As he fought for his life in a Jerusalem hospital yesterday,Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plight stirred a powerful range of emotions among Jewish New Yorkers, the Daily News reported on Thursday.
Most recognized the 77-year-old leader as an Israeli hero, but some also scorned him for the withdrawal of troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip, completed last year, the report said.
Karen Scott of Manhattan called Sharon's health decline "devastating and very sad, because he was a great leader when Israel needed him most."
"He was there for the nation's most important wars, and now he's fighting his greatest battle," she said outside Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York after attending evening services.
'The man is almost finished'
Mayor Bloomberg, who also worships at the Upper East Side temple, said in a statement, "The thoughts and prayers of all New Yorkers are with Prime Minister Sharon, his family and the people of Israel at this difficult time."
According to the Daily News, one of those with conflicted feelings was Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who said, "Despite that I very much detested the removal of ... people from Gaza, this is a very sad moment for all of us. This is a man who fought and risked his life for Israel all of his life."
In Midwood, Brooklyn, where many Orthodox Jews live, reaction to Sharon's illness was mixed.
Allan Cohen, 50, a clothing store owner, said he didn't agree with Sharon's hawkish politics but added, "The man is almost finished, and that's very sad."
Some expressed bitterness over the Gaza withdrawal.
Mike Cohen, no relation to Allan, angrily charged that Sharon "stole things from the Israelis and threw them out of their homes."