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Lecture

Philip Rubenstein
David Ben-Gurion, Part 1: At the Ninth Hour

Tuesday 26.11.2024

Summary

On 7 September, 1906, a fervent young Zionist arrived in Palestine. Later that day, he wrote a postcard home: “My dear ones, hurrah! Today, at the ninth hour, I alighted on the shore of Jaffa … We’re going to Petach Tikvah. I’ll write in more detail from there. I wasn’t ill on the journey—even once! I’m feeling well, full of courage, and full of faith.” 42 years later, he was appointed Israel’s first prime minister. In the first of a two-part presentation, we will revisit David Ben-Gurion’s (1886–1973) journey from his childhood in Plonsk, Poland, to becoming leader of the nascent State of Israel.

Philip Rubenstein

an image of Philip Rubenstein

Philip Rubenstein was director of the Parliamentary War Crimes Group, which, in the mid-to-late 1980s, campaigned to bring Nazi war criminals living in the UK to justice. Philip was also the founder-director of the Holocaust Educational Trust and played a role in getting the study of the Shoah onto the national school’s curriculum in the UK. These days, he works with family businesses, advising on governance and continuity from one generation to the next.