Can You Ace the Israel Test?

Do you know the movers and shakers of the State of Israel’s history? Let me challenge you to a test—no grades, no prizes!

Since its founding in 1938 (10 years before the State of Israel’s formation), The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry has declared the biblical truth that the Jewish people are God’s Chosen People and Eretz Yisrael is their land (Gen. 15:18; Dt. 7:6). Many of us are familiar with Israel’s biblical history. But how much do we know about its modern history?

Piece of History is an Israeli company that sells figurines of Israeli leaders. Believing these characters would spark conversation, I purchased a number of them over the years and designed what I call my “Israel Test.” The figures stand on a shelf in my office; and I challenge people who visit me, both Jewish and Gentile, to see how many of these leaders they can identify.

Most are happy to take the test, which often produces conversation about Israel and Scripture. Though each figure depicts a historical Jewish leader, my visitors and I also talk about the many Christians God used to facilitate modern Israel’s birth and existence. The Israel Test provides a wonderful opportunity for individuals to develop a greater appreciation for the Jewish nation and its people.

Though I can’t take you to my office to give you the test, let me introduce you to some of my distinguished figurines, a blend of both well-known and unsung heroes who made the Jewish nation the success it is today. How many do you recognize?

1. Moses: The Lawgiver (ca. 1400 BC)
The first member of my collection, Moses, did not come from Piece of History. He predates the State of Israel by about 3,350 years. But I cannot imagine leaving Moses out of the story of the Jewish nation, ancient or modern. So, we’ll begin with him. I purchased his figurine as part of a collection of Bible “superheroes” when my children were young. God used Moshe Rabbeinu (Hebrew for “Moses, our teacher”) to lead His Chosen People out of slavery in Egypt. Moses watched God write and place in his hands the Ten Commandments. He also led the Israelites through the desert for 40 years, to the precipice of Canaan. God prohibited Moses from entering the Promised Land with the rest of the Israelites; but Moses eventually got there when he appeared on a mountain to talk with his Messiah, Jesus (Mt. 17:1–13). The Jewish people’s historical roots in the land are tied directly to Moses.

2. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda: Father of Modern Hebrew (AD 1858–1922)
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda dedicated his life to reviving the spoken language of Hebrew, which had been largely replaced by other languages for centuries. He believed Hebrew was crucial to the establishment of a Jewish state and its national identity. Advocating for the use of Hebrew as a primary language, he raised his first child, Ben-Zion (journalist and Zionist activist Itamar Ben-Avi), to speak only Hebrew. Never has an ethnic people, defeated by an enemy and exiled from its land, returned to that land and resumed speaking its native language—except for Israel. The thanks go to Ben-Yehuda.

3. Theodore Herzl: Father of Zionism (1860–1904)
Theodore Herzl is regarded as the father of Zionism because of his efforts to ensure the Jewish people’s right to their homeland. At the First Zionist Congress, which he convened in 1897, he predicted the establishment of a Jewish state, “perhaps in five years, certainly in 50 years.” (The State of Israel came into existence in 1948—51 years later.) Herzl, a secular Viennese Jew, was determined to secure such a state due to the vicious antisemitism he observed in Paris.

4. Chaim Weizmann: First President of Israel (1874–1952)
Chaim Weizmann served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel (1949–1952). As a distinguished biochemist, he invented synthetic acetone, which was used for explosives to aid the British effort in World War I. Acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation became known as the “Weizmann Process,” named in his honor. The British showed Weizmann favor by signing the Balfour Declaration, which was instrumental to the State of Israel’s establishment.

5. Ze’ev Jabotinsky: Preeminent Zionist (1880–1940)
Ze’ev Jabotinsky led the Revisionist Zionist movement, which called for the establishment of a Jewish state. He founded the Jewish Self-Defense Organization in Odessa, Russia, and cofounded the Jewish Legion of the British Army in World War I. As a delegate to the 6th Zionist Congress, Jabotinsky became impassioned by the fervor of Zionist activists. He spread the Hebrew language and culture throughout Russia and quickly became the country’s foremost Zionist lecturer and journalist.

6. David Ben-Gurion: Father of the Nation (1886–1973)
David Ben-Gurion, known as Israel’s Founding Father, served as both Israel’s first prime minister and minister of defense. With the stroke of his pen, the Jewish nation was reborn, as he formally proclaimed the State of Israel’s establishment and became the first person to sign its Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. He played a crucial role in establishing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and guiding the nation through its early years.

7. Golda Meir: The “Iron Lady” of Israel (1898–1978)
Golda Meir was Israel’s fourth prime minister, the first—and so far, the only—woman to serve in this position, though Prime Minister Ben-Gurion affectionately called her “the best man in government.” Born in Kiev, Ukraine, she immigrated with her family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at age 8. She married and taught school, but her passion for Zionism drove her to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) and join a kibbutz in 1921. During Israel’s War of Independence, Meir raised $50 million from American Jews, which was used to purchase military weapons and equipment vital to winning the war.

8. Menachem Begin: Peacemaker (1913–1992)
Menachem Begin was the sixth prime minister of Israel and the founder of the Likud political party. He became known as a visionary for peace after cooperating with U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in the peace talks held at Camp David. As a result, Begin and Sadat won the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.

9. Moshe Dayan: IDF General (1915–1981)
Moshe Dayan, one of Israel’s most famous generals, was born in Israel’s first kibbutz, Degania Alef. He fought courageously for Israel’s independence and became internationally famous after the 1967 Six-Day War. He was easily recognized by the patch he wore over his left eye, which he lost to a sniper’s bullet in a World War II battle in Lebanon in 1941. He was also a Knesset (legislative branch) member and served as defense minister.

10. Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier for Peace (1922–1995)
Yitzhak Rabin served two terms as prime minister of Israel (1974–1977, 1992–1995). Born in Jerusalem, Rabin was both a soldier for the military and a minister for peace. He negotiated the Oslo Accords with Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton. Tragically, an Israeli extremist who opposed the Accords assassinated Rabin in 1995.

11. Shimon Peres: Prime Minister and President (1923–2016)
Shimon Peres served as the eighth prime minister of Israel (1984–1986, 1995–1996) and the nation’s ninth president (2007–2014). His political career spanned 70 years, including a record 48 years as a member of Israel’s Knesset. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat in 1994.

12. Ariel Sharon: Hero of the Sinai (1928–2014)
Ariel Sharon, Israel’s 11th prime minister, served in the IDF for more than 25 years. He led the heroic crossing of the Suez Canal, which secured an Israeli victory in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In 2005, seeking peace, Sharon gave the controversial order to disengage from Gaza, commanding the IDF to physically remove Israelis who had lived there for 30 years in order to provide land for the Palestinians.

There. I’ve given you all the answers to my Israel Test.

These figures represent only a small portion of the many prominent movers and shakers who helped establish or serve the nation of Israel. Scripture tells us, “There is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Rom. 13:1). I hope this condensed history of Israel’s leaders will encourage you to pray for “all who are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:2). And, as always, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6).