Former Premier David Ben-Gurion will be 85 on Oct. 16, but the celebration of the event will be spread over 10 weeks “so as not to tire the Old Man too much,” in the words of one of his close aides. On Oct. 6, governmental and Jewish Agency officials will make a pilgrimage to Ben-Gurion’s home at Sde Boker in the Negev, where they will convene under a succah and in a large shed. The same day, the annual meeting of the Bible Circle will be held at Ben-Gurion’s cottage.
On Oct. 7, the former Premier will be the guest of a group of former Americans, Canadians and Russians now living in Israel. On Oct. 22 Ben-Gurion will be honored at a dinner of the United Jewish Appeal Study Mission. The committee coordinating the festivities, headed by Premier Golda Meir, has issued a recording of Ben-Gurion’s major addresses, and the Knesset will present him with a book containing all his parliamentary speeches. The Jewish Agency is sending out background material on the white-haired statesman to Jewish schools around the world.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.