Yosef "Tommy" Lapid ( he, יוסף "טומי" לפיד, born as Tomislav Lampel, sr-cyr, Томислав Лампел; 27 December 1931 – 1 June 2008) was a
Yugoslav-born
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i radio and television presenter, playwright, journalist, politician and
government minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...
known for his sharp tongue and acerbic wit.
Lapid headed the secular-liberal
Shinui
Shinui ( he, שִׁינּוּי, lit. ''Change'') was a Zionist, secular, and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third-largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a ...
party from 1999 to 2006. He fiercely opposed the
ultra-Orthodox
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
political parties and actively sought to exclude any religious observance from the legal structure of the Israeli State. He was the father of
Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid ( he, יָאִיר לַפִּיד, transliterated: , ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician and former journalist who has been serving as the 14th prime minister of Israel since 1 July 2022. He previously served as the alt ...
, who became
Prime Minister of Israel
The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...
on 1 July 2022.
Biography
Lapid was born in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
,
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
(modern-day
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
), to a family of
Hungarian Jewish
The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...
descent. His family was seized by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
and deported to the
Budapest Ghetto. His father, Dr. Bela (Meir) Lampel, a lawyer and Zionist leader, was deported to
Mauthausen concentration camp
Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with List of subcamps of Mauthausen, nearly 100 further ...
, where he was murdered. His grandmother Hermione was murdered in
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
. Lapid and his mother were rescued by
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. 31 J ...
in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. They survived the war and moved to Israel in 1948
where he worked at the Hungarian language Israeli paper ''
Új Kelet
''Új Kelet'' ( Hungarian translation: "New East") is a Hungarian-language Zionist Jewish newspaper published first in Kolozsvár (Cluj) in Transylvania, Romania, and reestablished after a 10-year break in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1948.
Under the in ...
'' with
Rudolf Kasztner. After serving as a radio operator in the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
between 1950 and 1953, Lapid graduated with a law degree from
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
in 1957.
He married to
Shulamit Lapid
Shulamit Lapid ( he, שולמית לפיד, born 9 November 1934) is an Israeli novelist and playwright.
Biography
Shulamit Giladi (later Lapid) was born in Tel Aviv. She majored in Oriental studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her fath ...
, an acclaimed novelist. and they had three children. Their son,
Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid ( he, יָאִיר לַפִּיד, transliterated: , ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician and former journalist who has been serving as the 14th prime minister of Israel since 1 July 2022. He previously served as the alt ...
, is the chairman of
Yesh Atid
Yesh Atid ( he, יֵשׁ עָתִיד, , There Is a Future) is a liberal political party in Israel. Founded by Yair Lapid in 2012, it seeks to represent what it considers the centre of Israeli society: the secular middle class. It focuses pr ...
party, which became the second-biggest party in the 2013 Israeli elections, and was a columnist and television host. Yair became Prime Minister of Israel on 1 July 2022. Tommy and Shulamit's youngest daughter, Merav, is a clinical psychologist. Their older daughter, Michal, was killed in a car accident in 1984.
Media career
Lapid started out as a journalist for the Israeli Hungarian-language newspaper ''
Új Kelet
''Új Kelet'' ( Hungarian translation: "New East") is a Hungarian-language Zionist Jewish newspaper published first in Kolozsvár (Cluj) in Transylvania, Romania, and reestablished after a 10-year break in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1948.
Under the in ...
''.
Later, he was hired by the mainstream daily ''
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''.
The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...
,'' where he became an influential publicist, and went on to become director-general of the
Israel Broadcasting Authority
The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA; ) was Israel's public broadcaster from 1948 to 2017.
History
The Israel Broadcasting Authority was an outgrowth of the radio station ''Kol Yisrael'', which made its first broadcast as an independent st ...
and chairman of the Cable TV Union. He was also the founding editor of Israeli women's magazine ''At'', as well as a successful playwright.
In the 1990s Lapid was a regular guest on the political talk show ''Popolitika'' aired on
Channel 1 which often turned into a shouting match; later on he moved to the
Channel 2 talk show, ''Politika''. Lapid was awarded the
Sokolov Award, Israel's top award in journalism, in 1998, for his weekly radio show.
Political career
In the late 1990s, Lapid joined
Avraham Poraz
Avraham Poraz ( he, אברהם פורז, born 9 August 1945) is an Israeli lawyer and former politician.
Biography
Poraz was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1945 and immigrated to Israel in 1950. He served in the Military Police Corps of the ...
