Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch ain’t dead yet, but he’s got his tombstone ready for when the big day arrives.
He’s already engraved a stone tablet with his epitaph and placed it on a hill at Manhattan’s Trinity Church Cemetery in Washington Heights, the New York Times and New York Post reported on Sunday.
“He was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith,” it reads. “He fiercely defended the City of New York, and he fiercely loved its people. Above all, he loved his country, the United States of America, in whose armed forces he served in World War II.”
Koch also included a Hebrew prayer and Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl’s last words before Islamic terrorists beheaded him in 2002, according to reports. They read: “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.”
Koch’s friends and some neighbors at his Greenwich Village apartment building told the Post that Koch’s bold move matched his larger-than-life personality.
“He’s accustomed to having the last word, so this doesn’t surprise me,” one friend said.
While the 84-year-old has in the past suffered a stroke, heart attack and is in rehab for spinal degeneration, most of Koch’s friends the Post contacted said they didn’t think he had fallen ill again or expected to go away anytime soon.
For his part, Koch told the Times he planned on staying alive at least five more years.
“I’m not morbid,” he said. “How many 84-year-olds do you know who are as active as I am? Not many. And how many 84-year-olds do you see in obituaries? A lot.”
The Times also asked the former mayor to reflect on his past years as mayor. Koch said that he “held no grudges” against political opponents, even though he has refused to meet with some of them since leaving office.
Having lived in Newark for 10 years, Koch said he wished the city would memorialize him by changing the name of Newark Airport to E.I.K.
Whatever happens, Koch said that he doesn’t want to linger in ill health, according to the Times.
“I want to die at my desk,” he said.
(Source: NBC News)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
24 Responses
How about this on his tombstone?
Here lies the politician who lies & lies & lies.
If he were really fiercely proud of his Jewish faith, he would not feel a compulsion to put it on his tombstone.
Methinks he doth protest too much.
Interesting how fiercely proud he is of his Jewish faith.. Some 20 years when Ed Koch had a radio show on WABC, he used to brag about how he knew he wasn’t suppossed to eat pork, but that “he just loved it”.
I sent him a note about his publicizing it, to which he replied with these words, “Thank you for your concern about my hereafter, but I’ll take my chances”.
I still have that letter sitting around for some reason.
Ben Porat Yosef!!!! May he live until 120.
“He was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith,”
“placed it on a hill at Manhattan’s Trinity Church Cemetery”
Now try and work that one out!
If he is buried in the Trinity Church Cemetery, in the upper world, his soul will reside with others from that cemetery. He will be the only Jew in that crowd.
Nebach, Nebach, Nebach! R”L!
The man is and in my humble opinion always was an embarrassment to all New Yorkers of any faith. Some of the greatest crooks in the history of NYC were in his administration and he knew nothing. Now it appears he is going to be an embarrassment again… this time to his own heritage. Someone correct me if i’m wrong but the rule is simple if you are Jewish when the time comes you are buried in Jewish grounds amognst the souls of our own people. Shame again on you Ed Koch!!
to all above posters while I agree he should be in a jewish cemetary this article neglects to mention that when the time does come for him to go, (All jews should be Ad meah Veesrim Shnana) he consulted with rabbanim how to cordon off his kever halachichally so it should be considedered as if its a separate cemetary. When koch first thought of being buried in this place he consulted as this was publicized in various media outlets a few months ago as I said above i hope he stilldoes change hismind and he shouldnever need the grave anyway
There are plenty of Jews who are happy to die, without anyone knowing that they were Jewish. A groise tzadik is er nisht (b’pashtus), but he should get credit for proclaiming his Jewishness. Ein Hakodosh Boruch Hu mikapeach s’char kol beryah!
If he wants to be buried in a church, why does he feel the need to rub his jewish identity in everyone’s face?
He always was an embarrassment. looks like he’ll die that way too.
