed that the sparsely populated and barren Negev"
"David Danon Professor David Danon (October 17, 1921 – October 17, 2015) was a physician, a scientist, a leader in the study of the biology of aging, and a painter. He was the inventor of a unique treatment for the healing of pressure ulcers and other severe wounds that do not respond to conventional treatments. Before the creation of the state of Israel, he was a commander in Irgun, the Zionist paramilitary group also known as ""Etzel"". He was the founder and the first commander of the Israeli Air Force's first airborne military medical evacuation unit, the founder and first"
"Haim Ben-David Haim Ben-David (; May 6, 1919 – November 22, 1967) was a major general in the Israel Defense Forces, the second Military Secretary to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, and the head of the Manpower Directorate. After his military service, Ben-David was appointed ambassador to Ethiopia where he was killed in a plane accident in line of duty. Ben-David was born in Vienna, the capital of Austria in 1919. He studied Hebrew at the local Jewish community which was headed by Tzvi-Peretz Hayot at the time. Soon after, Ben-David joined the Gordonia, a Zionist youth movement and in 1938"
"Ben Gurion Airport Ben Gurion Airport () , commonly known as Natbag (), is the main international airport of Israel and the busiest airport in the country, located on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, which is about northwest of Jerusalem and to the southeast of Tel Aviv. Named after Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, the airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia, and Sun D'Or. It is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in Israel. In 2017, Ben Gurion handled 20.8"
"Sharif claimed that former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion was responsible for the assassination of John F. Kennedy, due to Kennedy's policy regarding Israeli's Dimona nuclear plant. Ben-Gurion gave the order to assassinate Kennedy. I take full responsibility for every word I say. The Mossad collaborated with the American mafia, and once Oswald had killed Kennedy, the Mossad sent a Jew called [Jack] Ruby to kill him. Then the Mossad killed 22 witnesses, and the case was closed...these files have not been made public, due to Jewish Zionist pressure. In the same interview, Abu Sharif alleged that US President Barack"
"were dim. Ben Gurion, who knew that air power would be critical to Israel's immediate and long range survival, had heard of Margo from his commanders such as Yaakov Dori and Chaim Laskov. Margo's effectiveness as a squadron commander, his expertise in air warfare in both the Desert and Europe during World War II, and his experience of high level command in the Royal Air Force as Operations Staff Officer, Advanced Air HQ, Desert Air Force, made him ideal for the job. When Margo arrived in Israel, he assessed the issues and needs of the fledgling Israeli Air Force. He"
"Haganah refused to draft him, however following a plea from his father to David Ben-Gurion he was enlisted.He was killed in Israel’s War of Independence during the Battle of Ramat Rachel on 22 May 1948. After his death rumors spread that he committed suicide or might have been murdered in revenge for his kapo past. At age of 16, he joined the Communist Party of Poland, and in 1929 was imprisoned by Polish authorities for four and half years for his communism-related activism (the Communist Party was at that time delegalized in Poland). He escaped or was released early from"
"resignation of Pinhas Lavon, the Defense Minister, brought down the government. When David Ben-Gurion returned to the cabinet Pinchas Lavon was a civilian adviser to Prime Minister Sharett. But when he returned from the war, he was presented with a ""fait accompli""; it had been the convention, but no longer for a career diplomat, to be chosen to become a Minister of Defense, a portfolio once controlled by the Prime Minister's office, now taken by Ben-Gurion. In 1954 three cells of local Jews living in Egypt and one from Israel proper were activated as terror groups to sabotage in Alexandria"
"2009 surveys. <br> Ben Gurion Airport Ben Gurion Airport () , commonly known as Natbag (), is the main international airport of Israel and the busiest airport in the country, located on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, which is about northwest of Jerusalem and to the southeast of Tel Aviv. Named after Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, the airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia, and Sun D'Or. It is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in Israel. In 2017, Ben"