"An Extraordinary Man": Shlomo Hillel was laid to rest Israel today

The Speaker of the 11th Knesset is buried in the plot of the nation's greats on Mount Herzl • MK Yariv Levin: "Public messenger in the full sense of the word" • Minister Peretz: "Inspired children who grew up in transit camps"

• Shlomo Hillel's coffin is brought to the plot of the greats of the nation on Mount Herzl

  Photography: 

  Yossi Zamir, Spokeswoman for the Knesset

Shlomo Hillel, Speaker of the 11th Knesset, and former Minister of the Interior and Minister of Police, was laid to rest today (Wednesday) at a state funeral ceremony at the Nation's Great Hall on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Hillel, winner of the Israel Prize for Special Contribution to Society and State in 1998, He passed away on Monday at the age of 97. 

In his eulogy, Knesset Speaker MK Yariv Levin said: "The Knesset of Israel and the entire nation mourn the passing of an extraordinary man, a public messenger in the full sense of the word, whose life was sacred to the fulfillment of the Zionist vision of the resurrection of the Jewish people in his country. Shlomo Hillel became a partner Full to the leadership of the state in its early days, as part of the founding generation, to whom we owe the restoration of the state and many of its achievements. " 

"Few people have done so much for their people, and for so many years. Dear Shlomo, I thank you on behalf of the Knesset and on behalf of all the citizens of Israel, for your glorious and extensive work over the years, for Arab Jewry, Iraq and Iran, for Ethiopian Jewry, for "Israel's foreign relations, for the sake of settlement, for the sake of building the country - for the sake of the State of Israel," MK Levin added. 

The Minister of Economy and Industry, Amir Peretz, said goodbye on behalf of the Israeli government: "Shlomo left a mark on things that changed reality and affected the lives of many citizens. He proved that it is possible to go against the flow. He inspired hundreds of thousands of children growing up in transit camps. It's sad that such a day, which could have gathered thousands of people from all over the world to pay its last respects to him, was done in a limited way because of the virus. But maybe if you were asked, Shlomo, that's how you would choose the funeral. Humble and humble man. . Rest in peace". 

The chairman of the Labor Party, MK Merav Michaeli: "So much sadness and pain surrounds us with your passing, Shlomo. Another cornerstone of the State of Israel is being taken from us, and this building stands thanks to your contribution and that of your partners. Only last Thursday were we all excited "So when Shlomo added his name to the list of the 24th Knesset. His spine could not be missed; it was always clear to him what he was doing. He will always remain a role model." 

Chairman of the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites, Uri Or: "I was privileged to work with a huge man, humble and accomplished and active, admired by all and humble.

His fingerprints are visible everywhere. " 

The son of the late Hillel, Ari: "My father applied the Law of Return to Ethiopian Jews.

In those years, a little girl named Natamar lived in Ethiopia.

Thanks to this decision she immigrated to Israel.

I later met her and we got married.

In fact, without imagining it, my father signed a decision that would allow the immigration of Ethiopian Jews without him being able to guess that this decision would make him a proud and happy grandfather.

Isn't that a miracle?

In these difficult days, we must learn the lesson: unity and integration between all parts of the nation. "

At the end of the farewell speech, the Chief Military Cantor, Lt. Col. Shai Abramson, delivered a prayer "To the Merciful God."

The Speaker of the Knesset, MK Levin, dismissed the Knesset foreigner.

Minister Peretz laid the wreath of the Israeli government and the wreath was laid by his son Ari Hillel.