‘Brave, wise, stubborn and wide-eyed’ Sarid mourned at funeral

Politicians, public intellectuals and hundreds of Israelis from all walks of life gathered Sunday at the Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha cemetery, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, for the funeral of former Meretz party chairman Yossi Sarid, who died Friday from heart-related causes at the age of 75.

“My father was always concerned about something or other, and the weight of the world was always on his shoulders,” Sarid’s son Yishai said at the funeral. “Dad told me that a man should live not only for himself, but also for others.”

Known for his articulate, sardonic style and colorful turns of phrase, Sarid was a member of nine Knessets between 1974 and 2006, serving as a lawmaker for the (Labor) Alignment, Ratz and Meretz parties.

An icon of the Israeli left, Sarid held two portfolios — education and environment — and led the Meretz party from 1996 to 2003, serving as head of the opposition for the latter two years of his party leadership.

He remained in parliament for 32 years, retiring in 2006, and then began a weekly column in the liberal newspaper Haaretz.

Yishai Sarid recalled the hostile attitudes his father encountered while serving in office, but added that the politician was never deterred and continued to strive towards achieving a better future for the State of Israel.

“I remember the graffiti [against Sarid] and the threats on the phone, [but] I also remember the short time that Father served as a minister in the Israeli government,” Yishai Sarid said. “He tried within his power to do what was right and what was good.”

Author Amos Oz, one of Israel’s most prominent writers and a close friend of Sarid, paid tribute to the left-wing public official at the funeral as well.

“We part today, on the first night of Hanukkah candle lighting, with a person who emitted such light,” Oz said. “We part with a brave and wise man, stubborn and wide-eyed. He was one of the first who noticed that occupation and annexation lead to disaster, that religious coercion threatens our very link with the heritage of the people of Israel. [Sarid’s] attachment to the heritage of Israel was deep and emotional.”

Meretz leader Zehava Galon also paid tribute to her former colleague after he was laid to rest.

“Yossi Sarid devoted his life to the struggle against a reality in which Israel becomes more violent and less democratic, a messianic state, withdrawn and paranoid, led by a government that shuts them down, passes racist legislation, and deepens the discrimination against Israel’s Arab citizens,” Galon said.

“Yossi, in his words and deeds, fought for the best image of the State of Israel, an educating [country], secular, democratic, peaceful, equality seeking and loving.”

Earlier, ideological opponents and political allies alike mourned the death of Sarid.

“Yossi Sarid was a unique voice in Israeli politics, an opinionated, sharp man,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the left-wing public official on Saturday.

“Although we differed on many issues, I appreciated his loyalty to his path, his broad education and the meticulous Hebrew expressed in his speech and writings. He will be remembered also for being a prominent parliamentarian, a longtime member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and an education minister who sought to advance the education system in Israel.”

President Reuven Rivlin, who served as an MK with the right-wing Likud party during Sarid’s tenure as head of Meretz, called the deceased parliamentarian a “tough political opponent, challenging and loyal to his views.” Sarid, Rivlin added, was “one of the greatest politicians of the State of Israel.”

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon of the Likud mourned Sarid’s death as well, noting his unabated concern for the well-being of the state and its citizens.

“Despite the political debate I had with Yossi Sarid, I always appreciated his honesty and his integrity, his intelligence and sharpness of wit, and the fact that he followed the path he believed, according to his conscience and values, without having to deviate from, or adapt to, any passing fad,” Ya’alon said. “Sarid was an Israeli patriot whose concerns for the future of the country and its security were at the top of his mind, as a Knesset member, a minister of education, as a public leader, and as a sharp writer.”

Meretz Knesset faction chair Ilan Gilon on Friday said Sarid will “always be remembered as the man who made an indelible mark on education in Israel. After his political career, he became a journalist and man of letters of razor-sharp tongue and pure voice, loyal to the values of humanism, human rights and peace. His image will forever be etched in our hearts.”

MK Tamar Zandberg, a fellow Meretz member, said Sarid’s death was “a personal and political loss for the left and the whole country. We are talking about a leader, a sharp and honest person, a courageous man from whom I learned a lot over the years. We cried over his departure from politics and now we mourn over his passing. May his memory be blessed.”

Meretz MK Issawi Frej said, “Sarid was a father to me, and served as no less than a political and ideological compass. Yossi is one of the people thanks to whom I continue to believe in the possibility of making the State of Israel a better and more just place.”

Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni called Sarid’s passing “the death of a fighter for the core of this country.

“You could disagree with him, but you could not avoid listening to his razor-sharp words. Even at his most cynical, his words always came from the least cynical and most painful place possible. May his memory be a blessing,” she said.

Zionist Union head and leader of the opposition Isaac Herzog called Sarid “an important leader of the Israeli peace camp. His sharp, clear voice always stood out stubbornly for a brave, uncompromising truth he believed with all his heart. As minister of education, he left a deep mark on the education system and the country as a whole. His beliefs, writings and life work will remain a formidable heritage that will be with us all for years to come.”

Merav Michaeli, another Zionist Union MK, also paid tribute to Sarid, calling him a role model. “I have been a fan of Yossi Sarid since June 1982 — I was in 10th grade that year when the [First] Lebanon War broke out. The only one to oppose it clearly and loudly was Yossi Sarid. All the others took more or less time to understand this was a futile war and I remember how impressed I was with his courage to come out against it.

“He was a model for many of us and now a great loss for all of us, even those who opposed him. His is a voice Israel needs now more than ever, and it is our responsibility to continue sounding it. How sad it is to part with him so prematurely,” she added.

Yossi Sarid is survived by his wife, Dorit, and their three children.

Adiv Sterman contributed to this report.