On This Day in Jewish History: December 1, 1973

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David Ben Gurion passes away at his residence of Kibbutz Sde Boker. David Ben Gurion was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first Prime Minister of Israel.

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The “Old Man”, as he was often referred, was a Russian born Jew (originally named David Grun) that devoted his life to the Zionist and Jewish cause of re-establishing independence in the Land of Israel.

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He was first an educator and later politician, David Ben Gurion resided in two places his last place of residence being Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev Desert. Ben-Gurion and his wife, Paula moved in 1953.

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The heart of the house is Ben-Gurion’s study with a library of 5,000 books. The books cover fields in Judaism and the Bible, philosophy, history, geography and IDF security. The library reflects his wide range of interests, and the many languages he spoke.

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In this room, Ben-Gurion wrote his memoir, which he dedicated mostly for Israel’s youth and next generation where he encouraged many to move and populate the Negev, one of his many dreams.

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David Ben Gurion passed away at this residence. His grave is located on a cliff at Ben Gurion Desert Study Center (South of Kibbutz Sde Boker). Sde Boker was maintained as a museum with an adjacent Gadna millitary base. Today, visitors from all over can come and visit his residence. It is operated by Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute.

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Text Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/david-ben-gurion

Image Source: https://collections.artsmia.org/art/120207/mr-david-ben-gurion-during-his-daily-walk-into-part-of-the-negev-desert-near-his-new-home-at-the-kibbutz-sde-boker-micha-bar-am