ORT Ironi Daled Modiin High School

The Road Not TakenProject

David Ben Gurion

Presenters: Shani Lavi, Caley Kalif, Tess ShainskyTeacher: Slava MargalitDate: 1/1/15

INTRODUCTION:We chose to write about David Ben Gurion. David Ben Gurion was the primary founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel. On 14 May, on the last day of the British Mandate Ben-Gurion was about to make the most important decision of his life. His decision affected all the Jews around the world and the citizens of Palestine. He stood in front of a crossroad. On the one hand, he could declare the independence of the state of Israel, which may cause a war in the region. All the surrounding Arab countries would attack Israel and it would cause many deaths and destruction. On the other hand, he could wait for the United Nations Partition Plan of Palestine to begin. As a result, Palestine would be divided to two states: An Arab State and a Jewish State. Eventually, David Ben Gurion chose to declare the independence of the state of Israel.We chose to write about David Ben Gurion. David Ben Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel. He decided to establish the state of Israel against all odds. He decided to establish this country although he knew that the Arab states would fight against it. In our opinion, this is the most important decision a prime minister has ever made. We chose to write about him, because Israel is the country, where we live and if Ben Gurion hadnt made the decision he made we wouldnt have been here.We hope to learn more about the man who established our country. We hope to learn about his political career and about his personal life. We also wish to learn about his personality as a leader. BACKGROUND:David Ben Gurion was born in Poland in 1886.He was Israels first prime minister (1948-53,1955-63) and defense minister (1948-53; 1955-63). Ben-Gurion delivered Israels declaration of independence on May 14,1948. His charismatic personality won him the adoration of the masses, and, after his retirement from the government and the Knesset, he was revered as the Father of the Nation. Ben-Gurion died in Israel in 1973.David Ben-Gurion was born in Plonsk, Russian Empire (now in Poland), on October 16,1886. He was educated in a Hebrew school founded by his father, a Zionist. Ben-Gurion himself was lead-ing a Zionist youth group by his early teens. When he was 18 years old, Ben-Gurion began teach-

ing in a Jewish school in Warsaw, and soon he joined Poalei Zion (Workers of Zion), a socialist/Zionist group. Ben-Gu-rions desire to ensure a Jewish homeland took him to the Middle Eastspecifical-ly Palestine, the land of Israelin 1906, where he helped create a commune for agricultural workers and Hashomer (Watchmen), the Jewish self-defense group. Once World War I began, Ben-Gurion was deported by the Otto-mans and left the Middle East for New York City, where he met and married Paula Monbesz, a fellow Zionist. On November 2, 1917, the British govern-ment set forth the Balfour Declaration, promising the Jews a national home in Palestine. Upon its release, Ben-Gurion went back to theMiddle East and joined the war against the Ottomans for the liberation of Palestine. Oncethe Ottomans were overthrown, Ben-Gu-rion called for Jews to immigrate to Palestine. By 1935,Ben-Gurion was chairman of the Zionist Executivethe highest level of oversight in the world Zionism. World War II started and on May 1942 meeting, Ben-Gurion and the gathered body decided that the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine after the war was very important. After the war, Ben-Gurion continued his rally against the British mandate, and in May 1948, the United Nations General Assembly, the United-States and the Soviet Union agreed to the creation of the state of Israel.In May 1948, Ben-Gurion became Israels first prime minister and defense minister.Ben-Gurion established a strong Israeli defense. He briefly retired in 1953, but returned to posi-tions of power in 1955 and led the Israeli government until 1963, when he suddenly retired, citing personal reasons.During his final years of office, Ben-Gurion initiated talks with regional Arab leaders toward establishing peace in the Middle Eastthough, as history would prove, to no avail. He died in Tel AvivYafo, Israel, on December 1, 1973, at the age of 87.

