Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
📖

Menachem Begin

society Maturity 13-18 death dying war conflict politics Next article →

This article covers sensitive topics: death_dying, war_conflict, politics. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Menachem Begin was a major Israeli politician.

Menachem Begin 1978
Menachem Begin 1978

He served as the prime minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983. Before he led the nation, he was a leader of a militant group. This group was called the Irgun. The Irgun was a breakaway from a larger organization named the Haganah. Begin's life was shaped by his work for the Zionist movement. Zionism is the movement for the establishment of a Jewish state. His leadership changed the political landscape of Israel forever.

Begin was born in 1913 in Brest-Litovsk. This city is now part of Belarus in the Russian Empire.

FAMILY PICTURE OF MENAHEM BEGIN (TOP L) WITH SISTER RACHEL AND LATE BROTHER HERZL WITH THEIR PARENTS IN THEIR HOME TOWN IN POLAND. תצלום משפחתי של מנחD690-049
FAMILY PICTURE OF MENAHEM BEGIN (TOP L) WITH SISTER RACHEL AND LATE BROTHER HERZL WITH THEIR PARENTS IN THEIR HOME TOWN IN POLAND. תצלום משפחתי של מנחD690-049

His father, Zeev Dov, was a timber merchant and a community leader. Begin studied law at the University of Warsaw. While there, he mastered oratory and rhetoric. Oratory is the art of formal public speaking. These skills became his trademark as a politician. He also organized a self-defense group for Jewish students on campus.

His early life included significant political training. He joined a youth movement called Betar.

BeginBeitar1935
BeginBeitar1935

He eventually became the head of the largest Betar branch in Poland. In 1939, he tried to help 1,500 Jews reach Palestine through Romania. This effort was unsuccessful. After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Begin fled to Wilno. In 1940, the Soviet NKVD arrested him.

Menachem Begin in September 1940
Menachem Begin in September 1940

They accused him of being an agent of British imperialism. He was sentenced to eight years in Soviet gulag labor camps.

Begin later joined the Free Polish Anders' Army. He served as a corporal officer cadet. In 1942, he arrived in Palestine via the Persian Corridor. He faced a difficult choice about his future. He could stay with the Polish army or fight for a Jewish state. After negotiations, he received a leave of absence. He officially joined the Irgun in December 1942.

During this time, he lost his mother and brother to the Holocaust.

As leader of the Irgun, Begin took direct action. He proclaimed a revolt against the British government in 1944. The British held authority over Palestine at that time.

The Irgun targeted British forces in Palestine. One notable event was the King David Hotel bombing. Later, the Irgun fought in the 1947–48 civil war. The British government called him the leader of a notorious organization. After the state was formed, Begin founded the Herut party. He later helped found the Likud party.

Begin's political rise reached a peak in 1977.

He won the election and became prime minister. This victory ended thirty years of dominance by the Labor Party. His most famous achievement was a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979.

Sadat and Begin clean3
Sadat and Begin clean3

He signed this treaty following the Camp David Accords. For this work, Begin and Anwar Sadat shared the Nobel Peace Prize. As a result, the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula. This area had been captured during the Six-Day War.

His later years involved intense military and social conflicts. His government promoted Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In 1982, he authorized the invasion of Lebanon. This action started the 1982 Lebanon War. During this conflict, the Sabra and Shatila massacre occurred. This event involved Christian Phalangist militia allies. The massacre shocked the public and left Begin feeling isolated. He also faced economic problems like hyperinflation.

Begin Brzezinski Camp David Chess
Begin Brzezinski Camp David Chess

After his wife Aliza died in 1982, he withdrew from public life. He resigned from office in October 1983.

564 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (22)
File:FAMILY PICTURE OF MENAHEM BEGIN (TOP L) WITH SISTER RACHEL AND LATE BROTHER HERZL WITH THEIR PARENTS IN THEIR HOME TOWN IN POLAND. תצלום משפחתי של מנחD690-049.jpg
FAMILY PICTURE OF MENAHEM BEGIN (TOP L)...
File:BeginBeitar1935.jpg
BeginBeitar1935.jpg
File:Menachem Begin in September 1940.jpg
Menachem Begin in September 1940.jpg
File:MENAHEM BEGIN IN POLISH ARMY UNIFORM WITH WIFE ALIZA IN TEL-AVIV. COURTESY JABOTINSKY INSTITUTE. מנחם בגין במדי הצבא הפולני עם רעייתו עליזה , בתל אביבD705-085.jpg
MENAHEM BEGIN IN POLISH ARMY UNIFORM WITH...
AJI view 846.TIF
File:Menahem Begin during his "Rabbi Sassover" period with wife Aliza and son Benyamin-Zeev in Tel Aviv.jpg
Menahem Begin during his "Rabbi Sassover"...
File:Flickr - Government Press Office - Menahem Begin visit the "Etzel" camp.jpg
Flickr - Government Press Office -...
File:Menachem Begin inspecting Irgun members 1948.jpg
Menachem Begin inspecting Irgun members 1948.jpg
File:Altalena off Tel-Aviv beach.jpg
Altalena off Tel-Aviv beach.jpg
File:Atalena crew.jpg
Atalena crew.jpg
File:Menachem Begin při projevu v srpnu 1948.jpg
Menachem Begin při projevu v srpnu 1948.jpg
File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Begin in the Knesset.jpg
Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) -...

+ 10 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.