Lou: It was a great day for the 4th street school.
It was a great day for her.
She was coming home.
As we got closer, I had to remind her of something.
After all, that had been part of my job for 30 years.
Golda, the cigarette.
What's the matter? You're afraid I'll die young?
The children. We're almost there.
(children sing "Hatikva", the national anthem of Israel)
Shalom, Golda.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Shalom.
With the singing of "Hatikva"...
...The national anthem of Israel...
...We welcome to the 4th street school...
...Our most distinguished graduate:
Mrs. Golda Meir...
...Former prime minister of Israel.
(cheering, whistling)
Golda: Shalom.
Shalom to you.
It is a beautiful word.
It means "hello". And "goodbye".
But what it really means is "peace".
May peace be with you.
Mr. Macey, members of the faculty...
...Distinguished guests, and children-
Very dear children:
I have tried to think how to express my feelings...
...On coming to my old school...
...Where, as I look around-
Really, this is amazing. Nothing seems to have changed.
Except me.
(laughing)
What comes to my mind is the saying-
An old Jewish saying...
...By an ancient sage called Hillel.
He said:
"If I'm not for myself, than who will be for me.
But if I'm for myself only, than what am I?
And if not now, when?"
These words have meant a great deal to me all my life.
And I'll tell you why...
Lou: How shall I describe her?
To people all over the world...
...She was one of the great women of this century.
Some say she was the greatest.
It's hard for me to judge.
To me, she was my longtime dear friend.
I remember, when I first went to work as her assistant...
...I called her Mrs. Meyerson.
On the second day, she said to me:
"Lou, would it hurt you to call me Golda...
...like everyone else?"
Yes?
I want to ask: Were you a good student? Did you get good marks?
Well, I can remember a few a's...
...Some b+'s, some b's.
Below that, for some reason, my memory doesn't work.
Mrs. Meir's memory is too modest.
We looked up her record. She was valedictorian for her class.
Oh. Well, I hope they didn't also look up...
...That my teachers commented that I- I was too talkative.
Ah, yes. Next question.
Mrs. Meir, how come you left?
Left what?
America. Why did you leave America and go to Israel?
Well, that's a very good question.
Believe me, if I had been born in America...
...I'm sure I never would have left.
(whimpers)
But my earliest experiences...
...Were very different from that of an American child.
(foreboding music)
You see, I was born in Russia.
(hammering)
(crowd of men shouting)
(gasps)
Why is papa doing that?
Shh. Be quiet. Don't talk so much.
What's that yelling out there, Sheyna?
They say we killed their lord.
put the lamps out!
(shouting)
(horse whinnies)
Man (shouts): Christ killer!
(whimpering)
I think, please god, they are going away.
What if they come back, papa?
We just have to keep the lamps out, and be very quiet.
Is that all we're going to do?
What else can we do?
(orchestral music)
(weeping)
I'm sorry, Sheyna.
(sniffling)
I'm not angry at you.
I'm angry at papa.
Because there is something better to do than hide in the dark...
...And he doesn't want me to do it.
Well, I'm going to do it anyway.
Even if I could be sent to Siberia.
Why?
For being a Zionist.
What's that?
Well...
...It's Jews from all over the world...
...Getting together to make a country of our own...
...In Palestine.
Where is Palestine?
You know.
It's the promised land.
That god gave the Jews. Where we used to live.
Can we go there now?
no.
But some day. We hope.
You know something, Sheyna?
Just as soon as I can go there, I am going.
Of course, Palestine was ruled by the Turkish government...
...And very few Jews could go there.
But human beings just can't live...
...In such choking, terrible fear.
So my parents did what many people...
...Of different religions and nationalities were doing then...
...To escape persecution...
...And the poverty of Europe.
We immigrated to America.
Thank you.
How come you picked Milwaukee?
Well, my father was a carpenter...
...And this is where he found work.
I don't remember much. I was only eight years old.
Did you make up your mind then that you wanted to be a prime minister?
No, no.
Such a job, I never wanted.
Not even on the day I was elected.
No. No.
I wanted to become a teacher.
I thought teaching children...
...Was the finest work a person could do.
But my parents had different ideas, though.
They wanted me to get married.
Did you have any boyfriends?
Of course, I had boyfriends. Why not?
Well, then somebody special came along.
But he was maybe not a boy anymore.
He was older than I was.
Was he nice?
I thought so.
He was a sign painter, when he had work. Which wasn't very often.
The first person I ever knew...
...Who really loved poetry and music.
We used to go to concerts together.
Concerts in the park, that is. They were free.
Did I hear thunder?
No. Timpani.
What?
Drums. You heard drums.
Oh. Shh.
I just heard it again. It sounds like thunder to me.
Golda, please.
This is the great "eroica" by Beethoven.
Please, shh.
This is my new hat. If it rains, the color will run.
No, no.
Yes, yes. The saleswoman warned me.
She said, what did I expect for 10 cents.
No, I mean, it isn't going to rain. It isn't thunder.
Are you sure?
If it is, god is thundering in perfect time with the music.
Shh.
(children chattering)
I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Morris.
Though it's not my fault you're so witty.
Do you really think so?
That was an extremely humorous remark.
thank you.
I suppose I owe you an apology too.
I should have complimented your new hat.
Do you really like it?
It's very nice.
For 10 cents.
Thank you.
Golda, I would like to discuss something with you.
It doesn't have to be now.
Let me know when would be a good time...
...To discuss a serious subject.
Now is fine.
The subject is marriage.
As it concerns you and me, do you mean?
I don't mean president and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.
Golda, I know I don't have a lot to offer.
Outside of a phonograph that could use some new needles.
You said it's the first one you ever saw that didn't have a horn.
That's true.
And I love you, Golda.
I love you very much.
