\u201cGolda,\u201d<\/a> featuring Helen Mirren as the Israeli premier Golda Meir, opened, telling the tale of the slaughter that unfolded on the holiest of holy days, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), kicking off the 1973 Arab-Israeli War fought on Oct. 6-25, 1973. It came on the heels of the Six-Day Arab\u2013Israeli War of June 1967, which was a complete triumph for the Israelis against Syria, Egypt, and Jordan, including the capture of Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, and East Jerusalem. That had begun with a preemptive strike by Israel.<\/p>\nIn 1973, however, it was Israel that was taken by surprise, and the Egyptian offensive to retake the Sinai Peninsula was remarkably successful. While Israel eventually eked out a victory against Egypt and Syria, it came very close to defeat; it required an emergency infusion of arms and aircraft from the United States to make up for initial losses. The victory cost Israel 2,656 dead, 7,251 wounded, 294 captured, and left the country shaken and traumatized, its security and intelligence (the famed Mossad) authorities humiliated, and Meir\u2019s government, disgraced. But it did lead to Egypt and Israel forging a peace agreement by 1979.<\/p>\n