David Ben-Gurion דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן |
|
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1st and 3rd Prime Minister of Israel | |
In office 3 November 1955 – 26 June 1963 |
|
President |
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Zalman Shazar |
Preceded by | Moshe Sharett |
Succeeded by | Levi Eshkol |
In office 17 May 1948 – 26 January 1954 |
|
President |
Chaim Weizmann Yitzhak Ben-Zvi |
Deputy | Eliezer Kaplan |
Preceded by | New office |
Succeeded by | Moshe Sharett |
Chairman of the Provisional State Council of Israel | |
In office 14 May 1948 – 16 May 1948 |
|
Preceded by | New office |
Succeeded by | Chaim Weizmann |
Minister of Defense | |
In office 21 February 1955 – 26 June 1963 |
|
Prime Minister |
Moshe Sharett Himself |
Preceded by | Pinhas Lavon |
Succeeded by | Levi Eshkol |
In office 14 May 1948 – 26 January 1954 |
|
Prime Minister | Himself |
Preceded by | New office |
Succeeded by | Pinhas Lavon |
Personal details | |
Born |
David Grün 16 October 1886 Płońsk, Congress Poland, Russian Empire |
Died | 1 December 1973 Ramat Gan, Israel |
(aged 87)
Nationality |
Congress Poland Ottoman Empire Mandatory Palestine Israel |
Political party | Mapai, Rafi, National List |
Spouse(s) | Paula Ben-Gurion |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater |
University of Warsaw Istanbul University |
Signature |
David Ben-Gurion (Hebrew: דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן; pronounced [daˈvɪd ben gurˈjo:n], born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary 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 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 of vast numbers of Jews from all over the world. A centerpiece of his foreign policy was improving relationships with the West Germans. He worked very well with Konrad Adenauer's government in Bonn, and West Germany provided large sums (in the Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany) in compensation for Nazi Germany's persecution of the Jews during the Holocaust.