Do you really wanna marry me?
I'm not an easy person.
My father says I'm totally intransigent.
I don't believe that your father said that.
You're right. What my father says is: I'm as stubborn as an ox.
But the reason is:
I know what's important to me.
Well?
You are.
I love you, Morris. You know I love you.
So after that...
...What's to be intransigent about?
Palestine.
Oh, Golda.
Are you still so hypnotized...
...By this romantic Zionist business?
I'm going to live in a kibbutz.
It's a hard life, from what I've been told.
Even dangerous, sometimes. Romantic, it's not.
So why get into it?
Because this is the dream I've had...
...Ever since I was a little girl in Russia...
...Frightened for my life.
The dream that we can have the same peace and security other people have.
The only way we're ever going to get it is in a Jewish homeland.
Morris...
..."if I am not for myself, who will be for me?"
Golda, this is America. There are no pogroms in America.
And I say: God bless America.
God bless this beautiful country forever.
But millions of Jews are not here, and never will be.
Morris...
..."if I am for myself only, what am I?"
Don't you think I'm concerned too?
It's just, I don't see any chance for a Jewish state in Palestine at this time.
Was there a better time? When did we have a Balfour Declaration from the British?
Quote: "his majesty's government views with favor...
...The establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. "
That's very nice, but they don't set a date.
Morris, "if not now, when?"
Your friend Hillel didn't know that your other friends...
...The British, would be fighting a world war...
...And the Turks would be running Palestine.
The British will win, and they'll drive the Turks out!
In the meantime, you can't even get there.
But as soon as I can.
(orchestral music)
So you're saying, if I won't go...
...You won't marry me?
I can't very well, can I?
But if I'll go, you will?
I'd love to marry you, Morris.
I'm sorry, Golda. I'm not going.
I wish you'd think about it.
Maybe you'll change your mind.
No, Golda. Don't count on it.
Never.
(orchestral music)
Driver: Yoel, open the gate.
Morris: I could paint a better sign than that with my eyes closed.
Shalom.
Nesher: Shalom. You're the Meyersons?
Yes. This is Morris Meyerson, my husband.
And I'm Golda.
Yoel Nesher, membership committee.
Hello. Hello.
You should've waited to hear from us.
We did. Almost a month, in Tel Aviv.
Using up almost all of our money, I must tell you.
Well, you could have saved the bus fare out here.
Your application was not accepted.
Not accepted?
I'm sorry.
Why? Why aren't we accepted?
It's not possible to accept everybody who wants to join the kibbutz.
Maybe you can get into another one.
And what are we supposed to do now? Walk back to Tel Aviv?
No, we'll put you up overnight.
There'll be another bus tomorrow.
What is this?
A phonograph. I'll take care of that myself, thank you.
Nesher: Please.
(goats bleating)
(horse neighs)
Golda...
...You wanted to go to Palestine. We're here.
It's enough, already. We can go home now.
Morris.
What's that for?
For the funniest-
I really think so- the funniest joke I ever heard.
come on!
(instrumental music)
("Panis Angelicus" by Cesar Frank)
There's Degania.
Ayalet.
Where did I get the idea this kibbutz was the best one?
You were probably right.
At least here, they know their business.
Why do you say that?
Because any kibbutz that would admit me as a member...
...Would be out of business in no time.
(chuckling)
You're not laughing, Golda.
That's only because I'm thinking some very serious thoughts.
For example?
How lucky I am to have you.
Who else would struggle halfway around the world to this place...
...Just to make me happy?
As long as one of us is.
Oh, Morris, darling.
Do you know how much you love me?
I love you even more. Because you're nicer than I am.
(chuckles)
The perfect end to a perfect day. They object to the music.
(groans)
Well?
Well, yourself.
Would it bother you to leave your door open, please?
Open?
So other people can hear the music too?
Golda: Morris, ask them in.
Hey. They say, come on in.
What kind of phonograph is this? It doesn't have a horn.
Shh. Be quiet.
Cesar frank is playing. You, I can hear anytime.
(Golda chuckles)
See, Morris? You're gonna like it here. That man talks exactly like you do.
Shh, shh, shh.
Listen.
The membership committee just reconsidered your application.
How come so quick?
I'm the chairman.
We're accepted?
On probation for three months. Then, we'll see.
We appreciate it. Thank you.
Aw, you're welcome.
Morris! The quinine pills on the dining room table, did you take one?
No. Neither did you. We were leaving in the morning.
But now we're not leaving.
Alright, alright. So we'll take pills in the morning.
You don't expect to get malaria between now and then?
I don't know. I'm not taking any chances.
You go back to the music. I'll get us quinine.
(owl hooting) (crickets chirping)
Get down! Ah!
Man: Turn out the lights!
Did you get hit?
Just by you.
Dumb luck. Get out. Get out.
Get out!
Don't you know better than to cross this compound at night, wearing white?
I just came here today. What is it?
Arab snipers. What did you think the barbed wire was for? The guns.
Now I know.
You wear this.
(owl hooting) (crickets chirping)
There will probably be no more shooting tonight.
You can go to your room.
But you might like to think about it.
Whether you should stay here.
Where are you going?
I'm going for quinine.
Golda: I think I shall tell you what a kibbutz is.
It is a community of people that live and work together.
They eat together in a common dining room.
The children are cared for in the kibbutz nursery.
Nobody owns anything by himself.
But together, they own everything.
In those days, most of the work was agricultural.
Was it real hard on the kibbutz? I mean, the work.
Oh boy, was it.
(orchestral music)
(goat bleating)
(pig snorting)
(chickens clucking)
(sighs)
(horse whinnies)
(panting)
(grunts)
Reuven: What's the matter, Morris?
Don't these horses go in for an American accent?
Hey, take a look at him.
