Philip Rubenstein
Israel’s Prime Ministers, Part 2: Who Leads After a Giant?

Succeeding Davd Ben-Gurion was an unenviable task. Israel’s second and third prime ministers, Moshe Sharett (1954–55) and Levi Eshkol (1963–69), governed in his long shadow—and often under his direct interference. Both men were strikingly different from their formidable predecessor: less fiery, less combative, more moderate and cautious in temperament. They led Israel during perilous years, when war, economic strain, state-building, and the absorption of mass immigration were constant pressures, and when rivals with greater charisma loomed large on the political stage. Long remembered, if at all, as “forgotten prime ministers,” Sharett and Eshkol have been reassessed in recent years, with fresh attention paid to their decisions, leadership styles, and enduring contributions. This lecture asks a simple question: In Israel’s formative years, was charisma essential—or could quieter leadership succeed?