Hundreds of people on Friday attended the funeral of former Knesset Speaker Dov Shilansky, who died Thursday at the age of 86. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ,government minister and past and present Knesset members arrived at the Kiryat Shaul Cemetery to pay their last respects.
Shilansky, who served as MK on behalf of the Likud party for 19 years, had worked tirelessly to commemorate the Holocaust.
"Dov believed he was a remnant of the destroyed Jewish world," Prime Minister Netanyahu said in his eulogy. "He did everything to remember and remind, so that we won't forget.
"Every person has a name, Dov, and you came in the name of good and left in the name of good. Kindness was a keynote throughout your life. You represent the public of survivors, the heroes of the inferno who immigrated to this country and built it."
According to Netanyahu, "Dov carried the grief of the dead every minute of his life and saw himself as the living voice of the piles of ashes in Europe. He was a symbol of the generation of revival. The great horror he experienced in his youth inflamed his love for Israel and mankind. As Knesset speaker he was a symbol of decency and was regarded highly by all, and yet he did not conceal his complete faith as a student of Jabotinsky."
Hundreds at funeral (Photo: Dana Kopel)
Minister Silvan Shalom told Ynet that "Dov was a leader who really represented the eternal continuity of the Jewish people. He was a selected officer, the Knesset speaker, but still an ordinary person, a friend who helps the little guy. I knew him for years, we served in the Likud together. He represented the national values in the best way in the most beautiful way possible, and we will miss him."
'We lack people like Dov'
Tel Aviv's Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau said that "Dov Shilansky was a brother to everyone. He only said what he believed in, and there was always a smile on his face despite what he went through. We lack people like Shilansky, who was everyone's chairman and fought for everyone. He believed in the Land of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the people of Israel."
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin noted Thursday that Shilansky "was a determined but kind man, who contributed considerably to the democracy and the culture of debate in Israel. Shilansky will be remembered as a stable rock and a symbol of faith in the right way."
Shilansky was born in Lithuania in 1924, and immigrated to Israel 1948 aboard the Altalena ship. Before making aliyah, he served as a commander in the Irgun, a Jewish underground movement, in Germany and Italy.
In the 1950s Shilansky was among the most prominent figures to oppose the reparations agreement between Israel and Germany. He served as a lawmaker on behalf of the Likud from 1977 to 1996 and was elected speaker of the 12th Knesset.