Israel’s 4th Prime Minister, Golda Meir, was a different breed of politician from many of the men around her. A tough talking, charismatic, and brilliant leader, Golda defied many of the old-fashioned expectations of womanhood of her time - yet she also leaned into her feminine identity. She was one of the first high-profile career women to openly discuss the challenges of being a working mother, and throughout her life, she proudly proclaimed her love of cooking, seen as a stereotypically feminine activity in her time.
Bonding with Others Through Food
The female Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci and Golda Meir had a warm bond. When Oriana asked Golda in 1972 how she felt about David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, routinely referring to Golda as the “only man” in his Cabinet, Golda let loose. “I’ve always found (that phrase) irritating, though men use it as a great compliment. Is it? I wouldn’t say so. Because what does it really mean? That it’s better to be a man than a woman, a principle on which I don’t agree at all!” For Golda Meir, traditional female pursuits - including cooking and entertaining guests with a homemade meal - remained important outlets.
Golda was born in 1898 in Kiev, Ukraine, into a large, warm Jewish family. She fondly recalled Shabbat evenings in her parents’ home, when crowds of relatives and guests would stay up late into the night, singing Shabbat songs, loudly discussing politics in Yiddish, and savoring her mother’s delicious Shabbat foods. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1906 to escape violent pogroms in Russia. (Golda’s earliest memory was of her terrified father boarding up the windows and door to their home to protect her and her family.) Golda and her husband Morris moved to the Land of Israel in 1921. Even though food was exceedingly scarce in those pre-State years, Golda never lost her love of cooking, and her appreciation of traditional Jewish foods. When she and Morris moved to an impoverished kibbutz, or communal farm, Golda helped organize workers - and also experimented with ways to recreate classic Jewish dishes like chopped liver out of simple foods like beans, chickpeas, eggplant, and zucchini.
Kitchen Cabinet
Original black and white photo by David Rubinger of Golda Meir in 1950
By the time she became Prime Minister in 1969, Golda was well known for her culinary habits. She drank a dozen cups of coffee every day, and kept two kettles full of strong coffee brewing on her stove all day long to offer guests. She also instituted a unique - and controversial - political practice: inviting a select group of advisors into her apartment’s tiny kitchen with its small formica table to eat and drink and make high level decisions, away from the prying eyes and ears of other politicians.
Friends and foes alike called it Hamitbachon shel Golda - Golda’s Little Kitchen. “It was a mark of honor to be invited to meetings in Golda’s kitchen,” Lova Eliav, former Labor Party Secretary General, once recalled. “She was an excellent baker. We all loved the once-a-week ritual….she would serve her guests coffee and cheesecake or apple strudel. She flat out refused any kind of help. It would insult her.”
In the new movie Golda, Golda Meir - masterfully played by Helen Mirren - is shown baking and then serving cake to her inner circle of advisers. It’s a largely accurate scene that captures the real-life Golda’s warmth and love of creating and sharing Jewish dishes.
Golda opens in US theaters starting August 25th from Bleecker Street / ShivHans Pictures. Fathom Sneak Screenings on August 23rd.
In honor of the opening it’s time to make Golda’s Salad.
My uncle was head chef at the (now demolished) Ramat Aviv Hotel in Tel Aviv. One of his proudest moments was when, during a banquet, Mrs. Meir complimented his cooking. It was a story he told fondly and often.
Ela foi uma Grande Mulher e Política de imensa importância para Israel! Tomara houvessem outras "Goldas" nesse difícil momento político do país!!
Thank you for inspiring us!!!!! Shabbat Shalom
Good article about one of the greatest leaders of our times. I admired her intellect, her humility and her humanity.
We saw the Israeli premiere of "Golda" as part of the Jerusalem Film Festival. Helen Mirren was fantastic as Golda, and the various conflicts among the "kitchen cabinet" were effectively portrayed. Go see it when it comes to North America!
I remember Golds Meir in the news. She really fascinated me. I was in my early 20s and still being told to marry and start my life. It really was awe inspiring to see a woman as head of her country. That men voted for this woman was a mystery to me; only because men scared me. I didn’t know anyone to talk to about men. My mother clearly found her better/other half. My dad also clearly found his better/ other half.