Meir Shalev, a renowned writer, journalist and publicist passed away last Tuesday after a battle with cancer at the age of 74. Over a thousand mourners, including family, friends and acquaintances accompanied him on his final journey, which took him to his place of birth and burial at Nehalel Cemetery. Shalev’s daughter, Glamor, paid tribute to him, stating that he was a pragmatic man who approached his journey with cancer in a matter-of-fact and courageous manner. She also shared that the family embarked on a “Die in Peace” project, and Shalev prepared a file of instructions for his funeral, calling it “Dad makes shame.”
Etgar Keret, another popular author, also paid tribute to Shalev, praising his ability to write complex and inspiring characters with an unmatched talent. Naomi, Shalev’s cousin, also read a poem in his memory called “Greenish Yellow,” which he loved dearly and included in his books.
Throughout his career, Shalev wrote dozens of books for adults and children, winning many awards, including the Prime Minister’s Prize, the Brenner Prize and the Bernstein Prize. His anti-war poem “On the Opinion of the Boys” was published in 1969, while his regular column began to appear in the 1980s in various newspapers. His legacy has left an indelible mark on Israeli literature and culture for generations, and his works have been translated into dozens of languages.
Today (Friday), over a thousand family members, friends and acquaintances accompanied the writer, journalist and publicist Meir Shalev, one of the greats of Hebrew literature, who died last Tuesday at the age of 74 after a several-month battle with cancer, on his last journey. Shalev was laid to rest in Nehalel Cemetery, the place where he was born and which inspired some of his books.
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his daughter Glamor She paid tribute to him and said: “My father was a pragmatic man. He accepted the truth of cancer and approached dealing with his journey in a matter-of-fact and courageous way. The journey that ends here today for him. He prepared for death and in the process cooperated with the possibility of recovery and received all the treatments, except for the alternative treatments that we tried to push To him. With the diagnosis, the family project began – the ‘Die in peace project’. He prepared a file of instructions for the funeral and called the file ‘Dad makes shame'” (after the name of his book).
She added that “Father was a public figure and a private person. For him thoroughness was a supreme value, that’s why he admired the people he interviewed. He was not afraid of death, he did not give up on life. Being his daughter is the best thing he called me in life. I am happy and proud that I was your daughter. Thank you for what you were for me. Dad makes me proud.”
After that, the author paid tribute to him Etgar Keret who said: In the 55 years that I have been reading and writing, I have had the privilege of learning from him. Meir always knew how to write complex and inspiring characters, characters who know how to be stronger than life but also vulnerable. His ability to imagine the farthest, wildest without lying for a moment. He had the talent to be determined and uncompromising but at the same time attentive. All these made him, in my eyes, a harmonious model of life and creation.”
the cousin Naomi The reading of a poem in his memory called “Greenish Yellow”, which he loved very much and used to include in his books.
Shalev, who left his mark on Israeli literature for generations and whose books have been translated into dozens of languages, has won many awards and honors, including the Bernstein Prize, the Prime Minister’s Prize, the Brenner Prize and an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute.
Over the years, Shalev wrote dozens of books, including bestsellers, for adults and children, and was known as one of the prominent spokesmen of the Zionist left. On March 14, 1969, he published in “Maariv” his anti-war poem “On the Opinion of the Boys”, which he wrote at the age of 21, at the end of his service as a fighter in the Golani Brigade. In the 1980s, he began publishing a regular column on Fridays, first in “Time” and later in “Yediot Ahronoth”.