“A leader who doesn’t hesitate to send his people into battle is not fit to be a leader.” These words spoken by one of Israel’s most iconic leaders, Golda Meir, speak to her charm, her wit and passionate commitment to Zionism, humanitarianism and peace. And yet, despite her many successes and widespread popularity, her failures brought her leadership of Israel to an end. Through examination of Golda’s achievements as well as her mistakes during her five years as Prime Minister, and through discussion questions, and debate, this resource immerses learners in analyzing the characteristics of a successful leader and the relevance of these characteristics to assessing our contemporary political leaders.
The learners will:
understand the role of successes and failures, and strengths and weaknesses contribute to strong leadership
know the impact of Golda Meir’s leadership on the State of Israel; the qualities and achievements that won her support and admiration and the decisions she made which have impacted her legacy to this day
be able to formulate the top five characteristics of a successful leader and to assess Golda Meir’s legacy as a major Zionist leader and Prime Minister of Israel.
Unpacked for Educators materials include:
An educator’s guide that contains many rich components. These are organized under the following titles:
review (questions that relate to the video)
discussion
activities
reflection
further learning
A video designed to spark interest in the topic.
A lesson plan (link in the attachment above) that incorporates additional building blocks for the construction of an engaging and interactive lesson.
Computer, Projector, Student Handout
The website link includes a “further learning” section in the educator’s guide.