On October 17^th, 2023, bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States called for a day of fasting and prayer for Israel.  Ten days prior to this, Israel had been attacked by the Islamic terrorist organization called Hamas.  In the intervening days, the Jewish nation responded.  The destruction has been terrible.  There are also some remarkable aspects to what has taken place, for a practicing Catholic and cinematically speaking.  This conflict is going on in a part of the world that has ties to the three monotheistic religions that started in this area and have spread across the globe.  Jesus, who is also seen as a minor prophet in Islam, walked through these areas.  He also grew up as a Jew, and taught that faith in synagogues.  Though the relationship has had some unfortunate occurrences, to say the least, over the centuries, Christianity owes a huge debt to Judaism for much of its form and function, particularly Catholicism.  It is with this history in mind, as well as events unfolding in Israel, that I watched Golda.

The direct link between Golda and the Hamas atrocities of October 7^th, 2023, is the Yom Kippur War, which started almost exactly fifty years previously, and on which this film focuses.  Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), prime minister of Israel in 1973, is summoned in the conflict’s aftermath to answer to the Agnarat Commission, a board of inquiry set up by the Israeli government to investigate potential failings on the part of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in the days before the commencement of hostilities.  As before October 7^th, 2023, there is no expectation of an attack at this time in 1973.  In Golda’s time, there are reports of a build-up of Egyptian troops along the Suez Canal.  However, many in her cabinet, particularly Major General Eli Zeira (Dvir Benedek), are skeptical that an actual incursion will take place.  Whether or not this will occur, the question becomes how many IDF reserves to bring into active duty, especially since it is close to Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays.  While her cabinet argues over numbers, Golda points out that such a day would be the perfect for an attack.  As such, she settles on a number of troop activations halfway between the highest and lowest assessments among her staff.  As these squabbles take place, you also see Golda’s personal life.  Something she seems to hide from the Israeli public is the fact that she is receiving treatment from cancer.  Remarkably, it is not lung cancer. Given how you rarely see her not smoking a cigarette in the film, it would be a logical assumption.  Her doctor even warns her that her habit is not helping her treatment, along with the constant coffee drinking, but she ignores this advice.  Instead, she continues to drive herself.  When she is at her weakest, she is helped by Lou Kaddar (Camille Cottin), her private secretary.  While Golda is able to project the persona of a tough leader, there are moments when she has to be physically picked up out of bed and bathed.  Golda is going to need the help as eventually not only is Israel attacked by Egypt, but the Syrians enter the country from the north.  To assess that theater of conflict, Golda sends Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan (Rami Heuberger).  He may look tough with his eyepatch, but as his helicopter flies over the battle zone, he is terrified by what he sees.  Upon returning to Tel Aviv, he reports that the North of Israel is lost, though that is not completely true.  He also wildly calls for the use of nuclear weapons, a suggestion that is thankfully dismissed.  While Golda treats her minister with sympathy, she hands the decision making over to Lieutenant General David “Dado” Elazar (Lior Ashkenazi), Chief of Staff for the IDF.  Back to the south, Major General Ariel “Arik” Sharon (Ohad Knoller) devises a plan to take the fight into Egypt and march on Cairo.  Doing so has potential geo-political ramifications.  While this is an invasion by Egypt and Syria against Israel, the two sides are also opposed to one another in the larger struggle that is the Cold War.  The United States (as it does today) stands with Israel, while Egypt and Syria received their military backing and hardware from the Soviet Union.  Moscow has indicated that any move by Israel outside of its borders will be seen as an escalation of hostilities, and could send their own armed forces to help the Egyptians and Syrians.  This is something that United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber) is keen to avoid.  He has many conversations about Golda regarding her conduct of the war.  She defends her actions, basically pointing out that it is her country that was invaded.  As such, they are allowed to take all the appropriate measures to prosecute the war.  Even though General Sharon’s plan ultimately fails, it does lead to a large number of Egyptian soldiers being trapped behind Israeli lines.  Thus, it becomes a matter of whether they will be destroyed.  Egyptian president Anwar Sadat (archival footage) does not want to see this happen and begins to make overtures for peace.  With the Syrians defeated, the issue becomes the recognition of Israel as a legitimate country.  Golda insists on this being a part of any negotiations, and makes it known that without it, there will be no peace.  Eventually, President Sadat gives in and the war comes to an end.  With this, we come back to the Agnarat Commission hearing, where Golda is cleared of any charges against her.  There are some post-scripts here before the end credits explaining how she lost her battle with cancer in 1978, before the lasting peace with Egypt was signed.

Golda may not be everyone’s favorite film, and I say this without a shred of politics behind this statement.  Instead, I am referring to what is a slow-moving historical drama.  If the operation of a government at war is your bailiwick, then this is your movie.  Because of this, it is hard to draw out a Catholic thread.  The reason for the fighting here, and now, have their roots in religious differences.  Christianity does not have a stake in this fight.  Thus, you have to make some inferences.  Catholicism, for nearly a millennium at least, has been against warfare of any kind.  While you do not see evidence of this in the film, you can see it with what is currently going on in Israel.  One of the stated goals of the IDF is to rescue the hostages taken during the October 7^th attack.  With the missiles raining down on Gaza since that date, it is sometimes hard to see how that is helping to accomplish this outcome.  Enter Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.  Do not worry about the terminology.  The main thing to know is that he is the highest ranking Catholic, so to speak, in the Holy City.  On October 16^th, 2023, he publicly announced his willingness to give himself in exchange for those being held by Hamas.  The terror organization, as of this writing, has yet to respond.  This gesture speaks to the kind of willingness you see in the film on Golda’s part to do what she deems necessary to end the war.  Whether this is pushing herself despite her infirmities or risking a larger conflict, it takes a certain kind of resolve that can only come from God to do such things.

Viewing Golda in light of current events is interesting.  As I said in the previous paragraph, it can be a hard watch unless you are into history.  Luckily for me, I love the past, or so my degrees would tell you.  For the rest of you, I would still recommend it, though I can understand if you would want to pass.  Lastly, may this film be a lesson to you as to why you should not smoke.