She was one of only two women to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence (of 37 signatories total). She was the first and only female prime minister of Israel. She laid the foundations of labor law. She was the first and only woman to lead our government and among the first female heads of state in the world. But for most people, when they hear the word "Golda" they think either of the ice cream shop or the latest film starring Helen Mirren.
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Yes, Golda Meir carried the ultimate responsibility for the disastrous failure of the Yom Kippur War and rightly paid a heavy political and personal price. But does this justify the fact that she has almost completely been forgotten from the public conscience? That there is no national institution bearing her name? That the streets commemorating her are not central?
We can and should speak about Golda's achievements in a man's world, especially as many women continue to endure discrimination to this day. We should speak about the basic rights that she ensured over 70 years ago, her struggle as foreign minister to free Israel from international isolation, and her ability as prime minister to stand up for vital national interests even in the face of superpowers.
When it comes to Golda and the Yom Kippur War, we must remember that although she bore responsibility for the failure it was also her firm stance that led the IDF to a military victory the likes of which are rarely seen in history.
Israel went from being completely caught off guard and having an overwhelming sense of despair to reaching Damascus and surrounding the Egyptian army. And from there to the interim agreements that paved the way for the peace deal with Egypt and that maintain peace on the Syrian border to this day.
Golda, who was born in Kyiv and whose family moved to Milwaukee after a pogrom, preferred hard work in Israel to a life of leisure in the United States and was motivated by a deep historical consciousness and a sense of national Jewish identity.
Golda's memoir, "My Life," remains relevant despite the passage of time.
In it she wrote, This young generation will also strive, struggle, make mistakes and accomplish. Like us, they too are dedicated in heart and soul to the development and security of Israel and a dream of a just society here.
It is not just a matter of observance and religious practices. To me, being Jewish means being proud of belonging to a people that has maintained its distinct identity for over 2,000 years, despite all the torture and pain.
I don't know what Judaism will look like in the future, but I know that Israel is not just a small, isolated country in which three million people are struggling to hold on.
Decades have passed and the three million who lived in a small and isolated country and struggled to hold on are now 10 million living in a prosperous country whose achievements exceed all expectations.
On the other hand, or perhaps due to these unprecedented achievements, we shifted the emphasis from our historical responsibility as Jews and the duty of our generation to vigilantly guarding the existence of the state.
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Golda's words are highly relevant to the difficult period we are going through. Days of infighting that sows hatred and division undermine the foundation of our existence and call for an open dialogue with listening and understanding by all parties.
Regardless of political opinion, our historical responsibility is to guard what Golda and her contemporaries achieved and what we were fortunate enough to be born into.
It is up to our generation to find a way to lead a respectful discourse in the face of any conflict, even – and perhaps especially – if it is contrary to our personal opinion. It is as vital now as ever.
