1984. Banknote of 10,000 Sheqalim. Golda Meir (1898-1978). Israeli politician born in Russia. Secretary of Labour and Social Affairs 1949-1952), Secretary of Labour 1952-1965, and Minister for Foreign Affairs 1956-1966. When Levi Eshkol passed away in 1969 she took over for him as Prime Minister until 1974, when she retired from political life. The 10,000-note is now obsolete and corresponds to 10 Sheqel.
1985, 1987, and 1992. Banknote of 10 New Sheqalim.

Golda Meir was born in Kiev in 1898. Economic hardship forced her family to emigrate to the United States in 1906, where they settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In high school she joined the Zionist group, "Poalei Zion" (Workers of Zion). She immigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1921 with her husband, Morris Myerson, and settled in Kibbutz Merhavya.

Moving to Tel Aviv in 1924, she became an official of the Histadrut Trade Union and served in a managerial post with the union's construction corporation, Solel Boneh. Between 1932 and 1934 she worked as an emissary in the United States, serving as secretary of the Hechalutz women's organization; she also became secretary of the Histadrut's Action Committee, and later of its policy section.

When the pre­state British Mandatory Authorities imprisoned most of the Jewish community's senior leadership in 1946, she replaced Moshe Sharett as head of the Jewish Agency's Political Department, the chief Jewish liaison with the British. Elected to the Executive of the Jewish Agency, she was active in fundraising in the United States to help cover the costs of the Israeli War of Independence, and became one of the State's most effective spokesmen.

In 1948, David Ben-Gurion appointed Golda Meir to be a member of the Provisional Government. A few days before the Declaration of Independence, Ben­Gurion sent her disguised as an Arab on a hazardous mission to persuade King Abdullah of Jordan not to attack Israel. But the King had already decided his army would invade the Jewish state following the British departure.

In June 1948, Meir was appointed Israel's Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Elected to the Knesset as a Mapai member in 1949, she served as Minister of Labor and National Insurance until 1956. In June 1956, she became Foreign Minister, a post she held until January 1966. As Foreign Minister, Meir was the architect of Israel's attempt to create bridges to the emerging independent countries of Africa via an assistance program based on practical Israeli experience in nation building. She also endeavored to cement relations with the United States and was successful in creating extensive bilateral relations with Latin American countries.

Between 1966 and 1968, she served as Secretary­General of Mapai, and then as the first Secretary­General of the newly formed Labor Party. When Prime Minister Levi Eshkol died suddenly in early 1969, the 71­year­old Meir assumed the post of Premier, becoming the world's third female Prime Minister (after Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka and Indira Gandhi of India).

As Prime Minister she inherited Eshkol's second National Unity Government administration, but this broke up over the question of continuing the cease-fire with Egypt in the absence of a peace treaty. She then continued in office with the Alignment (Labor & Mapam), the National Religious Party and the Independent Liberals.

The major event of her administration was the Yom Kippur War, which broke out with massive coordinated Egyptian and Syrian assaults against Israel on October 6, 1973. As the postwar Agranant Inquiry Commission established, the IDF and the government had erred seriously in their assessment of Arab intentions.

Although she and the Labor Party won the elections (postponed due to the war until December 31, 1973), she resigned in 1974 in favor of Yitzhak Rabin. She passed away in December 1978 and was buried on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

The nation of Israel has had some pretty remarkable politicians, all cut from different clothes, that have led that country in the past 60 years. Golda Meir will be most remembered for her pleas to the USA when the 1973 Yom Kippur War started going bad, she basically saved the country in a hurry with an emergency request for arms. That Israel under vastly varied leadership, has been able to maintain and defend it's existence with massive opposition from it's neighbours is a measure of that leadership and determination of it's people.

The early 1970's were a very pivotal time for Israel, with more threats from it's neighbours than even now, with Egypt and Jordan, along with Syria, Iraq etc bent on it's destruction. At least now Egypt and Jordan have realised peace is the best hand economically.

thanks for posting this, I admit I did not know much more about her than a name and job.

Golda Meir - one of the politicians who have given all of force and energy for the blessing of the country and people. As Margaret Tetcher in the Great Britain.

The sacond picture is not golda meir portret , its Henrieta Sold

Szold, Henrietta (1860 - 1945)
Educator, author, social worker and founder of Hadassah. Born in Baltimore, U.S.. In 1877, she graduated from Western Women's High School. For nearly 15 years, she taught FrenchG german and mathematics at a girls' high school, as well as classes at Ohev Shalom religious school, and gave Bible and history courses for adults.
In the 1880's, Herietta Szold became involved in the Americanization problems of Russian Jewish immigrants. In 1888 she opened a night school for them.

In 1893, she became literary secretary of the Jewish Publication Society of America, a position she held until 1916. In 1897, she joined the Zionist Association of Baltimore.

In 1903, Henrietta Szold moved to New York, where she enrolled at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. In 1909, she visited Palestine. In 1910, she became secretary of the Federation of American Zionists.

In 1907, Henrietta Szold had been invited to join the Hadassah Study circle. In 1912, this group became the nucleus for what, in 1914, became Hadassah - the Women's Zionist Organization America - the largest Zionist organization in the world. Henrietta Szold was elected first president of Hadassah.

In 1917, she was charged with organizing the American Zionist Medical Unit, which, in June 1918, sailed for Palestine. She soon became director of the American Zionist Medical Unit, ran the newly established Nurses' Training School, now known as the Henrietta Szold Hadassah School of Nurses, and directed health work in Jewish schools. In 1926, Henrietta Szold became honorary president of Hadassah. A year later she was elected a member of the three-man executive of the World Zionist Organization, with the porfolio for health and education. In 1939, she was offered a seat on the Va'ad Le'umi (National Council) of Palestine.

In 1934, Henrietta Szold became director of the new Youth Aliyah agency, which rescued thousands of Jewish children and youngsters from Nazi Germany and other European countries. It was her most memorable project.

Henrietta Szold initiated and founded many of Hadassah institutions in Palestine. She died of pneumonia at the Hadassahh Medical Center, in Jerusalem - the hospital which she had done so much to build.

Mossad Szold - an institute for research, publications and coordination of national youth activities and Kfar Szold, a kibbutz in northern Israel, are named after her.