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David Ben Gurion

David Ben-Gurion
דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן
Ben Gurion 1959.jpg
1st 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
(1886-10-16)16 October 1886
Płońsk, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
Died 1 December 1973(1973-12-01) (aged 87)
Ramat Gan, Israel
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.


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