Zionist and Israeli leader. Moshe Shertok was brought by his family to Palestine in 1906. In 1913, he went to Istanbul, Turkey, to study law. Sharett mastered a number of languages, which later served him in good stead in his political work. Besides his mother tongue Hebrew, he spoke and wrote fluently in Arabic, Turkish, German, French, and English. During the World War I, Sharett served as an officer in the Turkish army. Between the two World Wars, he took part in Zionist political work. For five years he lived in England, where he continued with his studies and helped Chaim Weizmann as an expert in Arab affairs. During World War II he shared in the political work that led to the establishment of the Jewish Brigade, which fought the Nazis and played an important part in saving and bringing the remnants of the Nazi victims to Palestine. From 1946 until the establishment of Israel in 1948, Sharett did intensive work in the U.S. In the first Israel cabinet, Sharett became Minister of Foreign Affairs, and from 1954 to 1955, he served also as Prime Minister. He was one of the key figures in the early years of the state.