She was one of only two women among the 37 signers of the Declaration of Independence. She was Israel's first female minister. It laid the foundations for labor law. The first and only woman to head our government, and among the first women in the world to hold this position. But if you ask the person on the street who Golda is, chances are the answer will be "ice cream chain" or "the movie with Helen Mirren."
Indeed, Golda Meir bore the ultimate responsibility for the terrible failure of the Yom Kippur War, and rightly paid a very heavy political and personal price. But does that justify the fact that her memory was almost forgotten? That there is no national center bearing her name? That the streets commemorating her name are not central? That there is no law that cares about her, like other prime ministers? When I served as a Knesset member, I tried unsuccessfully to correct the distortion.
It is possible and necessary to talk about a female breakthrough to the top of a male world, and about the price of discrimination that many women are forced to pay to this day. On the basic rights it promised more than 70 years ago, in the Hours of Work and Rest Law and in the Women's Labor Law. On the struggles to rescue besieged Israel from international isolation, which she conducted as foreign minister. The ability to safeguard vital national interests even vis-à-vis superpowers, as she did as prime minister.
When we talk about Golda and the Yom Kippur War, we must remember that the person who bore responsibility for the failure was also someone whose steadfastness led the IDF to a military victory the likes of which few have recorded in modern history. From complete surprise and complete despair, to the outskirts of Damascus and the encirclement of an Egyptian army. And then – to the beginning of the interim arrangements, which paved the way for the peace treaty with Egypt and which to this day maintain quiet on the border with Syria.
Golda – who was born in Kiev, who at the age of four experienced a pogrom against Jewish families and immigrated with her family to Milwaukee, which preferred a life of toil in Israel to comfort in the United States – was motivated by a deep historical consciousness and a sense of Jewish national identity that was seared into it.
This is what she wrote in her memoir, "My Life," and this remains true even with the change of some circumstances over the years: "This generation of Sabras will also strive, struggle, make mistakes and achieve achievements. Like us, they too are devoted in heart and soul to the development and security of the State of Israel and to the dream of a just society here... It is not just a matter of observance of religious commandments and customs. To me, to be Jewish means pride in belonging to a people that has maintained its distinct identity for more than 2,000 years, with all the torture and pain inflicted on it. I don't know what forms Jewish customs will take in the future... But I know that Israel is not just a small, besieged country where 3 million people are trying hard to hold on."
"This generation of Sabras will also strive, struggle, make mistakes and achieve achievements. Like us, they too are devoted in heart and soul to the development and security of the State of Israel and to the dream of a just society here... It is not just a matter of observance of religious commandments and customs."
Years have passed, and those 3 million who lived in a small besieged country and tried very hard to survive now number almost 10 million people, living in a prosperous country whose achievements exceed any imagination. On the other hand, and perhaps precisely because of our unprecedented achievements, we have shifted the emphasis from our historical responsibility as Jews, as well as from our generation's duty – both towards past and future generations – to guard the existence of a state in which Jews can live neither by grace nor by minority.
The difficult months we are going through require a return to Golda's words. Days of disagreement that sows hatred and division and undermines the foundations of our existence here require listening and understanding all sides, because deepening the dispute could harm the vision of a state in which Jews live neither by grace nor by a minority. The historical responsibility for preserving the goal that Golda's generation fulfilled and into which we were born obliges all of us – regardless of opinion or camp.
The task of our generation is to find a way to lead a respectful dialogue in the face of any disagreement, even and especially when it conflicts with our opinions, now more than ever.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us