Golda Meir

Prime minister Golda Meir (motleynews.net ())

"I had never planned to be prime minister; I had never planned any position in fact. I had planned to go to Palestine, to go to a kibbutz, to be active in the labor movement. But the position I would occupy? That, never."(Hitzeroth). At fourteen, running away from home to pursue her right to go to school was the beginning of Golda Meir's drive towards accomplishing her dreams. This eventually led the famed Israeli politician to occupy the position of prime minister of Israel. Meir was a Zionist leader in the Labor political party.  Zionism was a movement that began in the early 1900s to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in the land, now known as Israel. Meir and her husband arrived in Palestine (now Israel) in 1917 and joined a kibbutz. A kibbutz is a communal property of land in Israel where newly married couples and families live and share everything.  From 1945 to 1948, she focused her efforts on helping Jewish immigrants enter Palestine in contradiction to the immigration rules set by Britain. From 1956 to 1966, she served as a foreign minister, and, in 1969, Meir became the fourth prime minister of Israel. (Pogrebin).  Meir possessed determination and unwavering confidence throughout all of her accomplishments. Golda Meir, whose name means "precious metal" in Hebrew, rose to the challenge of achieving her beliefs of freedom for the people of Israel. She became an inspiration to others when she became prime minister of Israel and fought to save a country from a terrible fate.

Gesturing at a news conference for Jews rights (http://www.haaretz.com ())

As Prime Minister, Golda Meir's bold determination was evident because she believed all Jews should have the freedom to decide their own religious pursuits and be treated equally among all others. When asked, she speaks of her principal beliefs:"From early youth I believed in two things: one, the need for Jewish sovereignty; and two, equality, without exploitation. But I was never so naive or foolish to think that if you merely believe in something it happens. You must struggle for it," (Hizeroth). Meir's determination to help Jews choose their own fate and achieve equality was effective. Early on, the Israeli leader risked her own life to fulfill her dream that Jews should determine their own fate. Meir also knew that even though nothing ever comes easy, you can achieve your goals by pushing the limits.  Determined to set her own path, "At fourteen, she graduated from the Fourth Street Elementary School as class valedictorian but had to fight her parents for the right to go to high school" (Pogrebin). Meir's desire to go to high school, triggered her to run away from home and get the education she wanted. This course of action paved the way to her becoming the Labor Movement leader. One of her more direct ways of helping Jews showed the courage she possessed. "She faced imprisonment to help smuggle refugees escaping from World War II Europe into Palestine, and she faced gunfire from opponents to the creation of Israel," (Hizeroth). Golda Meir risked her own life for Jewish refugees escaping from World War II. Because of her drive to help others, she faced imprisonment and gunfire from many of her opponents.  This act also showed other Jews that they could make their own decisions and have the freedom to choose what they want to be or do in life. By achieving her goals and beliefs with a determined mindset, Golda Meir was an example to Jews that they don't have to live in fear, and can make a life of their own.

Meeting troops for the Yom Kippur War (http://www.timesofisrael.com ())

As the first female Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir was unwavering in her strategic decisions, focused on equality for all people, and completely devoted to ensuring her country won the Yom Kippur War. During the war, Meir had to make instinctive decisions with minimal  knowledge of the strategies of war. "Yes on mobilization. No on a preemptive strike. The Americans opposed Israel making a habit of preemptive strikes and Israel might soon be needing American political and logistical assistance," (Rabinovich). A preemptive strike is a first- strike attack, used to take out the enemy quickly. A mobilization strike, is the action of bringing men in and readying them to strike the enemy. During the war of Yom Kippur, Meir was confident in her decision to choose mobilization versus a preemptive strike, despite what all of the military generals firmly pushed for. Because of her decision, they won the war. From then on, she was highly respected. "Golda Meir chose not to be woman-identified and behaved as if gender doesn't matter," (Pogrebin). She was admired as a prominent leader and people did not focus on the fact that she was a woman. She also pushed the idea that all Jews, no matter male or female, should be equal in status. This continued to make her a hero to many Jews. Her devotion to the survival of Israel made Golda Meir an exemplary leader. "Prime minister from 1969 to 1973 when she resigned after her government failed to detect the signs of the upcoming war, Meir remained firm about the survival of the Jewish state. She once stated, 'I have never believed in inflexibility except when Israel is concerned,'" (Rusin). Even after the government failed to detect signs of the upcoming war, Meir remained unwavering about the survival and freedom of the Jewish state. She used all of her available resources to make Israel become the best it could be.  Golda Meir's instinctive war decisions and unwavering confidence in her natural abilities, made her the savior her people needed.

In conclusion, Golda Meir is a hero because, although reluctant at first to serve as the Prime Minister of Israel, she rose to the occasion to serve her country and ultimately led her people to victory. She used determination and confidence in herself to achieve her ideals as the prime minister and as a leader. Her courage took many forms, one of them being, " In May 1948, with five Arab armies massed on Israel's borders, Golda disguised herself as a Muslim woman and crossed into Trans-Jordan for a secret meeting with King Abdullah, to try to persuade him to stay out of the war,"(Pogrebin).  She is inspiring in her decision to risk her own life and put her country before herself.  Often the world's greatest heroes are ordinary people who strive to help others, and reluctantly accept leadership roles to change the world. For Golda Meir, this meant accepting the position as the Prime Minister of Israel.

Works Cited

Hitzeroth, Deborah ."The importance of Golda Meir". Lucent Books, 1961

Pogrebin, Letty Cottin. "Golda Meir." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical    

Encyclopedia. 20 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. (Viewed on May 2, 2017).

Rabinovich, Abraham. "Three Years Too Late, Golda Meir Understood How War Could Have Been Avoided." The Times of Israel. N.p., 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 May 2017.

Rusin, Nancy M. "Golda Meir." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002. Biography in

Context,link.galegroup.com/apps Accessed 16 May 2017.