A commemorative postage stamp on David Ben Gurion, first Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the State of Israel [part of the series ‘Historical Personalities (IV)‘] :

Issued by Israel

Issued on 31 Oct, 1978

Designer : The “Historical Personalities” stamps were designed by Z. Narkiss, Tel Aviv

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 2 Pound

Name : David Grün

Born on 16 Oct, 1886 at Płońsk, Congress Poland, Russian Empire [now in Poland]

Died on 1 Dec, 1973 at Ramat Gan, Israel

About : 

• The first Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Israel, the man whose voice, on May 14, 1948, announced to the world the rebirth of an ancient nation, was born David Green in 1886 in Plonsk, Poland. He immigrated in 1906 and soon became one of the leading labour leaders. In 1912 he went to Constantinople to study law; he returned to Palestine in 1914 but was expelled by the Turks in 1915 and went to the U.S.A. He helped to form the Jewish Legion and came back to Palestine as a volunteer with the British army. After the war he was a founding member of the Histadrut, and its Secretary-General from 1921 to 1933. Elected Chairman of the Zionist Executive in Jerusalem, he became the main spokesman of the Jewish population in its struggle against the Mandatory authorities. After World War II, and in view of the Holocaust, his demands for Jewish statehood became more urgent and insistent as the hour of decision in the Middle East drew closer. As head of the provisional government which proclaimed the creation of the State of Israel, he led the young state to victory in the War of Independence, and it was he who organised the I.D.F., introduced uniform education, proclaimed Jerusalem’s status as the Nation’s capital, launched the mass immigration of the early fifties and by his personal example of settling in Sede Boqer, gave impetus to the settlement and development of the Negev. David Ben–Gurion resigned from the government in 1953, returning in 1955 first as Minister of Defence and later as Prime Minister, leading the nation in the Sinai campaign. He retired from the premiership in 1963 and gave up his Knesset seat in 1970. On December 1973 he died and was laid to rest in Sede Boqer.
• S. SH.

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