Yosef "Tommy" Lapid died this morning at the age of 77, after a long fight with cancer.When I think of Lapid, 2 distinct memories come to mind:
1. Lapid was a regular panelist on the "Popolitika" (Popular politics) TV show, which was infamous for turning into yelling matches very quickly. Anything right wing or religious usually got bashed quickly, loudly.
2. The TV election commercials for Lapid's "Shinui" party included a big Shinui fist going after black hats, and knocking them away. The primary plank of the "Shinui" party platform was to remove any Chareidi or Jewish religious "coercion" (or impact) on the State of Israel.
Lapid was extremely davka (spitefully opinionated) about everything he did. He never hid his opinions and was never shut up by anyone. He had no qualms about going out to publicly eat with Aliza (wife of Ehud) Olmert on Tisha B'Av morning -- he was davka.
However, I'm not jumping up and down and cheering at the man's death.
Lapid was born in 1931 in the city of Novi Sad in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (today Serbia) to a Hungarian Jewish family. When he was 12 years old, his father, a lawyer and journalist, was taken to a concentration camp and never returned. Lapid and his mother fled to Budapest, and immigrated to Israel at the end of 1948.We can't put ourselves in the shoes of a Holocaust survivor.
He served as a technician in the Israel Defense Forces, studied law at Tel Aviv University, and began his journalistic work in a Hungarian daily. He then moved to the Maariv daily, first as editor Azriel Carlebach's personal secretary, and later as a writer and columnist.
He established the At women's monthly magazine and served as director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority between 1979-1984.
Until the elections for the 15th Knesset in 1999, Lapid served as a senior editor and op-ed writer in Maariv, was a member of the panel of Channel 1's "Popolitica" program, and had a weekly radio show on current affairs on Israel Radio. (YNET)
Chareidi pundit Yisrael Eichler recounts that Lapid had very little exposure to Judaism and the first time he ever saw anyone putting on tefillin was when he was in the IDF. He added that it was important for Lapid to be seen not as anti-Chareidi, but as pro-secularism.
Love him or hate him, Lapid was a "colorful" character in Israel.
Despite his pro-secularist outlook, his funeral is scheduled to include a traditional Jewish burial, and his son Yair is going to say Kaddish for him.
Update: Channel 2 Radio has reported that Tommy Lapid specifically requested that his son Yair say Kaddish for his memory, daily, in shul.
Additional Update: Despite the above report, Yair did not say Kaddish (at least not publically) at his father's funeral, however, the Chevra Kadisha did say Kaddish and Kel-Moleh after the tahara and preparation for burial (in a private setting)
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
