Golda Meir (1898-1978) was a visionary political leader, pioneer, and activist who took the world by storm when she became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Israel.
Hey Listeners! For every 5 people you share Encyclopedia Womannica with who download the podcast, we’ll send you $5 as a thank you! Click here (https://referomatic.herokuapp.com/encyclopedia-womannica)for more details.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Hometown Heroes, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Cinthia Pimentel, Grace Lynch, and Maddy Foley. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Edie Allard, Luisa Garbowit, and Carmen Borca-Carrillo.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s politician was a visionary political leader, pioneer, and activist who took the world by storm when she became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Israel. Please welcome Golda Meir.
Golda Mabovitch was born on May 3, 1898 in Kiev, Ukraine, which was still a part of Russia at the time. Her father Moshe worked as a skilled carpenter, while her mother raised the couple’s three daughters. They lived surrounded by their large and observant extended Jewish family.
Golda was named for her maternal great-grandmother, a domineering woman who used salt instead of sugar in her tea to always remember the bitterness of living in the Jewish Diaspora. Golda evidently identified strongly with her and other intransigent relatives who refused to sacrifice their Jewishness in the face of assimilation or persecution.
Golda’s early years were filled with terror as the family was constantly under threat from abject poverty and violent pogroms. In 1903, Moshe was able to get a visa to move to the United States, and three years later the rest of the family joined him. They settled in a poor Jewish section of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
When Golda was 14, she graduated as valedictorian of her class from the local primary school. She was excited to start high school, but her parents wanted her to focus on looking for a husband instead. They didn’t see the value in Golda continuing her education. In defiance of their wishes, Golda enrolled in the local high school and took an afternoon job to pay her expenses.
The following year, Golda ran away from home to go live with her older sister and brother-in-law in Denver, Colorado. There, she attended high school and socialized with her sister’s friends, many of whom were politically radical anarchists or Labor Zionists. The debates she sat in on during this period helped define Golda’s political philosophy. She also met a young man in Denver named Morris Myerson, with whom she fell in love.
After a year in Denver with her sister, Golda’s parents apologized to Golda and she returned home to Milwaukee where she finished high school in 1916. The following year she enrolled at the Milwaukee Normal School, a teacher’s college, to earn her teacher’s degree. In her free time, she taught reading, writing and history at a Yiddish school in Milwaukee, and preached the values of Labor Zionism on street corners, much to her parents’ chagrin.
In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration calling for “the establishment in Palestine of a National Home for the Jewish people.” That Christmas Eve, Golda married Morris Myerson on the condition that they would move to Palestine and live on a kibbutz. Morris was not an ardent Zionist like Golda, but he was in love so he agreed to the terms.
In 1921, the two moved to Kibbutz Merhavyah, which was located in an area of Palestine rife with swamps and malaria.
Golda proved her worth as a model member of the Kibbutz. She became an expert in animal husbandry, and was eventually chosen as the Kibbutz’s representative to the national trade union organization known as the Histadrut. At the same time, Morris was struggling after coming down with malaria and feeling like he didn’t really have a place on the kibbutz. He adamantly refused to have children with Golda unless she agreed to raise them in a traditional family setting.
In 1923, Golda and Morris left the kibbutz and moved to Jerusalem where Morris got a job as a bookkeeper for the Histadrut. In 1924, Golda gave birth to a son, Menachem, and in 1926 she gave birth to a daughter named Sarah. The family lived on the verge of poverty during this period. Golda made a deal with her son’s preschool that she would wash laundry by hand in exchange for free tuition.
In 1928, Golda ran into an old friend who offered her the job of secretary at the Histadrut’s Women Workers Council. Golda knew that Morris wouldn’t approve of her taking the job, but she accepted anyway. She packed up her kids and moved to Tel Aviv, effectively ending her marriage, though she and Morris never officially divorced.
Golda thrived in her new role, and quickly moved up the Histadrut’s ranks. In 1934, she was named to the Executive Committee, and two years after that she became head of the political department. During World War II, Golda took on additional responsibilities, including a major role at the Jewish Agency, which was the primary Jewish governmental authority in British-controlled Palestine. She later served as acting head of the Jewish Agency and was its spokesperson during negotiations with the British.
After the State of Israel was established in 1948, war immediately broke out between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Golda was sent to the United States to try and raise $25 million from the American Jewish community to help equip Israel’s new army. She raised $50 million. She also travelled to Trans-Jordan disguised as a Bedouin woman for a secret meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah to try and convince him not to join the war. Towards the end of 1948, Golda was appointed ambassador to the USSR.
Following Israel’s victory over its neighbors, Golda was elected to the Israeli Parliament, called the Knesset, in 1949. She was then named Minister of Labor by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, a title she retained for seven years. This was a huge job. She was in charge of finding employment for the almost 700,000 immigrants who moved to Israel between 1948 and 1951 in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
In 1956, Ben Gurion promoted Golda to the position of Foreign Minister, the second highest position in the government. As part of the appointment, Ben Gurion insisted that Golda adopt a more Hebrew-sounding last name, which was not uncommon in Israel at the time. Thus Golda Myerson became Golda Meir.
Golda was the only woman in the world serving as Foreign Minister at the time, and she shocked and delighted world leaders and the press with her disdain for formalities. She was known to fly coach, wash her own underwear in hotel bathrooms, and host foreign dignitaries in her home kitchen while she baked.
After 10 years as Foreign Minister, Golda decided to retire in 1966. At 68 years old, she had dreams of living a slower life and spending more time with her grandchildren. She had also been diagnosed with Lymphoma a year earlier, and was receiving secret treatments.
But Golda just wasn’t cut out for the quiet life. In 1967, she was talked into becoming the secretary of the newly unified Labor Party. Then, in 1969, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol died of a heart attack while in office. In order to avoid what many thought would be a major power struggle between two of the leading government ministers for the Prime Minister’s seat, Golda agreed to take over the job herself.
Golda served as the Prime Minister of Israel for four years. She likely would have served much longer if not for the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel was surprise-attacked by Egypt and Syria. Though Israel eventually won, more than 2,700 Israeli lives were lost in the fighting, which was felt particularly hard in such a small country.
In the direct aftermath, the Israeli public turned against Golda and blamed her for the loss of life, even though she had actually been the one who wanted to call up the army reserves in the build up to the war. She was talked out of it by her military advisors who didn’t think there was a threat. Golda stepped down from the office of Prime Minister on June 4, 1974 after being unable to form a government.
Nevertheless, in the years that followed, the public forgave Golda and she morphed into an elder stateswoman and beloved public figure.
Golda died on December 8, 1978 in Jerusalem from lymphoma. She was 80 years old. As one of the most beloved figures in Israel, she was given the honor of being buried on Mt. Herzl.
To this day, Golda is well remembered as a political pioneer, a national leader, and a role model for women striving to make their mark on the world.
All month, we’re talking about Politicians. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @encyclopediawomannica and follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to my favorite sister and co-creator, Liz Kaplan.
Talk to you tomorrow!