Golda’s War Diaries is presented by the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival in association with Temple Beth Shalom’s Israel Committee.
In September 2023, the official protocols of Prime Minister Golda Meir’s office covering the Yom Kippur War were made public. Released by Israel’s National Archive to mark the 50th anniversary of the war, they contradict many of the myths of Golda’s shortcomings and provide a clearer picture of her contributions. Golda’s War Diaries, which is based on these archives, tells the story of those fateful days in the Prime Minister’s own words and those who were with her. It is a unique glimpse of the real story.
Following the film, David Shulman, Chair of Temple Beth Shalom’s Israel Committee, will be in conversation with Prof. Meron Medzini. Prof. Medzini was Golda Meir’s spokesperson at the time of the Yom Kippur War and also served as spokesperson for Prime Ministers Levi Eshkol and Yitzhak Rabin. HIs book, Golda – A Political Biography. won the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize.
The conversation is pre-recorded due to the time difference with Israel.
Meet Prof. Meron Medzini, Hebrew University Jerusalem
Professor (Emeritus) Meron Medzini was born in Jerusalem in 1932. After high school, he served as an infantry officer in the Israeli army and then traveled to the United States to obtain university degrees., including a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Asian Studies. Between 1962 and 1978, he served as director of the Israel Government Press Office and in that capacity was spokesperson for Prime Ministers Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, and Yitzhak Rabin.
Prof. Medzini has pursued an academic career and is the author of nine books. His Golda – A Political Biography (De Gruyter Verlag, Berlin, 2016) won the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize. In 2016, the Japanese Government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun for promoting Israel-Japan Cultural relations. More recently he served as a consultant to the film Golda which starred Helen Mirren.
Meet David Shulman
David Shulman is a retired Wall Street research executive (Salomon Brothers, Lehman Brothers) and a semi-retired academic in economics and finance. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Summit Jewish Community and is currently on the Board of Temple Beth Shalom where he chairs the Israel Committee. He organized a series of Santa Fe-wide events to celebrate Israel at 75.