Are you alright, Morris?
I'm alright.
Are you sure?
When a committee tells me, I'll be sure.
(Reuven and Natham chuckling)
I thought this was a progressive kibbutz.
It's positively victorian.
A woman's place is in the kitchen.
I saw women in the olive grove.
Esther: But you never saw a man here.
You know when you will see men on kitchen work?
When we get women on the assignment committee.
Gabi, I'm so sick of it.
I'm telling them tonight. They'd better put me on something else.
Tell them in terms of a specific assignment.
Livestock. Even poultry.
Really?
Yes, really. What's wrong with that?
You'd rather feed chickens than feed people?
That's a funny way to look at it.
Nobody likes working in the kitchen.
Well, I don't exactly love it, either.
But I don't like chickens.
I'd be afraid to be alone in a room with a live chicken.
You mean, in America there are no chickens that aren't cleaned and plucked?
I don't think so.
Oh. The water's off again. I'll go and get a man.
(chickens clucking)
What's the trouble with the water, Gabi?
The valve is clogged.
Is it hard to fix?
They just hit it with a hammer.
Then why do we need a man?
Because the valve is on the roof.
(orchestral music)
(squawking)
Are you going to climb up there?
(clattering)
(clanging)
(shouts) Try it now.
You fixed it.
Ariel: Who is that, up there?
It's the American girl.
Now the Meyersons: Morris and Golda.
Right, so... Uh, well, um...
I have no objections to him. He does the best he can.
But I have serious doubts about her.
She would turn this kibbutz upside down.
Can you be more specific?
She's already trying to institute hot cereal for breakfast.
What do you mean? Instead of herring?
Yes, and that is just one of her ideas.
Miriam?
Well, I'm going to be honest.
This is a highly personal attitude that I don't expect anyone else to share...
...But I can't stand her ironing dresses.
I share it.
Explain that, please.
The rest of us, when we change clothes for dinner...
...We go to the laundry, and we take a clean, folded dress off the shelf.
And that's good enough for us.
But she has to iron her dresses.
Oh, I see. Anything else?
Sometimes she wears stockings to dinner.
Well...
...The established tastes and attitudes of the group are very important.
On the one hand, uh, we should not be too harsh.
And on the other hand, we should not be too lenient.
In the balance, I should say that she is, uh...
...An absolute joy to have around.
I agree.
So do I.
(men laughing) (cow moos)
"And thou beside me singing in the wilderness.
Ah, wilderness were paradise enow. "
I wonder how Omar Khayyam knew...
...To write these words for me personally.
You're glad, aren't you, Morris?
Yes, I'm glad.
I'm glad we're still alive after three months in this place.
Ah, you can joke.
But you've worked hard. You've made them accept you.
Now we're kibbutzniks. You should be very proud.
My darling Golda, I've always been very proud. Of you.
Kibbutzniks.
We don't own anything, we never will.
And yet, we own all of Merhavia.
The land, fruit trees. Everything's ours.
Doesn't it make you feel rich?
So, what can we afford now? A pierce-arrow automobile?
I was thinking of a baby.
I didn't hear that.
I'm saying, I think we should have a child.
Really?
When did the committee tell you we could go to work on this child?
What night? What hour?
What committee?
How can we do it without help from some committee?
Isn't there a committee to plan everything here?
No, no, no, Golda. No baby. Not now.
Well when, then?
I'll tell you when: When we're living someplace else. Not here.
Why, Morris? Why?
Because I don't want my child raised by other people. Fed, washed, held...
...Not by his parents, by someone else.
Put to bed not in a house, in a nursery with strangers.
If a child wakes up crying in the middle of the night, who comes to him?
A committee. No thank you, Golda. No, no.
If I'm going to be a parent, I want to be a parent. Not a visitor.
So where are you going?
Out, because you're going to try to talk me into this, like everything else.
I wouldn't do that.
Not to you, and not to the baby.
Alright?
Alright.
(crickets chirping)
(horse neighs) (cow moos)
Considering this discussion...
...You won't be angry about what I've got to do now.
What do you have to do?
Well, now there's no reason for me not to agree to what they've asked me.
Who asked you?
a committee.
They want me to go to Haifa for a month...
...For a management course.
If you want to go...
...Go.
Goodnight, Golda.
Goodnight, Morris.
Golda...
...I can see you feel bad about the baby.
I'm sorry.
There is no baby to feel anything about.
I was thinking about the course.
What is the course?
"How to Raise Chickens".
(klezmer music over phonograph) (singing folk song)
(applauding & cheering)
That was wonderful. Where'd you get the record?
A surprise. A gift from your sister in Milwaukee.
Morris: I'll play the other side.
You gonna come and dance?
You can dance this one without me.
Oh, Morris. What? You're tired?
Me? Why should I be tired? My horses, they're exhausted.
(klezmer music)
(singing folk song)
Ariel: I have a couple of things I would like to talk to you about.
First, your chickens.
Let's talk about the other thing.
Well, the finance committee has gone over the books.
And for the first time...
...Poultry is showing a profit.
And not only that...
...It is the biggest profit of any of our ventures.
As you once said to me, Ariel: Dumb luck.
It is not luck at all.
You are a very capable person.
Whatever you do, you do well.
So we want you to be a delegate to the Histadrut.
Me?
Oh, no, Ariel. I couldn't.
It's only a labor union.
It's the union.
It's as big as a government.
I wouldn't know what to do.
I could give you a few pointers.
I am a delegate also.
Please, Golda, come with me.
I will not let you say no.
Ariel, my Hebrew’s so bad.
Speak English. They will listen to you.
You have a way of saying things that makes people listen.
What's that?
Go inside.
Ariel: Tell everyone to stay put. (shouts) Turn out the lights!
Johum! Over here!
