Even, Abba

Aubrey Eban was born in Cape Town , South Africa , and moved to England at an early age. He studied at St. Olav's Gymnasium in the Saterk district of London , then enrolled at Queens College at Cambridge University to study classics and Oriental languages, where he achieved great success. He recalled that as a child, he went to his grandfather's home every weekend to study Hebrew and biblical literature ^[6] .

During his studies at the university, he actively participated in the Zionist Youth Federation and was the editor of his ideological journal Young Zionist. After graduating with honors, he began to study Arabic and Hebrew, being an employee of Pembroke College in 1938-1939. With the outbreak of World War II, in December 1939, he got a job with Chaim Weizmann at the World Zionist Organization in London . A few months later he joined the British Army in Egypt and Mandatory Palestine , becoming an intelligence officer in Jerusalem, where he rose to the rank of major. He coordinated and trained resistance volunteers in the event of a German invasion, and served as a liaison between the Allies and the Jewish Yishuv . Based on his language skills, in 1947 he translated Tawfik al-Hakim’s novel into Arabic from the original.

He spoke fluently in 10 languages ^[7] . In 1952, Even was elected vice president of the UN General Assembly ^[8] .

He left the United States in 1959 and returned to Israel , where he was elected to the Knesset from the Mapay party . He worked under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion as Minister of Education and Culture from 1960 to 1963 , and then as Deputy Prime Minister Levi Eshkol until 1966 . Throughout this period (1959-1966), he also served as president of the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot .

In 1988 , after three decades in the Knesset, he lost his seat due to internal collapse in the Labor Party. He devoted his remaining life to writing books and teaching, including by serving as a visiting fellow at Princeton University, Columbia University, and George Washington University.

Abba Even died in 2002 and was buried in Kfar Shmaryahu , north of Tel Aviv .

Even's cousin, Oliver Sachs is a neurologist and writer. Abba Even's son, Eli Even, is a famous clarinet player who teaches at Indiana University. Eli Even has two children, Yael and Omri Eban.

In 2001, Even was awarded the Israeli State Prize for his achievements in life and his special contribution to the development of society and the state. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

• The voice of Israel. 1957. OCLC 332941 (Voice of Israel)
• The wave of nationalism. 1959. OCLC 371099 (The tide of nationalism)
• My people: the history of the Jews. 1968. ISBN 0-394-72759-2 (My people: the story of the Jews)
• My country: the history of modern Israel. 1972. ISBN 0-394-46314-5 (My country: the story of modern Israel)
• Abba Even: an autobiography. 1977. ISBN 0-394-49302-8 (Abba Eban: an autobiography)
• New diplomacy: international relations in the modern era. 1983. ISBN 0-394-50283-3 (The new diplomacy: international affairs in the modern age)
• Legacy: Civilization and the Jews. 1984. ISBN 0-671-44103-5 (Heritage: civilization and the Jews)
• Personal Testimony: Israel Through My Eyes. 1992. ISBN 0-399-13589-8 (Personal witness: Israel through my eyes)
• New Age Diplomacy. 1998. ISBN 0-300-07287-2 (Diplomacy for a new century)

• on the Knesset website

• List of Israel State Prize Laureates