Levi Eshkol

Levi Eshkol
לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל
Eshkol in 1963
3rd Prime Minister of Israel
In office
26 June 1963 – 26 February 1969
PresidentZalman Shazar
Preceded byDavid Ben-Gurion
Succeeded byYigal Allon (Acting)
3rd Minister of Defense
In office
26 June 1963 – 5 June 1967
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byDavid Ben-Gurion
Succeeded byMoshe Dayan
2nd Minister of Finance
In office
25 June 1952 – 26 June 1963
Prime MinisterDavid Ben-Gurion
Moshe Sharett
Preceded byEliezer Kaplan
Succeeded byPinchas Sapir
Leader of Mapai
In office
June 1963 – 23 January 1968
Preceded byDavid Ben-Gurion
Succeeded byHimself (as Leader of Israeli Labor Party)
Leader of Israeli Labor Party
In office
23 January 1968 – 26 February 1969
Preceded byHimself (as Leader of Mapai)
Succeeded byGolda Meir
Member of the Knesset
In office
20 August 1951 – 26 February 1969
Personal details
Born
Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik

(1895-10-25)25 October 1895
Orativ, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire
Died26 February 1969(1969-02-26) (aged 73)
Jerusalem[1][2]
Cause of deathMyocardial infarction
Resting placeMount Herzl, Jerusalem, Israel
Citizenship
Political party
Other political
affiliations
Alignment (1965–1968)
Spouses
Rivka Maharshak
(m. 1922; div. 1927)
Elisheva Kaplan
(m. 1930; died 1959)
(m. 1964)
ChildrenNoa Eshkol
Dvora
Tamma
Ofra
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceJewish Legion (1918–1920)
Haganah (1920–1948)

Levi Eshkol (Hebrew: לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל [leˈvi ʔeʃˈkol] ;‎ 25 October 1895 – 26 February 1969), born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik (Hebrew: לוי יצחק שקולניק), was an Israeli statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Israel[3] from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous senior roles, including Minister of Defense (1963–1967) and Minister of Finance (1952–1963).

Eshkol was first appointed as prime minister following the resignation of David Ben-Gurion. He then led the party in the elections to the Sixth Knesset (1965) and won, remaining in office for six consecutive years. Shortly after taking office, Eshkol made several significant changes, among them the annulment of military rule over Israeli Arabs and a successful journey to the United States, being the first Israeli leader to be formally invited to the White House. His relations with American President Lyndon B. Johnson greatly affected Israel–United States relations and later on the Six-Day War.

Eshkol was active in the Zionist movement from a young age, immigrating to Ottoman Palestine in 1914 and working in agriculture. He was among the founders of the major institutions of the Yishuv, most importantly the Histadrut and Haganah. Eshkol was treasurer of Hapoel Hatzair political party and treasurer of the Agricultural Center. In 1929, he was elected as chairman of the settlement committee within the Zionist Congress, taking a leading role in enabling conditions for new construction. In 1937, Eshkol founded Mekorot water company and was its director until 1951. Simultaneously, he held positions at the Haganah, at Mapai and as chairman of Tel Aviv Workers' Council. In 1948–1949, Eshkol was Director General of the Ministry of Defense and from 1948 to 1963, he was chairman of the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency. Elected to the Second Knesset in 1951, he was soon thereafter appointed to key government roles.

Eshkol led the Israeli government during and after the Six-Day War and was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.

  1. ^ "Levi Eshkol is Dead of a Heart Attack; Led Israel Since '63; Levi Eshkol, Premier of Israel Since 1963, Dies of Heart Attack". The New York Times. 26 February 1969.
  2. ^ "Levi Eshkol, Israel's Third Premier, Dead at 73; Allon Named to Serve Temporarily". 27 February 1969.
  3. ^ Gal Perl Finkel, Wars are won by preparation and not by courage alone, The Jerusalem Post, 8 April 2017.