Levi Eshkol

Levi Eshkol
לוי אשכול‎
Eshkol in 1963
3rd Prime Minister of Israel
In office 26 June 1963 – 26 February 1969
President	Zalman Shazar
Preceded by	David Ben-Gurion
Succeeded by	Yigal Allon (Acting)
3rd Minister of Defense
In office 26 June 1963 – 5 June 1967
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	David Ben-Gurion
Succeeded by	Moshe Dayan
2nd Minister of Finance
In office 25 June 1952 – 26 June 1963
Prime Minister	David Ben-Gurion Moshe Sharett
Preceded by	Eliezer Kaplan
Succeeded by	Pinchas Sapir
Leader of Mapai
In office June 1963 – 23 January 1968
Preceded by	David Ben-Gurion
Succeeded by	Himself (as Leader of Israeli Labor Party)
Leader of Israeli Labor Party
In office 23 January 1968 – 26 February 1969
Preceded by	Himself (as Leader of Mapai)
Succeeded by	Golda Meir
Member of the Knesset
In office 20 August 1951 – 26 February 1969
Personal details
Born	Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik (1895-10-25)25 October 1895 Orativ, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	26 February 1969(1969-02-26) (aged 73) Jerusalem[1][2]
Cause of death	Myocardial infarction
Resting place	Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Israel
Citizenship	Russian Empire Ottoman Empire Mandatory Palestine Israel
Political party	Hapoel Hatzair (1913–1930) Mapai (1930–1968) Labor (1968–1969)
Other political affiliations	Alignment (1965–1968)
Spouses	Rivka Maharshak ​ ​ (m. 1922; div. 1927)​ Elisheva Kaplan ​ ​ (m. 1930; died 1959)​ Miriam Zelikowitz ​ (m. 1964)​
Children	Noa Eshkol Dvora Tamma Ofra
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	Jewish Legion (1918–1920) Haganah (1920–1948)

Levi Eshkol (Hebrew: לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל [leˈvi ʔeʃˈkol] ^ⓘ;‎ 25 October 1895 – 26 February 1969), born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik (Hebrew: לוי יצחק שקולניק), was an Israeli statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Israel^[3] from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous senior roles, including Minister of Defense (1963–1967) and Minister of Finance (1952–1963).

Eshkol was first appointed as prime minister following the resignation of David Ben-Gurion. He then led the party in the elections to the Sixth Knesset (1965) and won, remaining in office for six consecutive years. Shortly after taking office, Eshkol made several significant changes, among them the annulment of military rule over Israeli Arabs and a successful journey to the United States, being the first Israeli leader to be formally invited to the White House. His relations with American President Lyndon B. Johnson greatly affected Israel–United States relations and later on the Six-Day War.

Eshkol was active in the Zionist movement from a young age, immigrating to Ottoman Palestine in 1914 and working in agriculture. He was among the founders of the major institutions of the Yishuv, most importantly the Histadrut and Haganah. Eshkol was treasurer of Hapoel Hatzair political party and treasurer of the Agricultural Center. In 1929, he was elected as chairman of the settlement committee within the Zionist Congress, taking a leading role in enabling conditions for new construction. In 1937, Eshkol founded Mekorot water company and was its director until 1951. Simultaneously, he held positions at the Haganah, at Mapai and as chairman of Tel Aviv Workers' Council. In 1948–1949, Eshkol was Director General of the Ministry of Defense and from 1948 to 1963, he was chairman of the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency. Elected to the Second Knesset in 1951, he was soon thereafter appointed to key government roles.

Eshkol led the Israeli government during and after the Six-Day War and was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.