New York – Former New York City mayor Ed Koch who died Friday morning at the age of 88 said in 2008 he has engraved on his tombstone the final statement of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl.
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Koch told the Associated Press in 2008:
The marker will bear the Star of David and a Hebrew prayer, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” It also will be inscribed with the last words of journalist Daniel Pearl before he was murdered by terrorists in 2002: “My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish.”
Koch explained that he had been moved that Pearl chose to affirm his faith and heritage in his last moments.
The Algemeiner points out that, it is therefore noteworthy and fitting that the day of Koch’s passing, Feb 1st 2013 comes 11 years to the day after the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl, that icon of Jewish pride.
“To be born a Jew and to die a Jew is out of one’s control; To live as a Jew is a choice and a privilege. Choose Wisely” ~ the Facebuker Rebbe
Koch’s death kind of describes his life.
Full of contradictions. On the one hand
being very proud to be a Jew. On the
other hand, not enough to being
repulsed by the idea of being buried in a
Church Cemetery.
Ed Koch, another negative attention
seeking liberal politician. He’s going to
be interred in a church cemetery so that
he can slap his heritage in the
proverbial face. Nice….
I don’t get it, is that his actual
tombstone in the picture? but he just died today.
some time ago mayor koch was looking for a burial plot in the city, he couldn’t find one. the thought of being buried out of the city for this man was out of the question.
he consulted a old time rav he know personally, the rav understood this carachtor well…he gave him two conditions 1) the plot has to be away from others and it should be known he was buried there because of NYC it has to says so on the matzaveh 2) the letters need to be engraved..mr koch being a private person didnt want to publicize this.
Rebbe cried when he heard that the murderer of Rav chanina ben tradyon was koneh olam habah in one second of his life. How sad tit is that he commentators on this blog so easily judge a mans life.
If you get a chance, see the “Final Words” video on the NY Times site. Well worth your time.
I would advise people not to bash someone who is no longer amongst the living, as it is quite difficult to obtain mechila .
When you think about it, it is an amazing nes that he died on the same day as Daniel Pearl, after already engraving his words on his tombstone. It’s not the Hebrew Yahrtzeit, I believe, but it is better this way, because the whole world sees it. Mamash an open case of hashgacha pratis.
1. Koch died on Jan 31 so there went that “feel good” story.
2. It can be argued that pearl died al kiddish ha’shem because he was killed by those Arabs yemach sh’mom because he was Jewish AND by his proclamation before he died.
Koch on the other hand elected to be buried in a goyish cemetery – not even non-sectarian which would have been better.
The media won’t forgive him him for being pro Israel. RIP.
Boroch Dayan Haemet. I saw Mayor Ed Koch in 1978, as he was getting into his car, with his staff, after the Salute to Israel Parade, in Manhattan. In the late 1990’s, I enjoyed seeing him as the presiding judge in “The People’s Court”. He always treated the litigants with courtesy and respect. In 2003, he sent me an e-mail, after I told him that I saw him on History TV, regarding past New York blackouts. He was a good man, and I am appalled and saddened that there have been a number of negative attacks made about him, not only in this article, but in another one. He lived his life as a proud Jew. He may not have been as frum as some people on this site may have liked, but nevertheless, he always stood up for EY and the Jewish people.
Politically I often disagreed with Mayor Kach, as I’m sure a lot of readers did, but overall he certainly accomplished a lot of good in his lifetime. To top it off, anyone who has his tombstone engraved with words as Mayor Koch did is very likely going straight to Heaven. No obstacle will stand in his way. May the likes of “Yiedel Itzak” ob”m increase in Israel. He will be missed.
Barsechel- I think Apikores is too strong a word. I, too, was disturbed that he didn’t choose a Jewish cemetery, but that doesn’t take away from him. Mayor Koch was a really good man, and while not observant, he did write the shema yisroel on his tombstone. He openly admitted to being proud to be a Jew, though not an observant one. Let us not be so judgmental. May his neshoma have an aliyah.
FYI Mayor Koch is to be buried according to how he was advised by rabbis:
1- gate by the entrance says “Jewish cemetary” or something like this
2- sepearate fence around his grave