Levi Eshkol

(Hebrew ????? ?????????? ????????????) (October 25, 1895 - February 26, 1969), was the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death of a heart attack in 1969.

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Levi Eshkol was born in 1895 in a small village near Kiev, in Ukraine. Levi's mother inclined toward Hasidism, and his father toward Mitnagdim. As a result, Eshkol's education was traditional. In 1914, Levi left for Palestine, then a part of the Ottoman empire. He soon volunteered for the Jewish Legion.

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Eshkol was first elected to the Knesset in 1951 as a member of the Mapai party. He served as Minister of Agriculture until 1952, when he was appointed Finance Minister following the death of Eliezer Kaplan. In 1963, he was elected prime minister, succeeding David Ben-Gurion who had designated him as his successor. As prime minister, Eshkol worked to improve foreign relations, establishing diplomatic contact with West Germany in 1965, and also established cultural ties with the Soviet Union which allowed some Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel. He played a premier role in the Six Day War of June 1967; during the crisis, Eshkol established a Government of National Unity, with the Defense portfolio,previously held by himself, placed into Moshe Dayan's hands. In civilian times, Eshkol is best known for implementing the National Water Carrier system.

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See also: Eshkol lake, Hevel Eshkol

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Hebrew: The word Hebrew can variously mean:...

October 25: October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining....

1895: 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar)....

Levi Eshkol related Images and Photos (experimental)

Levi Lavallee

Felix Josef Mottl Austrian Composer and Conductor with Colleagues Richter and Levi