Newly published photos of David Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula provide a glimpse into their early days as pioneers in the Negev. The photos, from the early days of Kibbutz Sde Boker, depict their close connection with the young pioneers and their role among the founding core members. The kibbutz's infants were housed in the first mud-brick house, near an agricultural experimentation lab the founders established.
In 1953, Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, moved to live in Kibbutz Sde Boker. He came together with Paula, and they became part of the kibbutz, established on May 15, 1952. On the occasion of the kibbutz's 72nd anniversary, a film was produced recounting the early days of the kibbutz. For this event, the founders' children were invited. One of them was Liora Steinhardt, daughter of founders Ze'ev and Ruta. After the screening, Liora shared childhood photos from the kibbutz archives. These photos were passed on to Naava Bekrech, the wife of one of the founders who still resides in the kibbutz.
In the photos, Ben-Gurion and Paula are seen with the group of founders in one of the barracks in 1956. Ben-Gurion appears enjoying a glass of wine, while Paula is close to Liora's cradle, one of the first babies born in the kibbutz. In another photo, Paula is seen leaning toward Liora, almost like a grandmother. The photos were archived in the kibbutz and later transferred to Ben-Gurion's house.
"Here we see that Ben-Gurion and Paula were involved in every aspect of this young community in Sde Boker," says Gil Schneider, the house's manager. "It seems they were truly integrated into the group. Most of the photos were not posed. Neither David nor Paula was the center but rather part of the general atmosphere."
"In one photo, they celebrate Liora's first birthday, and the Ben-Gurions are also part of the celebration, not standing out. They are part of the gang, like they're in their twenties. This illustrates the story we're telling here, that Ben-Gurion decided to join Sde Boker despite his age and role. At age 67, he requested to be a pioneer like all the Negev settler," Schneider said.
Liora, now 69 and living in Yokne'am, recounted that her family left the kibbutz in 1959. "My mother came to Sde Boker in the same year that Ben-Gurion arrived. I was born a redhead. At that time, there wasn't much pregnancy nutrition. They received canned fish in tomato sauce. When I arrived at the commune, everyone was shocked by my red hair, which my parents didn't have. They said my mother probably ate too much canned fish. She told me that Ben-Gurion, who lived nearby, entered the hut and said, 'What's with this color? Where did this color come from?' She was rolling with laughter when she told that," she said.
Bekrech, now 83, recalled: "The photos were from the early days of Sde Boker, when they were more involved. I arrived in 1959 in Garin Nahal, and I lived in the barracks next to Paula. These early days were a kind of togetherness. It's moving to see their involvement with this special group in the pictures. They were part of it. My impression was that Paula sought companionship. We were young, but despite that she invited us over. She was a mature woman, more involved in our lives than her husband, who was busy writing his memoirs and hosting guests. She passed through the kitchen and was interested in the pots, asking what was cooking."
"I remember from the kibbutz my room and the crib next to the window in the hut," Liora recounted. "My mother worked in the animal pen with David Ben-Gurion. She worked as a shepherd, and there's even a famous picture of her with Ruth's goat that appeared in a German newspaper. My father was quiet and modest but with a great sense of humor. My mother said Paula used to bring all sorts of snacks from abroad and said, 'Eat, eat, or we'll have to throw this out.' It's one of the sentences that we heard in our house all our lives. Even the grandchildren know it."