  Eshkol appointed Sapir Director General of the Ministry of Finance in 1953. Only then
did he breath freely, saying : "There is whom to trust, there is on whom to lay tasks".
The atmosphere when working with them was tense but in a positive sense. I do not remember one hour of idleness. They despised not having a goal.
The two men found a common language, in conversation and in action, during the two years of working together as Minister and Director General, as well as during the fifteen previous year
s and the fourteen following ones. A tie that can be described only as electrifying bound them to each other.
Marveling at the similarities and the differences between these two personalities, was one of the most exciting things at work during the first years. They acted in total harmony, respec
t and mutual fondness. They gave priority to public affairs. They used to focus
on essence and, in a hurried conversation, reach the maximum effective resolution.
Ben Gurion added Sapir to his Cabinet, as Minister of Commerce and Industry, in 1955. Sapir changed his place, but not his friend, Eshkol, the Minister of Finance. I, Bella, was the brid
ge between them, winning their complete confidence.
The two personalities impressed me, each one with his uniqueness. I used to listen to their conversations, telling them that I was doing it so that I could know what issues were on their
agenda.
They did not ask each other "How are you?" ... They asked "What is new?" "What is happening?" Straight to the point. Each one knew what the other wished to hear. Their sentences were ab
rupt, each one was completing the other's. Their dialogue was factual, short, rich with hints and codes...It was humorous and warm. They listened to each other even when in disagreement. Contradictions evaporated..
I am trying to portray the images of the late Levi Eshkol and Pinkhas Sapir comprehensively, years after their departure.
They were men. Flesh and blood. Both tall and upright. Both strong and steady. Their voices thundering and their temperament forceful, yet with no "macho" mannerisms. They did not smoke
nor drink. Eshkol paid attention to appearance. His facial expression was relaxed. His jubilantly added to his charm, and was used as a shield against the unanticipated. Sapir, unlike him, seemed to be untidy - despite his emphasis on cleanliness and orde
r. He was exceptionally honest, with a tendency, in some situations, to be sad and discouraged. Nevertheless, these moods did not deter him. On the contrary, they brought forth in him the ability to rise and look for new solutions.
Eshkol was an optimist, engagingly frolicsome. He could ease tension by turning a serious problem into an amusing one for a moment. Sapir lacked humor, as if carrying a permanent stress
inside. He was always under the burden of responsibility. He felt as if all the problems of the State were on his shoulders.
Their personal lives were built in their public responsibilities, removed from the day to day life of most people. I never heard them asking about the financial situation in their own ho
mes during the years of the recession. They did not think about asking their wives whether there was bread at home, when every other citizen was worried about that. They worried about the whole population. And they demanded of the enterprises: "reduce con
sumption, market more, increase the exports".
Both were fast thinkers and magnificently smart. They were uniquely able to work and accomplish. They were pushed by a vision, to achieve goals beyond the cold economic considerations. A
nd they also disregarded formalities, dealing with issues that had to be moved forward.
Eshkol, beside work, looked for the amusing. He desired beauty, beautiful landscapes, art. He would notice a colorful hat on a woman's head. About his attitude towards women he said: "W
ith women I am "Yeh Yeh" (yes yes), "Nisht is nisht" (not is not...)".
Sapir did not look for an alternative to work. He did not deviate to a hobby, to family or friends. He did not imagine what a worker could do besides labor. On his way home, at 11.00 p.m
., he asked me - a mother of two girls: "What do you have to do at home now?" And to the one who dared to ask him about his attitude towards women he answered: "I am color blind".
Both had deep roots in the Labor Movement, whose national and social ideology strongly inspired them. Both devoted untiring energy to the Movement. They strove to create conditions enabl
ing people to live on their produce, be productive and reach economic independence.
Economic goals were their highest priority. They knew, personally, times of need and hardship, when they were out of work and lived in poverty. Employment was, therefore, first on their
minds.
As representatives of the Party they recognized the need to continuously examine, in and by the Party, the economic and social aims, and to reach a united stand. They conducted frequent
Party meetings, never missed attendance, and did not hesitate to scold a missing colleague. They have never acted before reaching agreement with their friends.
National and Party objectives were one, in Eshkol's eyes. National needs were what the Party should wish to achieve. Sapir, unlike him, recognized National interests that should put Part
y considerations aside, and acted accordingly.Both were true servants of the cause and were free of sectarian considerations. They never asked a worker, "For which Party did you vote?"
Dynamic, authoritative, yet together in action, the calm wisdom of Eshkol and the impulsive intuition of Sapir were brought together. They hated delay. They did not listen to logical arg
uments, when having to act beyond logic. Every thing had to be done yesterday. Today was too late. Faith and hope guided their life. They supported and encouraged original ideas and initiatives. The "Me" was pushed aside. Knowing that their name would be
slandered and defamed, they still dared to make important unpopular decisions.
Highly temperamental, their outbursts were planned, to arouse the concentration of their audience. Their style was plain. Their speech was natural and friendly, yet they were not very go
od at expressing themselves. When heads of institutions and companies were not ready to face great challenges, they were prodded by Eshkol and Sapir: "Start - the thing will run by itself..."
They laid the infrastructure of the Israeli enterprise, the foundations of the steel, chemical, phosphate, oil and cotton industries. They turned deserts into flourishing settlements, w
ishing to erase the delay of two thousand years, and while seemingly competing with each other, shared painful deliberations.
Ministers of Finance Eshkol and Sapir were not ready to let novices have the Ministry - "What about the Rebbe Gelt?" asked Eshkol. And when it was his time to be Prime Minister in 1963,
he looked for a formal way to still keep the Finance Ministry. When he was forced to give it up (for the Ministry of Defense) his mind relaxed, because Finance was given to Pinkhas Sapir, whose ability he unreservedly trusted.
 Eshkol's humor -
When he was late for a meeting, Eshkol opened the discussion saying: "Gentlemen, why were you early?!"
***
One time he was attacked by reporters who pressed him to give them a particular piece of information. Eshkol smiled and told them: "Of course you heard the story about that 'oppose', who drove with his Hasidic friend to spend the Sabbath at the Rabbi's house. When he returned, he was asked to tell - what did the Rabbi say. He stood and told a lengthy story, about the Sabbath eve during dinner, and about the Sabbath morning after the prayer, and he kept on telling his stories, until he got to the third meal. And he ended with excitement: I sat right among the veteran Hasids, like one of the gang, and for the whole hour we all listened to the Rabbi's silence..."
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