Menachem Wolfovitch Begin served as Israel’s first non-socialist prime minister from 1977 to 1983. He helped Israel reach a peace treaty with Egypt, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.
Menachem Begin was born on August 16, 1913, in Brest-Litovsk, Poland. His father’s name was Zeev-Dov, and his mother was Hassia Begin. When Menachem was old enough, they sent him to Mizrachi Hebrew School, and he went on to attend the Polish Gymnasium (the equivalent of high school). Afterward he enrolled at Warsaw University, graduating with a law degree in 1935.
Before he turned 13, Menachem Begin served as a member of the Hashomer Hatzair scout organization. After observing several incidents of anti-Semitism throughout Europe, he decided to join a faction affiliated with the Revisionist Zionist Movement (Betar), becoming a steadfast follower of its founder, Vladimir Ze’ev Jabotinsky. The movement was devoted to establishing a Jewish state in Palestine.
Begin rose through the ranks and became the head of Betar’s Organization Department in Poland by 1932. He traveled around Poland on behalf of Betar, and wrote articles for the revisionist press. Later, he was sent to Czechoslovakia to lead the movement there.
From 1936 to 1938 (the time of the Palestine riots), he led rallies protesting British policies in Palestine. Begin protested in Warsaw near the British Embassy, where the Polish police arrested him, holding him briefly. Begin also defied British policies by helping people migrate to Palestine illegally. The British government had imposed restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine.
By 1939, Begin had married Aliza Arnold, and they had three children (Benjamin, Chasia, and Leah). Begin became the leader of Betar in Poland in 1939. Not long after, the Germans conquered Warsaw at the outbreak of World War II. Begin fled to Vilna but was captured by Soviet authorities (the NKVD) in 1940. They sentenced him to eight years in Siberian labor camps. However, he was released in 1941 because of his Polish citizenship and the Stalin-Sikorski agreement, which granted amnesty to Polish citizens.
Begin joined the Free Polish Army in exile shortly after his release and traveled to the Middle East in 1943. He revitalized the Irgun Zvai Leumi, a defunct military organization, and assumed command. Also known by its Hebrew name, Etzel, the organization directed its activities against the British control of Palestine with the goal of establishing a Jewish state. Begin was such a thorn in the side of the Palestinian government that it issued a $13,000 reward for information that would lead to his capture. Begin eluded detection, living in disguise in Tel Aviv.
When the State of Israel was established in 1948, the Irgun Zvai Leumi was dissolved, and the Herut (Freedom) party was formed. Begin and his allies produced candidates for the Knesset (parliament), and he remained a member of the Knesset. He led the Herut party for over 30 years.
Begin also was known for his passionate right-wing and patriotic ideals. He was especially adamant about Israel’s right to retain the Gaza Strip and West Bank. A skilled writer, orator, and politician, Menachem Begin is a key figure in Israel’s brief history.
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