Golda Meir

=== Second phase of the war and appointment to Minister Plenipotentiary ===
On 14 May 1948, Meir became one of 24 signatories (including two women) of the [[Israeli Declaration of Independence]]. She later recalled, "After I signed, I cried. When I studied American history as a schoolgirl and I read about those who signed the [[U.S. Declaration of Independence]], I couldn't imagine these were real people doing something real. And there I was sitting down and signing a declaration of establishment."

A day after independence, the second phase of the war began. Meir also suddenly lost her job and administrative responsibilities, as the Political Department became the provisional Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and her leadership role in Jerusalem was taken over by [[Dov Yosef]].

On 18 May, she embarked on a second and even more successful fundraising tour in which she raised around $50 million. In total, her fundraising efforts raised around $90 million, around a third of the cost of the war ($275 million).<ref name=":2" /> During preparations for this trip, she was issued the first Israeli passport.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Golda |url=http://www.emeryweiner.org/cmtpages.php?file_name=goldacircle&link_id=294&preview=A |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726030417/http://www.emeryweiner.org/cmtpages.php?file_name=goldacircle&link_id=294&preview=A |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |publisher=The Emery/Weiner School}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pine |first=Dan |title=Golda Meir's life was devoted to building Zionism |url=http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/26398/edition_id/509/format/html/displaystory.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826214419/http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/26545/golda-meir-s-life-was-devoted-to-building-zionism/ |archive-date=August 26, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2005 |publisher=San Francisco Jewish Community Publications}}</ref> Over the ten weeks that she was gone, Israel was battered by the war and changed drastically. 

On 25 June, while still in the United States, Meir was appointed by Sharett, then the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the minister [[plenipotentiary]] to the [[Soviet Union]], which recently recognized Israel.

Meir was displeased by the offer. She spoke no Russian and feared being lonely in Moscow. She said "At last we have a state. I want to be there. I don't want to go thousands of miles away. Why do I always have to go away?"<ref name=":1" />

Her return to Israel was delayed due to a car crash in which she tore a ligament and fractured a bone.<ref name=":1" /> Soviet officials refused to believe she was in hospital and wanted an Israeli envoy as soon as possible. Thus she ignored doctor's orders to rest and returned to Israel on 29 July. Years later, her leg would frequently pain her.