Posted on 02/01/2013 9:52:31 AM PST by Slings and Arrows
Former New York City mayor Ed Koch died Friday morning at the age of 88. He plans to be buried in Manhattan, the three-term mayor said in 2008. His headstone and a memorial bench, placed at Trinity Church Cemetery in 2009, evoke his faith and his admiration of a murdered journalist. Koch explained his plans to the Associated Press:
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.
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and beheaded while in Pakistan investigating Al Qaeda. He died 11 years ago today.
(Excerpt) Read more at poynter.org ...
[Thanks to Gefn for the link.]
RIP. A man who served this country well in World War II.
Good man and I loved his sense of humor. RIP Mayor.
Chilling.........
Agreed. Especially in light of the Mayors decision to honor Pearl on his own marker.
May God rest both of their immortal souls.
Tatt
I loved Koch for saying that a Jew who voted for Jesse Jackson would have to have his head examined. I regret that he endorsed Obama, for reelection and recently hid behind the lame excuse that he didn’t think Obama would turn on Israel as quickly after the election as he did. Why do Jews support politicans who promise to put them in the ovens next year instead of this year?
Meshuggah.
And yet for all the good he did, Koch is a great example of what frustrates conservatives so much about “conservative” Democrats. Koch knew how important supporting Israel is and fighting terror is but he still endorsed Obama, naively hoping that Obama “learned his lesson.” He kept supporting Obama and others who he should have known were going to continue to oppose everything he held important.
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”
That’s Deuteronomy 6:4.
The prayer is known as the Shema and is pronounced Sh’ma.
In Hebrew: Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad
Traditionally, Jews recite the Sh’ma in Hebrew in the morning, before bedtime, and as their last words.
God Bless Mayor Koch. He was one of the good guys.
The last decent democrat goes to the grave.
Maybe not meshuggah. Maybe blackmailed. That thug in the Oval Office has something on everybody.
I think he blackmailed John Roberts and has blackmailed a lot of other Republicans or potential adversaries.
I am Daniel Pearl. We all are Daniel Pearl.
Brings tears to my eyes.
Koch was 88 and had no family and was more or less openly gay. What leverage could Obama possibly have? When Iran kills hundreds of thousands of Jews, due to Obama’s indifference, part of the responsiblity will lie with Koch.
He was a horrible, awful, pro-abortion liberal, but he had some redeeming qualities. He was in the front pew at Mass the week after Saint Patrick’s and Cardinal O’Connor were attacked by ActUp. I have said a Hail Mary for him. R.I.P.
“....a Jew who voted for Jesse Jackson would have to have his head examined.”
.
Jews and Catholics who voted for Obama should have their heads and souls examined.
Ran the city well, was able to listen. God Bless the Mayor.
Mayor Koch was fond of chinese food too. At least he was a level headed liberal and could run a city within budgeted guidelines. Modern lieberals have thrown all sanity and morality overboard.
When Mayor Koch was asked a question he answered it; straight, to the point and minus the annoying political spin of the typical rat politician.
Koch served his country in the 104th. Infantry Division in WW2. As mayor of New York City he was an abject failure.I worked for six years in Manhattan during his first and second term and NYC was a cesspool of crime and corruption. Crime was rampant,business’s were leaving, there was the Parking Violations Bureau scandal that resulted in the suicide of Donald Manes, Queens Borough President and Stanley Freidman, Bronx Borough president going to jail and the Bernie Goetz affair,( good for Bernie) that seemed to epitomize what was wrong with NYC at the time. It’s a miracle the city survived.
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