Moshe Sharett

In 1910 Sharett and his family moved to Jaffa, where they were part of the foundation of Ahuzat Bayit, today Tel Aviv. Sharett was also a student in the first graduating class of the first Hebrew high school in the country, the Herzliya Gymnasium.

His law study in Istanbul was interrupted by a call to serve the turkish army in World War I as an interpreter.

After the war, his political career started when he joined Achdut Ha'Avoda (Unity of Labor), and later joined Mapai (Israel's workers party). Later he was a member of Poalei Zion (Workers of Zion) and became a deputy editor of the Histadrut daily Davar newspaper until 1931, when he became Secretary of the Jewish Agency's Political Department.

From 1933 and 1948, Sharett was one of the nagotiators between the Zionist Movement and the British Mandatory Authorities. In 1944 he succeeded in forming the Jewish Brigade, an army unit that served in Palestine with the British Army.

In 1947 he was a part of the Jewish People's Council and in May 14 1948 he was one of the signatories of the Proclamation of Independence.

Sharett then became Israel's first Foreign Minister in 1949, establishing a long line of embassies all over the world and creating diplomatic connections with many countries.

After David Ben-Gurion retirement in 1954, Sharett took his place as a Prime Minister, continuing his work in the diplomatic side, developing the immigrant absorption and national socioeconomic issues. When Ben-Gurion was back in November 1955, Sharett yielded the post of the PM to him, but remained Foreign Minister until June 1956.

Upon retirement, he became the head of Am Oved (Working nation) publishing house, Chairman of Beit Berl College and representative of the Labor Party at the Socialist International.

In 1960, elected by the World Zionist Congress to the chairmanship of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency.

Moshe Sharett passed away in 1965 at the age of 71.

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/sharett.html