A raiding party.
How big?
Don't know yet.
Are they after the animals?
No, I think they're - they're heading after us.
They have just broken into the compound.
(orchestral music)
We have all lived through these things before.
Now, who is assigned the guns this week?
I have one. We have one.
Go and get them, and bring them here.
Ariel: Understood? No place else.
What's wrong?
Nothing. Nothing.
The phonograph.
I'll get it. You get the gun.
(distant shouting)
Golda: Something is wrong.
There's nothing wrong.
There's nothing wrong! What are you staring at?
Let me have that.
Morris: I can handle this.
You can't! It's shaking!
I can still do what I have to!
You won't make it across the compound. It's an Arab raid!
This is my job! Don't take it away from me!
They need the gun. Please, let me take it to them.
(dogs barking)
(panting)
Don't try it.
You can get up now. It's all over.
What? What's all over?
The exercise.
We are the Haganah.
Man in background: It is not an attack! It is a Haganah training exercise!
Ariel: I wanna know who is in charge here.
Yuval: I am.
My name is Yuval. I'm a sergeant.
What the hell kind of exercise do you call this?
A totally unauthorized kind. If you want a Jewish army...
...You have to put up with Jews training.
Why train here?
Naturally, a proper training camp would be better.
The trouble with that is: If the British catch us at it...
...We'll do our next exercise in prison.
We are not allowed to exist, remember?
Golda: Why didn't you tell me?
I didn't want you to worry.
It's only vivax malaria. It's the mildest form.
How do you know?
I read about it in the library.
It comes and it goes.
I thought: I'll take enough quinine, one day it'll just go.
Dr. Meyerson, I presume.
I'm not a doctor, Golda. But I know what will cure me.
I'm gonna leave the kibbutz.
You don't mean that. You're just saying it because you're sick.
No. I made up my mind last night.
Why? What is it? Pride?
I didn't want to take the gun. I had to.
Oh, the gun, the gun. It's not the gun, Golda.
It's not the gun. Not exactly.
It just showed me, once and for all...
...I'm not the right person for this... Existence.
I can't handle anything about it.
Golda, I don't want to spend the rest of my life...
...Feeling sick and useless.
Where will you go?
It's up to you.
If you'll come with me, I'll stay in Palestine.
If not, I'll go back to America.
Oh, Golda. I know you don't want to leave the kibbutz.
I didn't want to leave America.
You asked me to change my mind.
So...
...Maybe this time, you'll change your mind.
Morris, darling...
...If you leave, I leave.
There's nothing to change.
(instrumental music)
Man: I really enjoyed their stay.
(dog barking)
Morris: Wait, please.
Morris: I want you to have this.
Goodbye.
(orchestral music)
Group: Goodbye.
Man, then woman: We'll miss you. Bye.
(instrumental music)
Golda: So we left the kibbutz...
...Which I was very unhappy about.
And we went to live in Jerusalem.
And the years passed.
Morris became a bookkeeper...
...And I became the mother of two children.
What were their names?
Our son's was Menachem...
...And our daughter's: Sarah.
How did you like Jerusalem?
Golda: Well, Jerusalem is a wonderful city.
But Morris's wages were terribly low...
...And there was never enough money to feed the children.
I have to say that those years...
...Were the worst years of my life.
(people chattering)
Salaam alaikum.
Alaikum salaam.
Ah, no. You just heard all the Arabic I know.
How much are the chicken today?
That one, 60 piastres. Special to you.
Give me...
...20 piastres worth.
(clanging)
(sighs)
Lovely oranges from Jaffa. Full of juice.
No, this is all I need.
That's, uh...
...One pound ten, please.
That's ten piastres, and that's a pound.
This is not a one-pound note.
No, of course not. It's a credit union scrip.
I don't take it.
Everybody takes it. My husband works for the credit union...
...And this is how they pay him, half the time.
Madam, I know why you come to me instead of the Jewish shops.
Because you owe them money, and they won't take your scrip.
Look, I don't have to stand here being insulted.
I've got two children and no food at home.
You've taken my scrip before. Why won't you take it now?
I have to pay a discount to get rid of it.
Look, I'll give you another ten piastres. It's all I have. Is that enough?
No, madam.
It'll have to be. I've got no food for my children.
stop! I will call the police! Stop!
(Mehemet shouting in Arabic)
(crowd shouting)
(Golda crying)
Hello, Golda.
Oh, my god. Ariel.
How are you?
What are you doing here? Have you left the kibbutz too?
No, no. I'm, uh, sort of on loan to the Histadrut.
Oh.
I've been in Jerusalem about a year. And, uh, how are you?
Oh, I'm fine.
And Morris?
Fine, fine. No more malaria.
What about your wife? I heard you got married.
Yeah. To, uh, to Gabi. You remember her from Merhavia?
Yes, I remember Gabi.
She's fine. And, uh, where are you working, Golda?
Oh, I'm sort of retired.
You're not working?
Well, I wouldn't call bringing up two small children exactly loafing.
I wouldn't call it anything very much...
...Considering how badly we need your capabilities.
What's going on here?
Alright, alright. What appears to be the difficulty, sir?
There is no difficulty, sergeant.
My good man, will you accept this pound note...
...In exchange for this miserable credit union scrip?
With pleasure, sir.
Alright, come on. It's all over. Come on, granddad, off you go.
Mehemet (shouting): Madam. Madam.
(whimpering)
Mehemet: Salaam alaikum.
Alaikum salaam.
You are a born diplomat.
(chuckling)
Morris: What kind of a job would this be? A part-time job?
Golda: No, no. Full-time.
(dishes clanging)
You really think you can handle a full-time job...
...With everything else?
I've got no choice. That's the job.
Secretary of the women's council.
Ariel must be a big man in the Histadrut...
