Foreword By Israel Ambassador

Dear readers,

This book about David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), Israel’s first Prime Minister is a book about the history of the State of Israel and its establishment.

This is a biography of Israel’s founding father written by his official biographer, Dr. Michael Bar-Zohar. The book was translated and published in many countries throughout the world. This is a political, as well as a personal biography.

In this book, you will learn about Ben–Gurion’s uncompromising vision of Jewish unity and statehood, combined with a genius for pragmatic political and military tactics that enabled him to establish the State of Israel and guide it through the social, economic, and military challenges of its early years.

David Ben-Gurion was one of the most important Zionist leaders of the 20th century. Ben-Gurion’s passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946. As head of the Jewish Agency, and later President of the Jewish Agency Executive, he became the de facto leader of the Jewish community in Palestine, and largely led its struggle for an independent Jewish state in Palestine. On 14 May 1948, he formally proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, and was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence.

We are grateful to history for placing a man like him at the crossroads of the most important and difficult decisions of our people’s history.

I am positive that Vietnamese will learn through this book about Israel’s establishment. Like Vietnam’s founding father Ho Chi Minh, David Ben-Gurion was brave in leading his people from destruction to independence. Both leaders fought against greater forces, stronger armies than their own and then led their countries to a new future. It can be said that both peoples - Vietnamese and Israelis - were blessed with leaders with strong determination and high integrity.