obituaries Obituaries from page 65 How'd I Do? Ron Kampeas and Uriel Heilman J TA Ed Koch New York 0 ne of the proudest moments of Ed Koch's life came during a trip to Israel in 1990, in the midst of the first Palestinian intifada. Koch had recently left City Hall after 12 years as mayor of New York City and was touring Jerusalem when a Palestinian threw a rock at his group, striking Koch in the head. A moment, he would say, when "I shed a little blood for the people of Israel." It was reflective of the pugnacity of the man who served three terms as mayor of New York, spent nine years in Congress, earned two battle stars as an infantryman in Europe during World War II, wrote 17 books and spent the last two decades of his life as a lawyer, talk show host, profes- sor and even restaurant critic — working almost to his last day. Koch, 88, died of congestive heart fail- ure Feb. 1, 2013, the same day as Koch, a documentary about his life, opened in theaters nationwide. Famous for greeting constituents with "How'm I doin?," the Jewish mayor pre- sided over some of the city's most difficult years, 1978-1989, and helped spur the recovery that would flourish under one of his successors, Rudy Giuliani. Koch got his start in politics as a Democratic district leader in Greenwich Village, then worked his way up to City Council, and in 1968 beat incumbent Whitney North Seymour Jr., a Republican, in a race for Congress. In 1977, Koch ran for mayor, upsetting Abraham Beame, another Jewish mayor. Koch won a third term with 78 percent of the vote, but became the target of black ire for closing a hospital in Harlem and for saying that Jews would be "crazy" to vote for the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1988 presidential primary, given Jackson's sup- port for Palestinians and his 1984 refer- ence to New York as "Hymietown." After losing his bid for election to a fourth term in 1989 when David Dinkins bested him in the Democratic primary, Koch retired into a happy existence as a Jewish "Yoda," blessing or cursing politi- cal figures as he saw fit. In later years, Koch seemed to swing like a pendulum between Democrats and Republicans and his political imprimatur was eagerly sought by both sides. He endorsed Giuliani, a Republican, in a successful mayoral bid in 1993 against Dinkins. He often shared — and some- times took over — the stage at endorse- ments for other Republicans, including New York Gov. George Pataki, Sen. Al D'Amato and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Koch stumped hard for George W. Bush's presidential reelection in 2004 and was not afraid to tell baffled Jewish Democrats why: Bush had Israel's back, Koch said. Four years later, he supported Barack Obama but soon became one of his big- gest Jewish detractors over the president's perceived coolness to Israel. "I believe we are seeing a dramatic change in the relationship between the United States and the State of Israel that adversely affects the State of Israel and it is being orchestrated by President Barack Obama," Koch said in early 2010, after a cool meeting between the president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The president, when he invited the prime minister of Israel, Netanyahu, to the White House, was extremely rude to him, treated him as though he were a Third World tyrant." In 2011, Koch endorsed Republican Bob Turner for a special election to fill a vacant congressional seat in New York. When Obama subsequently retreated from criticism of Israel's settlement poli- cies, Koch claimed credit. Last year, Koch enthusiastically endorsed Obama, but in recent weeks he turned on Obama again, making no secret of his disappointment in Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense. "Frankly, I thought that there would come a time when he would renege on what he conveyed on his support of Israel," Koch said of Obama in a Jan. 7 interview with the Algemeiner, a Jewish publication. "It comes a little earlier than I thought it would." ❑ FUNERAL INFORMATION ON YOUR MOBILE PHONE OR TABLET Once a funeral is planned, family and friends often need information quickly and easily. That is why we now have a fast mobile website version just a click away on your phone, wherever you are. Just visit www.irakaufman.com/mobile on your phone or tablet's browser. www.irakaufman.com/ THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPE Bringing Together Family, Faith & Communit Last 30 Days Benjamin Goodman IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL Sunday, Febuary 10, 2013, 11:00 AM Harold Cohen IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL Easily, Simple and Fast: The Latest Technology A Click Away Sunday, Febuary 10, 2013, 1:00 PM Betty Schwartz IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL Monday, Febuary 11, 2013, 2:00 PM THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL Bringing Together Family, Faith & Community 18325 W. 9 Mile Rd Southfield, MI 48075 • 248.569.0020 • IraKaufman.com NNW 66 February 7 • 2013 Obituaries Contact