...If he can offer you something like that.
They need someone who can speak English fluently.
(inhales sharply)
The job's in Tel Aviv.
Hmm.
He's got some hell of a nerve...
...Trying to talk you into Tel Aviv, when I work in Jerusalem.
He didn't have to try very hard.
I took the job, Morris.
Eat your soup while it's hot. Never mind about the soup.
If you only knew what I had to do to get a piece of chicken for it.
Golda. What are you going to do? Walk away from me? Walk away from the children?
Of course not.
The children will come with me.
Who will take care of them all day while you're working?
My sister will help.
My mother and father are coming out next month.
I can get good babysitters through the women's council.
So you have it all figured out. Yes.
What about me, Golda? What do you have figured out for me?
A job in Tel Aviv, as soon as you can find one.
And in the meantime?
You would visit us on weekends.
Oh, Golda.
Tell me it's not definite, Golda.
Tell me you wouldn't make a decision without at least discussing it.
No, I've discussed enough.
With who?
With myself.
How many more years am I supposed to throw away...
...Fighting with shopkeepers?
I came here...
...To work, and to build a homeland.
This is not something I feel like doing.
It's what I started out to do with my whole life.
And nothing's going to stop me...
...Anymore.
(sighs)
(orchestral music)
I should have gone back to America...
...While I had the chance.
Before the children were born.
Morris, don't feel that way.
Please, give things a chance to work.
For all of us.
I'm going to try very hard to make them work.
I promise you.
Lou: It was some years before Golda could bring herself...
...To face up to the failure of her marriage.
But as of this point...
...It was as good as finished.
Golda: There is a type of woman...
...Who cannot let her husband and her children...
...Narrow her horizons.
When such a woman becomes a working mother...
...Her inner struggle with guilt...
...Is sometimes more than she can bear.
I remember my own feelings...
...All the time my children were growing up, and even afterward.
I would wonder:
"what do they feel towards me?"
"what do they really have in their hearts?"
Because there's no doubt I neglected them.
Although, I did my very best not to be away from them one extra hour.
And I always provided capable, pleasant people to take care of them.
I told myself that my children had the advantage of a mother...
...Who was able to develop as a person in her own right.
I could argue myself into believing that everything was fine.
But there would be the moment when I was going off...
...Leaving my children with a stranger.
And they would flash me a look. A look of reproach.
"please, don't go. Stay with us. "
That look would be enough to destroy my whole, fine argument.
And me along with it.
Lou: For the next ten years...
...While an Austrian corporal was coming to power
...Golda was advancing in the Histradrut...
...To the level of the executive committee...
...Presided over by the political leader David Ben-Gurion.
In may 1939...
...With world war ii less than four months away...
...Britain issued its controversial white paper.
His Majesty's Government now declare unequivocally
that it is not part of their policy
that Palestine should become a Jewish State!
Golda: How can England just wipe out its own Balfour Declaration?
The promise to establish a Jewish homeland here.
You can say they are doing it for Arab oil.
Or you can look for other reasons.
But make sure you come back to oil.
"From now on Jewish land purchases would be restricted to 5% of Palestine.
Jewish immigration restricted to 50,000 per year for the next 5 years."
And after the 5 years?
No further Jewish immigration will be permitted unless the Arabs agree to it.
Unbelievable.
God knows what that lunatic in Germany is planning...
...For all European Jews.
This is their last chance to escape.
Their only hope is to come here.
And this is the time the British government picks...
...To slam the door in their faces.
Ariel: Well, we must fight this, whatever we do.
Fight the British?
Damn right.
The trouble with that is:
When the war breaks out, the British will be on our side, fighting Hitler.
We will fight the white paper...
...As though there were no Hitler.
And we will fight Hitler...
...As though there were no white paper.
(typewriter clacking)
(gunshots firing)
Lou: Fighting Hitler as though there were no white paper...
...Meant working with the British military:
Providing Jewish parachutists for missions in occupied Europe.
Training as many Jewish soldiers as the British would permit.
Wingate: Keep straight on. Good lads.
And keep those behinds down!
Lou: In the training cadre:
Two soldiers whose names were to become world-famous:
Orde Wingate, a British army officer...
...And Moshe Dayan of the Haganah.
Dayan, lower your fire.
Lower, sir?
I want them to feel the breeze from those bullets.
Captain Wingate, they're coming quite close right now.
No fear. You can't possibly hit your men.
How is that, sir?
The lord is fighting...
(shouts) ... for the children of Israel!
Are you familiar with the book of Joshua, chapter ten?
"Then spake Joshua: Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;"
"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
And there was no other day like this before it or after.
For the Lord fought for Israel."
Have I quoted correctly?
You certainly have, sir.
Then I suggest you Jews put your trust in the lord...
...As much today as you did in the time of Joshua.
We'd better.
Then be kind enough to lower your fire.
Yes, sir!
Wingate: Now, the situation in north Africa is this:
The Germans are threatening to sweep through Egypt...
...Take Cairo, and invade Palestine.
That's why our top brass...
...Decided to train a Jewish contingent.
But they say they'll only train 500 men.
How can 500 stop a panzer division?
The intent is to form them into sapper teams.
To blow up bridges, and so on.
I see.
Tell me, captain Wingate: Do you think the Germans will get here?
I'm quite sure they will not.
If only because of extended supply lines.
They'll be stopped well short of here.
If that happens, what becomes of our training system?
Ha, that's easy.
The top brass will stop training Jews...
...A damn sight faster than they started.
Forgive my language.
Captain Wingate, you're supposed to be training 500 men...
...So naturally, you'll train only 500.
But it could be...
...500 at the time.
And then another 500.
That's positively splendid.
You wouldn't object?
Mrs. Meyerson, I won't be here very much longer.
