As he toiled in his capacity as Prime Minister. the people of Israel worked in their cities and agricultural settlements to build their country and create a prosperity unique in the Middle East. It was BenGurion who inspired his people. It was BenGurion who lived a life of prophetic simplicity and dedication to the single cause of building a Jewish homeland. To the hundreds of thousands of Jews who came to Israel in search of a haven from persecution and destruction. David BenGurion was a living inspiration. He. too. was a refugee from oppression. He. too. was a dedicated pioneer in an undeveloped land. He. too. was a believer in the Zionist dream of Theodore Herzl.