David Ben-Gurion, national father of modern Israel, passed away on December 1, 1973, at the age of 87. The former Prime Minister of Israel was born, David Gruen, in Plonsk, Poland on October 16th, 1886. In 1906 he arrived in what was then Palestine, and changed his name to Ben-Gurion. An active member of the World Zionist movement, he recognized the importance of self-determination and the struggle to create a Jewish homeland. As leader of the Yishuv, the Jewish community of Palestine, he was elected Chairman of the Jewish Agency in 1935. Following the proclamation of Israeli independence on May 14, 1948, Ben-Gurion served as Prime Minister of the newly formed State of Israel from 1948-1953 and again from 1955-1963. He masterminded defense strategy during the War of Independence and was a key negotiator in the conflict resolution talks with Syria that resulted in the 1949 armistice. The symbol of Israeli resilience, Ben-Gurion established numerous social and economic reform programs to aid Israel during its formative years. His legacy lives on in the State of Israel which he fought so hard to create and which he later guided with determination and distinction. Rest in peace, David Ben-Gurion.