I'm being posted to Burma.
Therefore, whilst I'm still in the land of Israel...
...I consider it my duty to help the children of Israel...
...To take advantage of the opportunity that god has given them.
Wonderful!
Lou: Fighting the white paper as though there were no Hitler...
...Meant smuggling immigrants into Palestine...
...Under the guns of British destroyers.
We have an incoming vessel. The Delos.
Tell her to alter course.
British destroyer patrolling here.
Delos, eh?
Greek ship?
Should only be a ship.
It's an inter-island ferry.
(Morse code beeping)
I will take it to them.
Then tell Shulamit to come and eat. The child looks pale.
And what are you? The mess sergeant to the entire Haganah?
She says, you should go and eat.
"She says, the child looks pale. "
I can't eat till I'm relieved.
Then I will relieve you, pale child.
Hand over the tommy gun.
(Morse code beeping)
Very nice, I must say.
Oh, you like the way I make tahina?
Your tahina is nice too. I was talking about Mr. Ariel.
What's your secret?
A dash of cayenne pepper.
And what's the secret of you and Mr. Ariel?
Come on, Golda. Everybody is talking about you two.
Let them talk. What would be wrong?
You know the old Yiddish saying:
"mein neshuma is nisht a rosshinka. "
I don't understand.
Oh, I beg your pardon. I forgot that sabras don't care to learn Yiddish.
Rough translation:
"a person is not a stick of wood. "
Lou: In April 1945...
...German concentration camps were liberated...
...By victorious allied soldiers...
...Who have never been able to forget...
...The horror of what they saw.
(instrumental music, military drumbeat)
When some of the survivors...
...Attempted to enter Palestine by sea...
...They were intercepted by the British...
...And placed in camps, like this one on the island of Cyprus.
Golda: When did the idea of an independent Jewish state...
...Change from a distant dream to an immediate need?
It was when we Jews in the land of Israel...
...600,000 strong...
...Found ourselves helpless to rescue our own people...
...Because of the policy of an occupying foreign power.
That's when we learned...
...We had to take our future into our own hands.
Golda: I'm only talking about the very young children.
Ross: How young?
Under the age of one year.
The doctors say most of them won't live through a winter in this camp.
Isn't there some way they can get priority...
...To leave Cyprus and come to Palestine?
The British foreign office is a stickler for its own rules.
And the rule in this camp is: First in, first out.
Oh, sir Stuart, you and I have had many dealings in Jerusalem.
In my opinion, you're much too decent...
...To let children die for a rule like that.
I knew what I was up against...
...When I heard Mr. Ben-Gurion was sending you.
You are a formidable person, Mrs. Meyerson.
Mind you, only these very young children.
And their parents. If they have parents left alive.
You can't separate them, naturally.
Naturally.
But you do understand...
...This will have to be done under the regular monthly immigration quota.
The number going out of turn will have to be subtracted.
And those who are waiting to go in turn...
...Will have to agree to let the others jump to the head of the queue.
I've made arrangements to talk to some of the leaders.
Now you know why Ben-Gurion gave me this job.
Why?
Nobody else would touch it.
one year, I'm rotting in this place!
One whole year!
You trying to say, somebody who came last week should go ahead of me?
Golda: No. I'm saying a child, yes.
Minna: I'm sick myself. If I stay much longer, I'll die here.
Golda: No, no. We are trying to get you all off.
But... The children first.
Aronowitz: Please.
I understand about the children...
...But their parents don't mean anything to me.
Children don't mean anything to me.
I'll never have any.
Would you like to see what's tattooed on my arm?
Lenski: I'm on the list for next month.
Are you asking me to wait another year?
No, no. It won't take that long.
How long? How long?
Stoller: It could be forever.
No. No, why?
They say, soon the British will stop sending us to Palestine altogether.
Crowd: No!
quiet, please. Quiet!
We are people! Not animals!
We are still people.
My dear lady from the promised land...
...Every captured ship is a separate camp here.
Every camp has its own committee.
We are not authorized to act for the others.
Would it be possible to call a meeting with all the committees?
Golda: I could say that children are the future of any country.
But let me speak of the present.
The Jewish children in Palestine...
...The sabras...
...Are a miracle.
How I wish you could have seen them on the beaches...
...Meeting the ships that managed to get through.
These youngsters:
Sixteen, seventeen-year-old boys and girls...
...With no memory of persecution.
No experience of suffering.
To risk their lives, to jump into the waves and carry-
Actually carry the Jewish immigrants ashore.
Some of the survivors told me...
...They cried for the first time.
After all that they had been through...
...This made them shed tears.
I know if you had seen these blessed children of ours...
...You would want every child here...
...To have the chance...
...To grow up like them:
Erect, confident, strong...
...And pure as the sun of Palestine.
(woman yelling)
Golda: Shalom.
Children: Shalom.
Oh, what beautiful flowers!
Thank you. Thank you. Where did you ever get them?
David: We made them. Our teacher from the land of Israel...
...Showed us how.
Oh. You know...
...In the land of Israel, we love flowers so.
On the Shabbat table...
...There may be candles, maybe not.
And maybe not so much to eat.
But there are always flowers.
Is this what flowers look like? I never saw a real one.
You never saw a flower?
No.
Dear god.
Mrs., uh, Meyerson.
Well, we voted.
And?
And, by a big majority...
...The children can go first.
My dear friend...
(whispers) ... thank you.
(orchestral music)
Mrs. Meyerson.
(sniffling)
You mustn't cry.
You can be very, very proud of your people.
They have nothing left in the world but a place on a list...
...And they've given that up for others.
It's to the everlasting credit of the human race, Mrs. Meyerson.
Why should you cry?
I'm crying for the children...
...Who never saw a flower.
