Ben-Gurion: Titan of Israel with Michael Mandelbaum

Description

David Ben-Gurion was the single most important figure in the founding of modern Israel and also during the first two decades of independence. He built the Israel Defense Forces, shaped the country’s alliances, and solidified its democratic system of governance. For these reasons, Michael Mandelbaum included him in a book on eight political titans of the twentieth century (along with Woodrow Wilson, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, FDR, Gandhi, and Mao). Who was David Ben-Gurion? How is the impact of his contribution felt even today? Has the country deviated from his vision?

Michael Mandelbaum is a professor at the Johns Hopkins University at its School of Advanced International Studies. He has written eighteen books, the most recent being The Titans of the Twentieth Century: How They Made History and the History They Made (Oxford University Press, 2024). He holds a B.A from Yale, an M.A. from Cambridge, and a Ph.D. from Harvard.