An Unlikely Hero Emerges on the Battlefields of Ukraine — And She Made a Mean Chicken Soup

It might have come as a shock to the urbane sages of MSNBC — as it seemed to — but in an interview with the network yesterday an official in Kiev cited none other than Golda Meir as an emerging heroine of the Ukrainian people. Israelis, however, will not be surprised if on Sunday, when President Zelensky is due to address Knesset members via Zoom, he cites a quote or two from the ever-witty Meir. They know by now that alongside Winston Churchill, the Kiev-born, Milwaukee-raised first female prime minister of Israel is Ukraine’s most admired historical figure.It turns out that her Zionist writings, quips, and observations about how to conduct life under constant threat of war are passed around and widely quoted in Ukraine.In the MSNBC interview, Ivanna Klympush, the chairwoman of the parliamentary committee to integrate Ukraine into the European Union, was asked about diplomatic relations between Kiev and Moscow. “It’s pretty difficult to have negotiations with a terrorist country that works exclusively through ultimatums, and wants to destroy you,” she said. Ms. Klympush then added, “That’s something that Golda Meir at some point said about Israel, that it’s impossible to negotiate on peace with someone who only wants to … kill you. That is something we are going through right now.” Ms. Klympush was interviewed by MSNBC’s most frequent critic of Israel, Mehdi Hassan. In a tweet that went viral, a researcher for the pro-Israel organization Camera, Gilead Ini, said, “One could almost hear Mehdi Hassan’s blood pressure shoot through the roof.”In Ukraine, however, citing Golda is common nowadays. Shortly after Russia invaded the country, a veteran Israeli war correspondent, Ron Ben Yishai, interviewed a Ukrainian soldier at Kiev. The soldier gave only his first name, Alex, but volunteered that his combat name is Zion.When Mr. Ben Yishai asked why, the non-Jewish soldier shot back, “Because I’m a Zionist.” Then, carrying a kalashnikov, several rounds of ammunition, and a large helmet, Alex offered the contents of his combat backpack: “This is a night vision device, this is water, this is headphones, and this is my favorite book.”Upon which the soldier pulled out a tome titled “Golda” — a Ukrainian translation of a biography written by Elinor Burkett that has become part of his battle gear.Golda Mabovitch was born in Kiev in 1898, a year after the First Zionist Congress convened at Basel. Kiev at that time was part of the tsarist Russian empire. She was 8 years old when her family moved to America to escape pogroms. In 1917, she married Morris Meyerson. An avid young Zionist, she arrived in what then was Palestine in 1921.After another name change, to the Hebrew-sounding Meir (“shines”), she entered politics and quickly rose in the ranks of Mapai, the democratic socialist party that was dominant in Israel at the time. Her well-polished knowledge of the English language served her well as the young country’s foreign minister.In 1969 Golda acceded to prime minister, Israel’s fourth. Meir’s folksy ways, sensible shoes, wit, and motherly persona were best illustrated in what the press dubbed as “Golda’s Kitchen,” a cozy area in her small, unassuming apartment where she gathered a small coterie of aides and trusted cabinet members.At Golda’s kitchen many of her most oft-quoted sayings were cooked, like, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.” All Kiev patriots need to do is change “Arabs” to “Russians” and “Jews” to “Ukrainians” and the words apply. When Meir rose to the premiership, Israel still basked in the glory of one of history’s most stunning war victories, the 1967 Six Day War. By October 1973, when another war came, the Israeli Defense Force was caught unprepared. Historians blamed hubris for the ruinous first days of the war. By the end, three weeks hence, of what became known as the Yom Kippur War, the IDF managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Meir’s reputation was nonetheless somewhat tainted in the eyes of many Israelis. Yet years after Meir left office in 1974, Israelis have renewed their affections to the wisdom she displayed through her long career. Among other things, she made a mean chicken soup.Meir also became admired around the world, including by feminists who saw her as a pioneering figure. In 1982 Ingrid Bergman played her in “A Woman Named Golda,” and Guy Nativ’s “Golda,” starting Helen Mirren, is due to be released later this year.As the David versus Goliath battle in Ukraine rages on, the Mabovitch family that escaped Kiev at the end of the 19th century is hardly remembered. In a country now led by a Jewish president, though, many feel an abiding kinship to the Jewish state. No wonder they’ve reclaimed Golda Meir as one of their own.

An Unlikely Hero Emerges on the Battlefields of Ukraine — And She Made a Mean Chicken Soup

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