Aliya from ‘affluent countries’ and David Ben-Gurion’s descent from the political scene

In May–June 1969, David Ben-Gurion set out on his last trip abroad. Ben-Gurion, eighty-two years old, was aware of his situation and knew what the ravages of time had done to his ability to function. Still, he felt physically fit enough for one last effort. Thus, he spent five weeks visiting Jewish communities on three continents–his longest stay outside Israel since the country had been founded. The worldview that undergirded the journey and lent them purpose and meaning within the whole of Ben-Gurion’s outlook on the Jewish and Israeli reality sheds multifaceted light on the leader in his dotage.