Eliahu Elath (Epstein) Is Born in Russia

Born in Russia, Elath (Epstein) settles in the Land of Israel in 1924. He learns Arabic working for the British in Transjordan, and earns a degree at the American Univeristy of Beirut. In 1934, he becomes director of the Middle East Department of the Jewish Agency, later becoming the head of the Jewish Agency’s Political Office in Washington DC in 1945. Elath likewise serves as Israel’s first Ambassador to the United States until 1950, when he becomes a minister to the United Kingdom. Elath serves in London until 1959 and in 1962, becomes the President of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His career is dotted with major successes in building a Jewish state in Palestine.