Description:

Ben-Gurion David 1886 - 1973 David Ben-Gurion as Prime Minister of Israel, writes "In the name of life and peace we will defend our State"



Single page TLS, typed in Hebrew, 6"x 8". Dated "April 20, 1956", and signed by Prime Minister Ben-Gurion, as

" __€™€__‚€‰__ _´€_€__»-_€__‚€__΀‰_Ž€__‚€__»_„__„_ ". Two punch holes located to right margin, expected folds, light toning, else near fine. Accompanied by the English translation

A spectacular letter written by David Ben-Gurion, a formable man with a legacy of having been listed as Time Magazines 100 most important people of the 20th century, the First Prime Minster of Israel, former head of the Jewish Agency, a de facto leader of the Jewish Community in Palestine and the primary founder of the State of Israel with a zealous passion for Zionism. Ben-Gurion's letter to Shlomo Lavie speaks to the essence of his beliefs, and his focus and drive to create a legally assured homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. His letter speaks to the dangers and destruction of war, but through the eyes of one defending his home at any cost, "we will not spare anything ... we are faithful to it unto death. In the name of life and peace we will defend our State ..." . During Ben-Gurion's period, heralded as leading the struggle for an independent Jewish state, he oversaw the absorption of vast numbers of Jews from all over the world. And as Prime Minister, he helped build the state institutions, presiding over various national projects aimed at the development of the country. His letter translated is shown in full below:

"Jerusalem, 1 Iyar, 5716

April 20, 1956

To:

Shlomo Lavie

Kibbutz Ein Harold

Greetings,

We must view with open eyes - the danger of war, even if our life is primarily tied to peace. We shall not hesitate to destroy communities and to waste enormous resources if the defenses of the State and its citizens will so require. Who like you knows that war destroys - the most precious of all life - humankind. We therefore will not spare anything, not because we look to the vision of peace, but to the contrary, because we are faithful to it unto death. In the name of life and peace we will defend our State and I believe that in the end we shall be victorious

Yours in friendship,

David be-Gurion

Prime Minister and Minister of Defense

Cc. Moshe Sharett

Foreign Minister"

His letter was written to Shlomo Lavie, a leader in his own right, who in the wake of World War 1, worked to prepare for the arrival of a large influx of Jewish immigrants from the former Russian Empire, arranging housing and working places. In this context, Lavie became the originator of the idea of the larger communal settlement, the kibbutz, as opposed to the smaller kvutza preferred by earlier pioneers; in 1921 he helped establish the first such settlement, Kibbutz Ein Harod. Here he lived and worked for the rest of his life.

A phenomenal letter with revealing content, fully displaying the passion and focus of this significant figure of the 20th century.

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