Many prominent people from Israel's business world attended the funeral of Sammy Ofer at the Trumpeldor cemetery in Tel Aviv today. Ofer died at his home in Tel Aviv on Friday aged 89. He had been fighting illness for some time.
The Trumpeldor cemetery holds the graves of national poet Hayim Nahman Bialik, Moshe Sharet, and legendary Tel Aviv mayor Meir Dizengoff. The cost of burial in the cemetery is estimated at NIS 100,000.
Among those who attended the funeral were Rami Levy, Adv. Dov Weissglass, former prime minister Ehud Olmert, Zadik Bino, Motti Zisser, Mizrahi-Tefahot CEO Eli Yones, PR agent Rami Rahav, Alfred Akirov, Silvan Shalom, Yitzhak Tshuva, and Bank Hapoalim CEO Zion Kenan. According to police estimates, about 500 people attended the funeral.
"He was a great Zionist, and contributed a great deal. He felt that he had been wronged and that there was no-one to defend him," said Rami Levy, referring to the affair of the US blacklisting of Ofer's companies because his ships had allegedly docked in Iran.
Ofer's son Eyal eulogized his father, saying, "Sammy could speak several languages, and knew how to approach everyone in his own language and at his own level. He wa modest and shy. He loved people, and he loved the navy. In the words of the poet Natan Alterman, "The father's lips no longer move, but his voice shall yet be heard."
Former commander of the Israel Navy General (res.) Shlomo Arel spoke of Ofer's relationship with the navy. "In 1948, Sammy, then in Royal Navy uniform, took three ships that were hunting illegal Jewish immigrants to the Israeli side. In the Six Day War, he bought ships for the navy at his own expense for the war effort. Those ships served in the Suez Canal until the peace with Egypt."
Idan Ofer was the last to speak about his father at the funeral. In a trembling voice and with tears in his eyes, he said, "It's hard, impossible, to part from you. Impossible to describe nine decades of unceasing activity. You were a great man, and a great businessman. To describe you is an impossible task. You had a unique personality, full of contradictions, A charismatic leader, blessed with a sense of humor, and with a trailblazing vision. When I was a child, you would take me to the office every Saturday, and I felt completely at home there." At this point, Idan Ofer broke off his eulogy in tears.
Ofer is survived by his wife Aviva, sons Eyal and Idan, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 5, 2011
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