David Ben-Gurion Autograph Letter Signed.

BEN-GURION, David.

$5,500.00

Item Number: 95287

Autograph letter signed by the founder of modern day Israel and first prime minister David Ben-Gurion. Addressed to Dr. Martin Rywell, editor of Listen Magazine published in Harriman, Tennessee, the letter reads, “Sdeh. Boker,  22.6.65 Dear Dr. Martin Rywell, Only the first part of the story you mention in your letter is true. I visited Burma in 1961. I met Prime Minister U Nu. We discussed Buddhism but the story about “a trick” is a pure invention. D. Ben-Gurion.” The letter refers to Ben Gurion’s  two-week sojourn to Burma in 1961, which marked one of the longest official trips abroad for an Israeli prime minister. The first prime minister of Burma, known honorifically as U Nu, was a major figure among leaders of non-Western countries in the mid 20th century, many of which had opposed Israel’s establishment. In 1955, U Nu became the first foreign prime minister to visit the Jewish state, a highly significant act of support which encouraged a mutually beneficial relationship between the two young governments. Double matted and framed with a photograph of Ben-Gurion. The entire piece measures 18 inches by 15 inches. Rare and desirable.

David Ben-Gurion was the primary founder of the State of Israel and the first Prime Minister of Israel. 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 from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency Executive, he was the de facto leader of the Jewish community in Palestine, and largely led its struggle for an independent Jewish state in Mandatory 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, which he had helped to write. Ben-Gurion led Israel during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and united the various Jewish militias into the Israel Defense Forces. Subsequently, he became known as "Israel's founding father."