Yitzhak Shamir, 1915-2012

On Monday, July 2, 2012,

"picture Knesset", "photo Knesset", Image Knesset"

the large flag over the Knesset flew at half mast,

while this warning sign was posted in front of the building.

Yitzhak Shamir, the 7th Prime Minister of Israel, had died at age 96,

"image Shamir funeral", "photo Shamir funeral", "picture Shamir funeral"

  and his casket was lying in state in the main hall.

Getting into the Knesset Building is usually not easy.

"picture honor guard", "photo honor guard", "image honor guard"

But today the public was invited to pay their respects to the Shamir family,

as army rabbis stood and read Psalms.

"picture Meridor", "photo Dan Miridor", "image Dan Meridor"

Vice Premier Dan Meridor was one of the government officials present.

"photo memorial wreaths", "image flower wreath", Picture flower wreath"

At 4:00 pm, the floral wreaths surrounding the casket 

were removed

 and an honor guard lifted the casket.

"photo Shai Abramson", "image Shamir funeral", "picture singers"

IDF Chief Chazan Shai Abramson led the procession out of the hall

while chanting  Psalm 91.

The public was then ushered out of the Knesset Building.

In 1991, Prime Minister Shamir approved Operation Solomon

which brought over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

On the day of his funeral, Ethiopian community leaders

were in the last group to leave the Knesset grounds.

The funeral procession went to Mount Herzl Cemetery for burial.

There was just enough time for some visitors to pose 

for a quick photo.

On the way in I had a “buggy” ride,

but on the way out everyone walked.

Most people walked away slowly.

Yitzhak Shamir  z’l  

     1915-2012 

11 thoughts on “Yitzhak Shamir, 1915-2012

Leave a Reply to Mrs. N Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.