's Shinui party, which boosted the party's standing in the Israeli political scene. Lapid became party chairman and Shinui won six seats in the
1999 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 1999.
* 1999 electoral calendar
Africa
* 1999 Algerian presidential election
* 1999 Botswana general election
* 1999 Beninese parliamentary election
* 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...
, with Lapid entering the Knesset for the first time. In the
2003 elections the party ran on a secularist platform and won 15 seats, making it the third-largest in the Knesset after
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
and
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
. Shinui was invited to join the government of
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006.
S ...
and Lapid was appointed
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...
and
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
.
It was suggested that Israel's pro-Serbian position in 1999, was a result of the Serbian population's history of saving Jews during the
holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, personal memories of which were still present among older Israeli politicians serving in government at the time such as Lapid.
[Russia or Ukraine? For some Israelis, Holocaust memories are key](_blank)
Haaretz, By David Landau, 15 Apr. 2014
The tension between Shinui and Likud grew when the ultra-Orthodox party
Agudat Yisrael
Agudat Yisrael ( he, אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, lit., ''Union of Israel'', also transliterated ''Agudath Israel'', or, in Yiddish, ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party re ...
was brought into the coalition. Shinui could not implement many of its electoral promises, such as
instituting civil marriage, and a dispute erupted over state aid to religious institutions. As a result, Shinui quit the coalition in December 2004. In late March 2005, Lapid voted in favor of the budget in exchange for minor concessions in order to keep the government from falling, which was liable to lead to early elections and impede the implementation of the
disengagement plan.
In Shinui's primary elections held shortly before the
2006 elections, Lapid retained the party leadership. However, his deputy Poraz lost second place on the list. In the ensuing crisis, Poraz and several other Shinui MKs left the party and founded
Hetz. Lapid left Shinui two weeks after the vote and announced his support for Poraz's new party, but chose not to be involved in the new party's leadership, instead of serving as a figurehead. In the elections, he was allocated the symbolic 120th place on the Hetz list, but the party failed to win a seat.
Non-political activities
![President George W](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/President_George_W._Bush_pauses_to_pay_respects_in_the_Hall_of_Remembrance.jpg)
In July 2006, Lapid was appointed Advisory Board Chairman of
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, a role he called "a sacred duty".
He appeared on ''Council of Wise Men'', an Israeli television program on
Israel 10
Channel 10 ( he, ערוץ עשר, translit=Arutz Eser), formerly known as Israel 10 ( he, ישראל 10, translit=Yisra'el Eser), was an Israeli free-to-air television channel. Operating under the auspices of The Second Authority for Televisio ...
channel. He hosted his own radio program on
Reshet Bet
''Kol Yisrael'' or ''Kol Israel'' ( lit. "Voice of Israel", also "Israel Radio") is Israel's public domestic and international radio service. It operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Service from 1951 to 1965, the Israel Broadcastin ...
. He also was a chairman of the Israel Chess Society and served as an honorary member of the
Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) is a non-governmental organization which researches Holocaust rescuers and advocates for their recognition. The organization developed educational programs for school to promote peace and civil ...
.
Death
Lapid was hospitalized at
Ichilov Hospital
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center ( he, המרכז הרפואי תל אביב ע"ש סוראסקי; commonly referred to as Ichilov Hospital) is the main hospital complex serving Tel Aviv, Israel and its metropolitan area and the second-largest h ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
in serious condition on 30 May 2008. He died on 1 June 2008, aged 76, after a battle with cancer.
Other
In March 2011, street Nova 30 in
Veternik
Veternik ( sr-cyr, Ветерник) is a suburban settlement of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. Its population numbers 17,454 (2011 census) and most of its inhabitants are ethnic Serbs. Over the years, especially in the 1990s, it grew with size and ...
, a suburb of
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
, was renamed to ''ulica Tomija Josefa Lapida'' (Serbian for "Joseph Tommy Lapid street").
OpenStreetMap
/ref>
References
External links
*
on The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapid, Tommy
1931 births
2008 deaths
20th-century journalists
Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery
Chess officials
Deaths from cancer in Israel
Hetz (political party) politicians
Israeli atheists
Israeli columnists
Israeli journalists
Israeli opinion journalists
Israeli sports executives and administrators
Israeli television presenters
Jewish atheists
Jewish Israeli politicians
Leaders of the Opposition (Israel)
Maariv (newspaper) people
Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003)
Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006)
Ministers of Justice of Israel
Serbian Jews
Shinui leaders
Tel Aviv University alumni
Yad Vashem people
Yugoslav emigrants to Israel