Golda Meir, known as the “Iron Lady” of Israel, was not only the first and only woman to serve as Prime Minister of Israel, but also one of the most prominent political figures of the 20th century. Her life was filled with dramatic twists and turns, but what lies behind the scenes of the woman who changed Israel forever?
Golda Meir’s Poor Childhood in Ukraine
Golda Mabovitch was born on May 3, 1898, into a Ukrainian-Jewish family in the center of Kyiv, then part of the Russian Empire, as one of eight children of Blume Neiditch and carpenter Moshe Yitzhak Mabovitch. She had two younger sisters, Sheyna and Tzipke; the other five siblings died in childhood.
As a child, she experienced the devastating power of poverty, a life of deprivation, and the daily struggle to survive. In addition, she witnessed brutal anti-Jewish persecution at an early age. In her autobiography My life, she later recalled that her earliest childhood memory was of her father boarding up the doors of their house in response to rumors of an impending pogrom. This experience profoundly influenced her lifelong commitment to Zionism. “Golda remembered the feeling of helplessness, crouching, fear, and powerlessness, all just because they were Jews and had no one to protect them. She was aware even then that they were different, vulnerable, and completely at the mercy of anyone who wished them harm. At this early age, she understood the concept of ‘us’ (Jews) versus ‘them’ (non-Jews), and this identity stayed with her for life.”
Golda carried other bitter memories from her childhood—mud, dust, filth, swamps, spring floods, and omnipresent flies. She became obsessively concerned with cleanliness and demanded it relentlessly from others. Psychologists suggest this was a clear sign of the lack of love and warmth at home.
Adolescence of Golda Meir in America and Finding Purpose
In 1905, Golda’s father moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for work. The following year, he had saved enough money to bring his entire family to the United States.
At fourteen, Golda started high school while also working part-time. However, her mother, Blume, believed that Golda had already received sufficient education and wanted her to leave school and marry. Golda disagreed, and when her mother began looking for a husband for her, she ran away from home in 1913. In Denver, she met Morris Meyerson, a sign painter, Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant, and her future husband. She eventually returned to Milwaukee and enrolled in university, becoming an active member of the Zionist youth movement. Immediately after their marriage in 1917, she and her husband wanted to move to Palestine, but due to World War I, they only managed to do so in 1921.
Her dedication to the Jewish cause, as well as her unwavering determination, is evident from the fact that while still in America, she chose to have an abortion after discovering she was pregnant. As she wrote, “My commitments to Zionism simply left no room for a child.” She lived, breathed, and fought for her dream—the creation of an independent Jewish state.
Golda Meir and zionism
The term Zionism requires a brief explanation. What was it?
Jews living outside Palestine had long aspired to return, a desire expressed in their prayers. Persecution of Jews in Europe, which began as early as the 12th century and culminated in their expulsion from Spain in 1492, led to a continuous flow of refugees who gradually settled in the Holy Land. By the 16th century, large Jewish communities had formed in the “four holy cities,” and by the second half of the 18th century, nearly the entire Hasidic community had relocated to the Holy Land.
The first major wave of modern immigration began after anti-Jewish pogroms in Eastern Europe in 1881. By this time, the Zionist idea already existed, but it was Theodor Herzl who formalized political Zionism—a movement aimed at establishing, building, and maintaining a Jewish state.
The End of British Rule Over Palestine and the Birth of a Politician
Upon arriving in Mandatory Palestine, Golda Meir and her husband joined a kibbutz, but after a few years, they moved to Jerusalem. They had two children. Golda worked as a teacher and was active in labor unions. This marked the beginning of her political career.
She received a life-changing offer: a position in Tel Aviv on the Women’s Council, which she eagerly accepted—even though her husband, Morris, refused to move with her.
Her new role significantly advanced her up the political ladder, and she was soon entrusted with increasingly important responsibilities, such as serving as the Jewish observer at the 1938 Évian Conference, convened to discuss the fate of refugees from Nazi Germany. Golda Meir was on a meteoric rise, but it came at the cost of time spent with her family. In her memoirs, she later reflected, “There is a type of woman who cannot allow her husband and children to narrow her horizons.”
She lived, breathed, and fought for her dream—the establishment of an independent state of Israel.
The End of British Rule over Palestine and the Birth of a Politician
After arriving in Mandatory Palestine, the couple moved to live in a kibbutz, but after a few years, they relocated to Jerusalem. They had two children. Golda worked as a teacher and was also active in unions, which marked the start of her political career.
She received a life-changing offer: a job in Tel Aviv at the Women’s Council, and Golda seized this opportunity—despite her husband Morris refusing to move with her. This new role significantly advanced her politically, bringing her increasingly important responsibilities, such as serving as the Jewish observer at the Évian Conference in 1938, convened to discuss the fate of refugees from Nazi Germany. Golda Meir continued to rise rapidly in the social ranks, though at the cost of time spent with her family. In her memoirs, she later reflected, “There is a type of woman who cannot allow her horizons to be narrowed by her husband and children.”
The Birth of Israel
After the war, the situation seemingly returned to pre-war conditions. Zionists demanded the relaxation of Jewish immigration, while Arabs, on the other hand, called for action against Zionist aspirations. In an effort to prompt the British to resolve the issue, the more radical wing of the Jewish Haganah organization resorted to armed resistance against the British. The scope and strength of the attacks were one of the main reasons why the British relinquished their mandate and handed the matter over to the newly established United Nations. The UN decided to partition Palestine and withdraw British forces, but the transition was far from smooth.
As British power waned, civil war between Jews and Arabs intensified, escalating from isolated violence and terrorist attacks into a more conventional conflict in the months and weeks before the end of the mandate.
Golda’s American experience and contacts proved invaluable. She played a crucial role in raising funds in America, which were later used in Europe to purchase weapons for the planned establishment of the State of Israel. Arms shipments from then-Czechoslovakia, as well as the supply of aircraft and the training of soldiers and pilots there, also played a significant role.
Golda became one of the 25 signatories of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, signed on May 14, 1948, which effectively created the independent State of Israel. The very next day, Israel was attacked by the combined armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Iraq, marking the beginning of the First Israeli War of Independence. Israel not only managed to defend itself but also expanded its territory by 12,800 square kilometers, which is 21% more than it had been allocated under the original UN plan.
All surrounding Arab states then unanimously adopted the “three no’s doctrine”—no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no peace with Israel. Hostilities continued with the Sinai War, the Six-Day War, and the subsequent War of Attrition. However, none of these military actions succeeded in bringing Israel to its knees.
Iron Lady
Golda Meir earned the title of “Iron Lady” not only for her firm leadership during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 but also for her uncompromising response to the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The fifth Arab-Israeli war broke out on October 6, 1973. A coalition of Egypt and Syria, supported by other Arab nations, launched a surprise attack on the Israeli-occupied areas of the Suez Canal and the Golan Heights on Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday. From a purely military standpoint, Israel was the victor in this war. Not only did it manage to prevent territorial losses, but it also secured territorial gains in the final stages of the fighting, though at the cost of heavy and, in the long term, unsustainable losses. From a political and global perspective, it was a draw or a slight victory for the Arab coalition, which could afford its losses.
Meir earned the title of “Iron Lady” thanks to her decisive leadership during the nineteen-day Yom Kippur War. However, the war also led to her resignation just a few months later. The public blamed her for the deaths of approximately 2,700 Israeli soldiers in the conflict, losses that cast a shadow over the military triumph. And although her Labor Party won the next elections, Meir herself was unable to form a new government and handed over the reins of power to Yitzhak Rabin.
Golda Meir died on December 8, 1978, at the age of 80, from cancer.
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