Yad Levi Eshkol
 The Levi Eshkol Center operated by Yad Levi Eshkol, 2016 | |
| Founded | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Government of Israel |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Focus | Education |
| Location |
|
Key people | Miriam Eshkol |
| Website | http://www.levi-eshkol.org.il |
Yad Levi Eshkol (Hebrew: יד לוי אשכול) is the official non-governmental organization commemorating Israeli prime minister Levi Eshkol. The organization was founded in accordance with a government resolution made in 1970. Yad Levi Eshkol is carrying public activities in the fields of education, research and documentation. Its founding chairwoman was Mrs. Miriam Eshkol who headed the organization until 2008.
History
The initial resolution to establish an institution in memory of prime minister Levi Eshkol was made shortly after his passing in 1969. A committee headed by Yigal Alon and made up of government ministers and members of the Jewish Agency directorate recommended that Yad Levi Eshkol be formed to organize Eshkol's archive. Yad Levi Eshkol was registered in 1970.
Yad Levi Eshkol was headed by Mrs. Miriam Eshkol from 1970 to 2008, when she was named Honorary President. Founding members of Yad Levi Eshkol include: Assaf Agin, Avraham Agmon, Ephraim Ben-Artzi, David Kalderon, Ami Kamir, Moshe Sanbar, Shmuel Shilo, Simcha Soroker, Aharon Uzan, Aviad Yafeh and Gershon Zak. Past members of the executive board included Michael Arnon, Shraga Biran and Arie Eliav. Snce 1990, it operates as a non-governmental organization.
Activity
Educational activity
Yad Levi Eshkol is committed to educational initiatives, performed daily across Israel and concerning up-to-date views on Levi Eshkol's actions and their relevant outcomes—surrounding the Six-Day War, the affects of his work in Mekorot water company, outcomes of the immigrant absorption policy in the Jewish Agency, and various social and economic matters shaped by Eshkol's public roles.
Activities include the annual memorial service held at the grave plot on Mt. Herzl.
Archive and research
Prime minister Eshkol's personal archive, containing some fifty thousand documents dating from World War I era and until the Prime Minister's passing, is being held at Yad Levi Eshkol. Digitization of the archives commenced in 2014, alongside attempts to expand its findings by launching an oral history project for gathering testimonials of Levi Eshkol's acquaintances.
Yad Levi Eshkol initiates and sponsors publications and historical research concerning Levi Eshkol's life and actions, including two biographies printed in Russian (2005) and in Hebrew (2014).
Levi Eshkol House
In 1977, Yad Levi Eshkol was named custodian of the Jacobs Residence (the former official Israeli Prime Minister's Residence, until 1974) and tasked with the establishment of an institute commemorating Levi Eshkol. Eshkol lived in the residence on two occasions, as Minister of Finance (1953–1955) and as Prime Minister (1963–1969). It wasn't until two decades later that Yad Levi Eshkol was able to raise funds and make restoration work on the building, which eventually stopped in 2003 due to insufficient funding. Restoration recommenced in 2014 and the building was opened to the public in 2016, dedicated in remembrance of Levi Eshkol.[1]
The house in Rehavia that now houses Beit Levi Eshkol was built in 1933 for a senior British Mandate official. In 1950-1974, it served as the official resident of Israel's prime ministers. [2]
References
External links
- Yad Levi Eshkol's official website