Lou: On November 29, 1947...
...The united nations voted on a recommendation of its own committee...
...That Palestine be partitioned...
...Into an Arab state, and a Jewish state...
...With Jerusalem internationalized.
Golda: A Jewish state without Jerusalem?
We could hardly imagine.
And there were other things we felt were wrong.
But we accepted this partition plan.
We were all glued to the radio, of course...
...Following the un vote with pencil and paper:
Yes, no, yes, no.
Ten countries, including great Britain, abstained.
Thirteen, including all the Arab countries, opposed.
Thirty-three, including the United States...
...Voted in favor.
(orchestral music)
As of midnight, local time...
...We have the right to be a state.
On behalf of the Jewish agency...
...I want to say something to our Arab neighbors:
You fought your battle against us in the united nations.
The majority of the countries in the world believe that this is how it should be.
It is not what you wanted. It is not what we wanted.
It's a compromise.
But...
...Now we say to you:
A Jewish state can be a great benefit...
...To everyone in the middle east.
We hold out our hand to you.
Let's live together...
...In friendship...
...And in peace.
(klezmer music)
(singing folk song)
Golda, I think you should stop dancing.
No, this is a time to dance.
Tomorrow, we may not feel like it.
I still think you should stop dancing.
There's someone wants to see you.
Morris. Morris, dear. How are you?
How should I be? I'm drunk.
You? Nonsense.
The whole country is drunk with happiness.
And you, Golda...
...You should be the happiest one of all, because you worked so hard for it.
That's what I came to tell you.
How nice of you, Morris.
I appreciate it very much.
Well...
...I won't keep you from your friends.
No, no, please. I see you so seldom anymore.
Golda, you know that when you made your decision...
...I thought it was wrong.
But in terms of today, it was right.
Thank you. I really thank you for that, Morris...
...Because I think about my decision so many times.
Every day is not today.
You mean, there are days when you could possibly have doubts?
Last Sunday, for instance. Menachem's recital.
You knew about it?
I thought, considering how busy you are, and how much you travel-
I knew, but I couldn't make it.
I think Menachem understands that.
I told him.
Everybody tells him.
Tells him what?
With his mother, the country comes first.
Golda: You went to the recital, of course.
Morris: Of course.
Well, how did it go?
He plays the cello only a little better than, uh...
...Pablo Casals.
oh, Morris.
Tell me, have you heard anything about Sarah lately?
I tried to phone, but that kibbutz is so far in the Negev, I can't get through.
I have the same trouble. So I went out to see her two weeks ago.
You went- you went out there?
I heard from friends that Sarah wasn't feeling well.
I got scared it was the kidney problem.
Yes.
I wanted to take her to Jerusalem and put her in the Hadassah hospital.
But the kibbutz doctors were sure it's nothing serious.
Oh, thank god.
Golda...
...You really went all the way out there?
Why are you so surprised?
A lot of people would be surprised to know that.
A lot of people I don't care about.
(orchestral music)
Well.
Morris...
...Is everything alright with you? Is there anything?
Everything's fine. Fine.
Couldn't be better.
Goodbye, Golda.
Oh.
I almost forgot...
...The main thing I came to tell you.
I heard you on the radio.
You were wonderful, Golda.
Wonderful speech.
Lou: In the six months before Israel was to become a state...
...Arab guerillas struck at the civilian population all over Palestine.
They ignored the united nations partition plan...
...Which called for a transition period...
...Before British forces pulled out.
Alarmed by this crisis, we called in our two top military men...
...For their appraisal of the situation:
Yigael Yadin, chief of operations...
...And ylsrael Galili, the Haganah commander.
Ben-Gurion: So, what is the position?
We can be sure of exactly two points.
One: On may 15th...
...The British will pull out.
Two: The Arabs will invade.
What is the present strength of the Haganah?
A hundred-thousand able-bodied soldiers.
Including women.
Ariel: And on the other side?
Four-hundred thousand Arab soldiers.
Meged: Four to one.
The regular armies of Egypt, Syria...
...Lebanon, Iraq...
...And Transjordan, if king Abdullah goes in with the Arab league.
Galili: There is the roughest part of the problem:
Abdullah's army is the Arab legion...
...British-trained by john Bagot Glubb.
Worth all the rest of the armies put together.
If Abdullah goes in...
...It could be a calamity.
Well, one way or another...
...What is your projection?
We can't make any kind of solid projection.
We are asking for your professional opinion.
We might as well be honest.
We say the Haganah has 100,000...
...But how many are adequately trained?
Ten thousand.
You ask for a professional opinion.
But what's my real profession?
Archeology.
But alright.
In my opinion, we have as much of a chance to win...
...As we have to lose.
Fifty-fifty.
Could be worse.
(all laughing)
Ben-Gurion: About your note:
I didn't want to discuss it in front of the others.
Golda: Why do they think Transjordan would go with the Arab league?
King Abdullah himself assured me he wouldn't attack.
Ben-Gurion: Our latest intelligence says the opposite.
Golda: I can't believe it.
Well, let me see if Abdullah will meet me at the border again.
No, he won't. I made inquiries.
You know our Arab expert, Ezra Danin?
Yes.
Danin says that Abdullah will meet you, but not at the border.
This time, you will have to go to him. To his capital.
I'll go there. I'll go to Amman.
It is risky.
I wouldn't let you do it...
...Except that if somehow-
God knows how-
If you could keep Abdullah out of the war...
...It might save us.
When can I go?
As soon as we get a plane.
Golda: People ask sometimes if I was nervous...
...About flying in those little, two-seater planes.
Especially in the days...
...When we couldn't service the engines properly.
I don't think I was very nervous.
I'd be too worried about whether or not...
...I'd be able to do the jobs I was sent to do.
Another reason was: I could usually tell...
