Her determination and iron character earned her the nickname “Golda—the only man in the government.” She is considered one of the greatest women in the history of Israel. Golda Meir’s signature is on the country’s Declaration of Independence. She was the first woman to hold the position of Prime Minister of the state.

Meir seemed to have a steel rod inside her. This was evident from her childhood—she always knew what she wanted from life. Later, her determination and iron character earned her the nickname “Golda—the only man in the government.”

She staunchly defended the interests of her country to such an extent that she was nicknamed “the uncompromising.” She herself admitted that she was inclined to compromise only on matters that did not affect the state’s interests.

Golda Meir’s premiership lasted only five years. During this time, in a country with a huge defense budget, taxes were lowered for the poor (for some categories—completely abolished), and the construction of social housing was initiated.

According to Meir, to make any country great, only two things are important. Here’s what she said:

“If you want to build a country where its sons and daughters will return, if you want to build a country from which people will only leave for vacation, if you want to build a country that has no fear for the future, then take just two steps:

Equalize corruption with treason to the homeland, and corrupt officials with traitors, up to the seventh generation…

Make three professions the most highly paid and respected: military personnel, teachers, and doctors…
And most importantly—work, work, and work, because no one but you will protect you, no one but you will feed you, and your country is needed only by you and no one else.

When this becomes not just words and a simple slogan but becomes the way of your life, then you have achieved your goal…”

“The Mother of Israel” left this world in December 1978, six months after her 80th birthday. She summed up her political journey like this: “My life has been very happy. I not only lived to see the birth of the Jewish state but also saw how it accepted and absorbed masses of Jews from all over the world.”