Levi Eshkol

Quick facts

Born

25 October 1895 wd

Place of birth

Kyiv wd

Died

26 February 1969 wd

Place of death

Jerusalem wd

Citizenship

Israel wd

Occupation

politician wd

Political party

Mapai, Israeli Labor Party, The Young Worker wd

Spouse

Miriam Eshkol, Elisheva Kaplan wd

Positions held wd

• Knesset member (28 January 1969 – 26 February 1969)
• Knesset member (23 January 1968 – 28 January 1969)
• Knesset member (22 November 1965 – 23 January 1968)
• Prime Minister of Israel (26 June 1963 – 26 February 1969)
• Minister of Defense of Israel (26 June 1963 – 5 June 1967)
• Knesset member (4 September 1961 – 22 November 1965)
• Knesset member (30 November 1959 – 4 September 1961)
• Knesset member (15 August 1955 – 30 November 1959)
• Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (8 October 1951 – 25 June 1952)
• Knesset member (20 August 1951 – 15 August 1955)

Awards wd

• Grand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast (1966)
• National Order of Madagascar (1966)
• Nebraska Admiral (1965)
• National Order of Chad (1965)
• honorary citizen of Jerusalem (1968)
• honorary doctor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1964)
• honorary doctor of Yeshiva University (1964)

About

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…

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Questions

When was Levi Eshkol born?

Levi Eshkol was born on 25 October 1895 in Kyiv.

What positions has Levi Eshkol held?

Positions held by Levi Eshkol include: Knesset member (1969–1969); Knesset member (1968–1969); Knesset member (1965–1968); Prime Minister of Israel (1963–1969); Minister of Defense of Israel (1963–1967).

Sources

1. Wikipedia (English): Levi Eshkol · CC BY-SA 4.0
2. Wikidata item Q191123 · CC0 1.0
3. Image: Portrait of prime minister Levy Eshkol. August 1963 (3x4 cropped).jpg by David Eldan (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Last updated 31 October 2026 · facts checked 7 November 2026

Cite this page

"Levi Eshkol". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/levi-eshkol. Retrieved 7 November 2026.

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