...The pilot was nervous enough for both of us.
(thumping, rattling)
Golda, then Danin: How are you, Danin? Concerned.
Danin: We have a three-hour drive to Amman...
...Most of it in Arab territory.
We will be stopped at the Arab checkpoints manned by the Arab legion.
No arrangements have been made with those soldiers.
Abdullah doesn't want them to know he's receiving a Jewish guest.
Are you sure you should be taking such a chance?
Danin, if it can save the life of a single Jewish soldier...
...I'll walk to Amman.
Oh, I don't speak Arabic. What do I do about that?
The last thing in the world you would think of doing:
Keep quiet.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
First checkpoint.
And if they ask me any questions?
A Muslim wife in the presence of her husband...
...Is not likely to be asked anything.
(Corporal & driver speaking in Arabic)
(speaking in Arabic)
(Corporal speaking in Arabic)
Mm-hmm.
(Corporal speaking in Arabic)
(suspenseful orchestral music)
Arab women don't smoke?
Not American cigarettes.
(birds twittering)
(footsteps)
Shalom.
Salaam, madam.
Salaam aleikum.
(speaking Arabic)
Thank you.
And what else may I do for you, Mrs. Meyerson?
I've already said in one word what I came here for:
Shalom.
Peace. That's all we want.
Peace is all I want.
Please.
Thank you.
Your majesty...
...The last time you and I met...
...We talked about what you thought was the role of the Jews...
...In the scheme of things.
Yes.
I believe with all my heart...
...That god scattered the Jews throughout the western world...
...For a purpose.
His divine purpose...
...Was for you to absorb western knowledge and progress.
And then, return to the middle east and share it with us...
...Your fellow semites.
You said you'd always be our friend.
That you'd never join in any attack on us.
I am still your friend.
The last months, we have heard...
...That you were under pressure to join with those who intend to attack us.
Pressure is something I am always under.
(laughs)
I sent you a note.
And I've never forgotten your answer.
You said: Madam I'm Bedouin, and the Bedouin always keep his word!
I'm also a king, and the king must keep his word.
But beyond all that
I never break a promise I give to a woman."
What is the status of that promise now?
Why do you people send a woman to deal with me? It's insulting.
Your majesty, she is head of our political action department.
Why do you give such an important position to a woman?
The Jews, traditionally, have not held women in much greater esteem than Muslims have.
Perhaps this is part of the progress which, as your majesty believes...
...We were scattered throughout the western world to absorb.
Inshallah. By the will of god.
Inshallah.
Then I suppose I shall have to accept that.
My dear madam...
...When I made you that promise, I was alone.
Now I'm one of five.
I cannot make decisions alone anymore.
It might pay you to keep your independence.
As long as there is peace...
...We'll honor the borders set by the united nations...
...Including international control of Jerusalem.
We have accepted all that.
But if we are attacked, and we have to fight...
...That is all off.
We'll take whatever territory we can to improve our position.
With five countries against you...
...I cannot see you can take much territory.
You don't know how our strength has increased...
...During the last months.
(birds twittering)
I understand that you have a daughter living on a kibbutz in the Negev.
Revivim?
Yes.
I happen to know that it is directly in the path...
...Of the Egyptian army's plan of attack.
You should take your daughter away to someplace safe.
I appreciate you telling me this. I really do.
But most of the young people at Revivim have mothers too.
And if all the mothers took their children away...
...Who would stop the Egyptians?
I accept that.
Your children will do their duty. And I will do mine.
And the result will be a lot of bloodshed and destruction.
Which would be so easy to avoid.
Just tell me how.
Don't proclaim your state.
Not now. Why are you in such a hurry?
We waited 2000 years.
I wouldn't call that being in hurry.
Well, I accept that too.
Well, why can't you wait for a few years more?
Here is my offer:
I will take over all of Palestine.
The Jews may continue to live there under my protection.
You will be represented in my parliament.
I will take very good care of you.
You have my promise. Why do you not believe it?
Promises aren't good enough for us anymore.
(shouting) That is the only way I can help you.
why are you so stubborn as to refuse me?
Because we must have our own state...
...And the time is now.
If the only way we can have it is to go to war...
...We'll go to war.
And we'll beat you.
I've had enough!
If there is a war, it will be her fault!
(shouting) Her fault!
Because she is a stubborn...
...Arrogant...
...Damned woman.
Your majesty...
...Let's suppose it was a mistake to send me here.
Would it be helpful for you to meet with David Ben-Gurion?
Not really.
If Mr. Ben-Gurion were to announce that he had made peace with me...
...He would be hailed as a hero.
If I were to announce that I had made peace with him...
...I would be murdered.
Golda: Less than four years later...
...King Abdullah was shot dead by an Arab assassin.
At that time I thought: Dear God, what would had happen to us,
had be been minority in an Arab country under his protection.
But on this night, I could only think about the Arab legion...
...Joining four other armies against us.
The legion had tanks.
All through the long, dangerous trip back...
...I said to myself:
"I failed. There will be war. "
(orchestral music)
Narrator: Some scenes from a woman called Golda, part ii
Ben-Gurion: We hereby proclaim...
...The establishment of the Jewish state...
...To be called Israel.
We'll pay for the birth of our nation with our blood.
You know, when somebody asked me how I could make a woman my foreign minister...
"... I said: Golda is the best man in my cabinet. "
After the divorce, would you marry me?
Oh, we both have such important work.
Mrs. Meir, would you be willing to take over as prime minister?
I don't even know what you're saying.
Nobody thinks we should call up the reserves?
Is this because nobody wants to upset the country three days before Yom Kippur?
We blame you for the war. You should resign. And so should he!
I'm glad you came.
I am glad too.
Very glad I came.
So let me ask:
What took you so long?