Abba Eban's life was intertwined with the history of the state. Throughout its first decades, he was intimately involved in formulating, conducting, and presenting foreign policy. Eban made history, giving voice to the pursuit of peace, and in his later years he became a chronicler of history through his books and films.

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, he grew up in England and as a young man became passionate about Zionism. After graduating with honors from Cambridge University, where he specialized in Oriental languages, he was appointed to the Faculty of Pembroke College, Cambridge, as an authority on Hebrew, Arabic and Persian Literature. He left academia to serve as an aide to Chaim Weizmann at the Zionist Congress of 1939, on the eve of World War II.

In 1942, as a British army officer, and with the support of both British and Zionist leadership, Eban was chosen to coordinate the training of Jews in Palestine to fight against Germany. Soon after the war he joined the Jewish Agency, which would later serve as the provisional government of the future state, and subsequently he played key roles in the establishment of the State of Israel and its growth.

Eban's masterful oratory was at the core of his distinguished career. In a powerful 1948 address, he made the case for Israeli statehood in the United Nations, and in 1949 began his service as Israel's first ambassador to the world body. He went on to deliver many incisive and stirring speeches, four of which are included in this CD set. He was also Israeli ambassador to the United States, for ten years serving in both roles simultaneously. His unforgettable address before the UN early in the Six-Day War filled world Jewry with pride.

Following his tenure at the United Nations, Eban, a high-ranking member of the Labor Party, held the positions of foreign minister, deputy prime minister, minister of education, and member of the Knesset. A prolific author, he published many important books, including The New Diplomacy, Abba Eban: An Autobiography, Personal Witness: Israel through My Eyes, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews, and Diplomacy for the New Century. He also wrote and narrated two major public television series, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews, a history of the Jewish people and their interaction with world cultures, and Israel: A Nation Is Born, a personal history of the State of Israel.

In 2001, Eban was awarded the Israel Prize, the nation's highest honor, for his life achievement. He died in 2002, at the age of 87.