David Ben Gurion.

At age 20 in 1906, Dawid Józef Grün left Plonsk, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire, for Palestine. His father Avigdor Ben Gurion instilled a Zionist identity in him. In Palestine, he worked on farms and joined the Zionist movement, adopting the Hebrew name David Ben Gurion in 1910.

He later studied law at Istanbul University and the University of Warsaw. His Zionist activism led to expulsion from Palestine by the Turkish government during World War I, after which he enlisted in a Jewish battalion of the British army to help liberate the region.

After World War I, David Ben Gurion channeled his socialist convictions into the Jewish Workers’ Movement, becoming its general secretary in Palestine from 1921 to 1935. In 1930 he became head of the socialist Mapai party, and in 1933 he entered the leadership of the World Zionist Organization. From 1935 to 1948 he chaired the Jewish Agency, gaining crucial experience in self-governance and diplomacy.

On May 14, 1948, Ben Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel and became its first prime minister. Despite the immediate Arab-Israeli war that disrupted his economic plans, he advanced infrastructure and natural resource projects. After stepping down in 1963, he returned briefly to politics in 1965 with a splinter group from Mapai, finally retiring in 1970. He published the book Israel, the History of a State in 1973.

David Ben Gurion married Pola Munweis in 1917. The couple had three children: Geula, Renana, and Amos. His grandson Alon Ben Gurion became the manager of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Ben Gurion maintained a connection to his family despite his political career.

He died on December 1, 1973 in Tel Aviv at the age of 87. The cause of death was not disclosed.

As first prime minister and chair of the Jewish Agency, David Ben Gurion shaped the political and economic foundations of Israel. He inspired later generations of Israeli leaders, including Shimon Peres, who worked under him.

His visual appearance served as the inspiration for the Guardians of the Universe in DC Comics, created in 1959. Posthumously, he received the Bialik Prize, an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University, and honorary citizenship of Jerusalem. He proclaimed Israel’s independence in 1948 and served as its first prime minister, cementing his place in history.