THE DECISION TAKING AND THE CONSEQUENCES:David Ben Gurion had a dilemma. He could declare the independence of the state of Israel. He knew that his actions may cause a war with the surrounding Arabs countries. However, he could wait for the United Nations Partition Plan of Palestine to begin. Therefore, Palestine would be divided to two states: An Arab State and a Jewish State. David ben gurion debated a lot. The declaration of independence would cause a war in Israel and this would be an unwanted result. In addition, the American govern-ment was opposed to this action because of the security situation in the country and Ben Gurion had to consider it. Nevertheless, the Zionist movement and the Jews in Israel had been prepared for the establishment of the Jewish country for many years.The possibility of a Jewish homeland in Palestine had been a goal of Zionist organizations since the late 19th century.On 12 May 1948, the Peoples Administration voted on declaring independence. Three of the thir-teen members were missing. The meeting started at 1:45 in the afternoon and ended after mid-night. The decision was between accepting the American proposal for a truce, or declaring inde-pendence. The latter option was put to a vote, with six of the ten members present supporting it.

The ceremony was held in the Tel Aviv Museum (today known as Independence Hall) but was not widely publicised as it was feared that the British Authorities might attempt to prevent it or that the Arab armies might invade earlier than expected. An invitation was sent out by messenger on the morning of 14 May telling recipients to arrive at 15:30 and to keep the event a secret. The event started at 16:00 (a time chosen so as not to breach the sabbath) and was broadcast live as the first transmission of the new radio station KolYisrael.

The declaration was signed in a context of civil war between the Arab and Jewish populations of the Mandate that had started the day after the partition vote at the UN six months earlier. Neigh-boring Arab states and the Arab League were opposed to the vote and had declared they would intervene to prevent it. In a cablegram on 15 May 1948 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States claimed that the Arab states find

themselves compelled to intervene in order to restore law and order and to check further blood-shed

Over the next few days after the declaration, armies of Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Iraq, and Syria en-gaged Israeli soldiers inside the area of what had just ceased to be Mandatory Palestine, thereby starting the 1948 ArabIsraeli War. A truce began on 11 June, but fighting resumed on 8 July and stopped again on 18 July, before restarting in mid-October and finally ending on 24 July 1949 with the signing of the armistice agreement with Syria. By then Israel had kept its independence and increased its land area by almost 50% compared to the 1947 UN Partition Plan.

Yom Haatzmaut centers around the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel by the Jewish leadership led by future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion on 14 May 1948. The mood outside of Ben-Gurions home just before the declaration was joyous:The Jews of Palestine ... were dancing because they were about to realize what was one of the most remarkable and inspiring achievements in human history: A people which had been exiled from its homeland two thousand years before, which had endured countless pogroms, expulsions, and persecutions, but which had refused to relinquish its identitywhich had, on the contrary, substantially strengthened that identity; a people which only a few years before had been the victim of mankinds largest single act of mass murder, killing a third of the worlds Jews, that people was returning home as sovereign citizens in their own independent state.

In our opinion, this is the most important decision that an Israeli Prime Minster had ever made. Thanks to his decision we can live today in a safe environment without discrimination.Israel is the only place in the world where the Jewish people can express their thoughts, ideas and belief.

RELATING TO THE POEM:The poem talks about dilemmas. In the poem the speaker has to decide what road to travel. He stands in front of a crossroad and he considers which road to take, the one on which many traveled or the challenging road that no one traveled. the whole poem can be seen as a meta-phor for life. A road in the wood is a metaphor for a path in life. A fork in the road is a meta-phor for a choice and the undergrowth is a metaphor for our inability to see into the future. The speaker chose to travel in the road which is grassy and wanted wear. It symbolizes that less people chose this road but although the speaker knew this he chose to travel the challenging road. Similar to the speaker in the poem, Ben Gurion also stood in front of a crossroad and had to decide which road to take. David Ben Gurion had a dilemma. He could declare the independence of the state of Israel, or wait for the United Nations Partition Plan of Palestine to begin. Eventually David Ben Gurion chose to declare the independence of the state of Israel.He chose the challenging road similar to the speaker. He made a tough decision, no one had ever established a Jewish country and set the fate of many people. Like in the poem he couldnt see the

consequences of his deci-sion and how his choice wouldffect the Jewish state and its Citizens. The poem is very relevant to Ben Gurion and his decision.

REFLECTION:We learned that our first prime minister David Ben Gurion was a very charismatic man and also very brave. He was a Zionist who believed that it possible to establish a Jews state. He decided to establish the state of Israel against all odds and succeeded. This action inspired us. We enjoyed researching this topic because it was very interesting and important for our knowledge.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:http://www.biography.com/people/david-ben-gurion-9207132#synopsis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Declaration_of_Independence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Ha%27atzmaut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ben-Gurion