Information Related to "Golda Meir and Deborah the Judge"
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On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in 1973, Syria and Egypt attacked the
state of Israel. Sandwiched between these two heavily fortified powers, Israel
was about to be squeezed to pieces in the boa constrictor of Middle Eastern
warfare. One woman's leadership and planning stood between victory and defeat.
Born in the Ukraine, Golda Meir grew up in the United States and finally immigrated
to Palestine before it became the modern state of Israel in 1948. She lived
through and participated in events that would determine the existence of Israel:
the Zionist movement, the Second World War, the Holocaust (as an observer),
the 1948 war of Israeli independence, the Suez crisis of 1956, the Six Day
War in 1967, the war of attrition and finally the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
When she became prime minister in 1969, Mrs. Meir began to refortify her nation militarily. This was an important decision due to the precarious situation Israel faced as an island in the midst of hostile neighbors.
In the fall of 1970, Mrs. Meir met with U.S. President Richard Nixon, strengthening friendly relations with the United States—a crucial element to success in the Yom Kippur War. The United States would later send airlifts of vitally needed supplies to bolster Israeli forces. Mrs. Meir prepared a "shopping list" of military items on the way to her American visit to make clear the needs of her nation and identify the absolute necessities for survival.
After fierce fighting and intense negotiations, the Yom Kippur War ended as 1973 came to a close.
It was a short war, but in the Middle East, where land is fought for by the foot, not the mile, it was a decisive victory for Israel.
A judge in Israel
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