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born 1898

The young Golda Meir emigrated from Russian-ruled Kiev ~ where her family was threatened by pogroms ~ to the middle of the Midwest. But, the long-time Zionist didn't find a place to call home until she helped found the first Jewish state. 

After teaching Yiddish in Milwaukee, Golda married her husband Morris on the condition they'd move to Palestine. After getting her start as a labor leader + hugely successful fundraiser for the Israeli cause, she would go on to serve on Israel's council for the rest of her life. Today, she is remembered as 1 of the nation's most famous prime ministers ~ a stateswoman at the center of international affairs.

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A Woman Called Golda shop
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My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel shop

her quotes

all quotes by Golda Meir (9)

"There is only one thing I hope to see before I die and that is that my people should not need expressions of sympathy anymore."

with reporters following the International Conference on Refugees in Evian-les-Bains, France | 1938

"A leader who doesn't hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader."

As good as Golda: The warmth and wisdom of Israel's Prime Minister | may 1967

"Don't be so humble—you're not that great."

interview with Israeli politician Simcha Dinitz | march 1969

"Our secret weapon is: no alternative."

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard M. Nixon | september 1969

"It is true we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them. We don’t want victories anymore."

'We won our wars - we don't need victories': An interview with Premier Golda Meir | october 1969

"Maybe it's not realistic, but many unrealistic dreams have come true."

'We won our wars - we don't need victories': An interview with Premier Golda Meir | october 1969

"Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil."

State dinner in honor of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt | 1973

"I will not write about my private life. I will not settle political or other scores with anyone. I will not take advantage of the high office I have just left, or of anything I learned there."

negotiations with George Weidenfeld, the publisher of Golda's autobiography | 1975

"One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present."

My Life | 1975

quoteurs we recommend...

Rachel Kohl Finegold
orthodox Maharat
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first female prime minister | UK
Sarah Moore Grimké
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for further reading about Golda Meir:

  • Quotabelle profile
  • Golda Meir

curated with care by Alicia Williamson {september 2014}

Golda working in kibbutz Merhavia

Golda moved from Wisconsin to Palestine with her husband in 1921. She did agricultural work, ran the kitchen and served as the representative for the kibbutz on which they lived. After World War II, Golda would return to the US to raise defense funds for the fledgling Jewish state that she helped establish in 1948 ~ everyone was shocked when she returned to Israel with $50 million, raised mostly from Jewish Americans.

unknown | Ralph G. Martin's Golda Meir: The Romantic Years | public domain

President Meets with Foreign Minister of Israel Golda Meir

Before she was PM, Golda served as Foreign Minister. Here, Golda meets with President John Kennedy in Palm Beach, Florida to discuss Israeli security in the Middle East. Golda attended JFK's funeral after his assassination less than a year later. The Israeli Government recently released documents that offer her account of the service ~ as she recalled, "There was a feeling of personal loss for everyone, and it was not artificial. They say that 2 million people were in the streets in Washington. I haven't seen something like that – complete silence, not a word. It was a cold morning, people stood for hours. It was real mourning – a personal loss."

Cecil Stoughton | White House Photograph Office | US National Archives | public domain

The President and Mrs. Nixon, with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, in evening attire

The Nixons escort the Israeli Prime Minister to a State dinner. Golda made an official visit to the White House in March of 1973. By the end of the year, she resigned as PM due to her controversial call not to launch a pre-emptive strike upon hearing that Israel was about to be attacked by an Egyptian-Syrian coalition. Golda's decision was made in consultation with the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who advised her that Israel would not receive international support if they attacked first. The offensive led to the Yom Kippur War.

White House Photo Office | US National Archives | public domain

5 oktober 1973

This beautifully animated video provides a moving visual interpretation of Golda's life at the center of some of the most striking international conflicts.

Silvie Buenen

Golda Meir's son: my mother suffered injustice

This excerpt from a documentary on Golda's life features her only son describing the unjust backlash she received for international affairs that took place during her administration.

Rony Gruber | https://archive.org/details/GoldaMeirsSonMyMotherSufferedInjustice