Golda Meir: Israel’s Iron Lady

The U.S. may have the Notorious R.B.G., but long before she came on the scene, Israel had its own tough Jewish female leader who wouldn’t be told what to do – Golda Meir.

Meir, was Israel’s first female prime minister (though hopefully not the last) – the original Iron Lady and a figure whose legacy continues to divide Israeli opinion.

She was a feminist, a determined go getter, the creator of Israel’s welfare state and a fierce advocate for the newly independent African states of the 1960s. But then came the Yom Kippur War and Meir’s “goldan” reputation took a beating.

Watch this episode of History of Israel Explained from Jerusalem U to find out why.