Obituaries
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Obituaries from page C39
public view. Nathan spent his final years
partially paralyzed from a stroke and in
a wheelchair.
Born Abraham Jacob Nathan in Iran
and educated in India, he first burst
onto the international stage in 1966
when he took off from Israel and flew
a small, single-engine plane to Egypt
that he dubbed Shalom One. His plan
was to meet Gamal Abdel Nasser, then
Egypt's president, in a bid to accelerate
peace between Israel and the Arab world
through a daring act of people-power.
Nathan was sent back to Israel with
no meeting to show for it, but that
didn't stop him from trying again the
following year. He again returned home
without a meeting, and this time he was
jailed in Israel for illegally visiting an
enemy country.
But the stunt made Nathan a house-
hold name in Israel and fueled his
ambitions for other offbeat adventures
in peace activism. The launch of the
Voice of Peace, whose boat was partially
funded by Beatle John Lennon, was his
signature effort.
Remembering Nathan's first trip to
Egypt, Uri Avineri, a fellow long-time
peace activist, said, "We all held our col-
lective breath when we heard he would
be landing at Port Said," an Egyptian
city.
"All this work he did totally alone. He
understood the importance of emotion
and had the ability to influence people
on an emotional level:' Avineri said.
An Active Protestor
In 1977, Nathan sailed through the Suez
Canal after several failed attempts, passing
out chocolates and toys for children.
The following year, in 1978, Nathan
began a hunger strike at a tent in a
major Tel Aviv square as a protest
against Jewish settlement construction
in the West Bank and Gaza. The strike
lasted 45 days. At its end, Nathan looked
like a skeletal shadow of himself, friends
recalled.
Nathan also made headlines and
found his way to more jail time in the
late 1980s and early 1990s, when he met
with Yasser Arafat and other PLO mem-
bers at a time when it was against the
law for Israelis to do so.
"Today I feel stronger, taller, and I will
not stop the path I have begun," Nathan
told reporters after emerging from jail
following one of those prison sentences.
Nathan also met with other leaders
around the world, including Pope Paul
VI and U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy.
Gideon Levy, a columnist at Israel's
daily Ha'aretz, remembered Nathan
from the bohemian days of his own
youth in the 1960s and 1970s. Levy
was among those who spent long hours
at Nathan's parties and at his Tel Aviv
hamburger joint, "California;' known as
a center for the city's hip intelligentsia
scene.
He remembered Nathan as an excel-
lent host, always happy to cook for a
crowd and throw another party.
But in the background was always
politics, which Nathan took very seri-
ously.
"Abie Nathan was perhaps the only
Israeli who felt guilty about 1948:' Levy
wrote on Thursday. "As a volunteer
pilot from overseas, he had bombed
Palestinian villages and then wanted
to make up for it. He didn't shoot and
whine about it but actually tried to
make amends:'
Nathan was also active beyond the
Israeli-Arab conflict. He helped set up
refugee camps for victims of famine and
war in Africa, and earthquakes and fight-
ing in other parts of the world, including
South America and Cambodia.
❑
Making a Lasting Memory.
At The Ira Kaufman Chapel, we help your family with the f
tribute of those you love
National Council of Jewish Women Greater Detroit Section (NCJW/GDS)
presents a
"Symposium on Autism"
1:00 pm, Sun, Sept 21, 2008
Temple Shir Shalom, 3999 Walnut Lake Rd, West Bloomfield
NCJW/GDS presents panel discussion
educating parents, grandparents,
friends and family about autism.
Panel moderated by Dr. Sonya Friedman
with keynote speaker, Dr. Richard Solomon.
Board certified in general pediatrics and
developmental/behavioral pediatrics,
Solomon will discuss latest information
on brain science as applicable to
children with autism.
Information resource table available
after presentation.
Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods.
No charge to attend this event.
Reservations are required.
Seating is limited
THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL
Bringing Together Family, Faith & Community
For reservations and further information,
call (248) 355-3300, ext 0.
I N325 West Nine Mile Road, Southfield, MI .1•8073
2•ti.569.0020 • fax 2 1.8.5611.2502 • wWW.iratiallfinan.c0111
1422620
C40
September 4 • 2008
IN
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