Hundreds of mourners turned out Tuesday to honor settler and activist Menachem Froman, the rabbi from the Tekoa settlement who was seen by many as an advocate for peace and dialogue with the Palestinians. He was laid to rest at Tekoa a day after he died at the age of 68 after a long battle with cancer.
The funeral began with a procession from the Tekoa synagogue, as hundreds gathered outside to sing a lament at his passing.
Speaking at the funeral, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon of Likud paid tribute to Froman and his efforts to find a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. "You believed with all your heart in peace between humanity. You did everything to build bridges between people," Ya'alon said.
In a written eulogy, President Shimon Peres also honored Froman's role as a man of faith who embraced peace.
Froman's eldest son Yossi told mourners at the funeral of the love that his father enjoyed across the Israeli political spectrum, and of his strong ties to his Arab neighbors. "Left and right, everyone loved you and you loved everyone. Your approach to our Arab neighbors was with love," he said.
Froman was "a unique man who was a big believer in the Torah and a believer in peace," wrote Peres. "His whole life was peace, and all his pathways were peace." The president said that Froman had "found a way in to the hearts of bitter and difficult enemies and wherever there was conflict he tried to settle it with great spirit and wisdom."
MK Aliza Lavie of Yesh Atid also paid tribute to the rabbi, saying, "We have lost us a man whose vision was ahead of his time. Rabbi Menachem Froman, of blessed memory, firmly believed that religion is a bridge to true peace between all the residents of the country."
Peace activist and Jerusalem Post columnist Gershon Baskin paid tribute to Froman on his Facebook page on Monday, hailing the rabbi as someone who always strove to achieve peace. He cited a meeting that the rabbi had with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu two months ago when he tried to convince the PM to engage Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in serious negotiations.
"I did not share his faith in God, but I shared his passion for peace and his willingness to go to the ends of this earth to convince people that we can make peace and that we must make peace in this land," Baskin wrote.