Abba Eban

Born in Cape Town, South Africa on February 2, 1915 — died November 17, 2002 (aged 87)

Abba Solomon Meir Eban was a South African-born Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. During his career, he served as Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Israel. He was the second ambassador to the United States and the first Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations. He was also Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly and President of the Weizmann Institute of Science.