11, yes, yes #11, he consulted with ‘rabbonim’
one of the problems with only reading The Yeshiva World is that in the interest of space, certain snippets of the news get deleted. he is being buried in a non-denominational cemetary, see today’s NYT for entire story. his Jewishness is not manifested in the Magen Avraham’s z’man krias shema vs the Vilna Gaon’s, chodosh bizman hazeh in chutz l’aretz or the shiur of tzizis. he was born, raised and will die as a “secular” Jew. when he was killing nazis as a US Army infantry lieutenant, standing up to Jesse Jackson for his “Hymietown” remark, marching for Soviet Jewry, Israel and a host of other causes, he always did it as a Proud Jew. read his latest book, “The Koch Papers: My Fight Against Anti-Semitism” for a greater elaboration.
I write this as someone who has been involved with Ed since 1977, when I joined his mayoral campaign, thinking that after he lost I would have a friend in congress who would be able to help mosdos in EY. Little did I know that we would end up in city hall together for the next 11 years. he has remained a friend, a mentsch and Uncle Ed to my children all this time. you are trying to negate all he has done on behalf of his people because he doesn’t observe halacha. I know you are wrong. I believe that his life-risking activities during WW11 and many other things since will speak volumes when his turn comes.
Joel Schnur
ner yisroel is right. we could take from this a lesson. ‘yisroel shchutu, yisroel he! a yid is a yid and although its what bilum huruchu said, ‘tumos nafshe mos yeshurim’ we do take a lesson, that the pintele yid is still burning in him!! and everyone can do tshuva untill the last second.
I hope his wish will be fulfilled very soon. Before his 85th. He doesnt impress me at all! No real loss to yiddishkeit, maybe to his old cronies,in the old adminsistration. G-D speed to you Ed. Just another frei jew. Be on your way.
minkymalka “I hope his wish will be fulfilled very soon. Before his 85th”
we are taught that “YITAMU CHATUIM VLO CHOTIM”
that the sins get finished and not the siners
i also hope that before his 85th b day hell do tishuva
17, why not hope that he will do teshuva first, then go on to 120 in good health and trying to make up for lost time?
to all above posters that wish ed a quick need of his grave how big of tzadikim are all of you? He can always do teshuva up until the sword is on his neck and that will remain true even on his death bed. A Jew is always a Jew nobody knows the cheshbonos of the ribono shel olam. And to you #17 calling him just another frie jew that should be on their way how can you say that? A jew is important no matter they be frum or not ! BTW look at how koch is using an example of Daniel Pearl who died Al Kiddush Hashem. up until his last moments Im sure you #17 would have said the same thing Daniel Pearl Just another Frie Jew
Minkymalka:
How atrocious. No real loss to yiddishkeit? The death (actual or impending) of ANY Jew, no matter HOW irreligious is a loss to us all. Are your only bretheren those who are up to your standard of observance? “Just another frei jew”??? Just?? The Nazis (y”s) didn’t differentiate, but you are apparently so without sympathy for anyone who doesn’t meet your standards that you do. Shame on you.
Reb Avigdor Miller once said on Koch “he will die in his bed as an old ……(mishkav zachor)!
“As long as the candle is burning we can do teshuvah”
perhaps one should begin to say Kaddish for him now.
Em
as Ed Koch used to say SHAME ON YOU. I mean SHAME ON YOU the posters on this blog and the readers that aren’t moiche. Yes it is unfortunate that Ed wasn’t observant. However he helped us and was proud of being Jewish. He helped more jews that the lazy bums posting on this site. SHAME ON YOU POSTERS.
ddi anyone care to read the full article where they quote the inscription on his tombstone?
He will be buried in a nondenominational cemetery (al pi halacha- we wouldn’t put him in a Jewish one anyway)
the stone will read (“My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish”) and includes (“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One”)
In Hebrew it’s called shma yisroel- a kiddush hashem
To #4: The fact that he knew he wasn’t suppossed to eat pork, but that “he just loved it” is no different from any Jew who gives in to his yetzer harah. He was not brought up as a frum Jew even living in New York. However, he had more Jewish pride than many of our frum chaverim.
To #14: The very fact that he consulted ‘rabbonim’ should mean something. YOU may not approve of who he asked or their answer but so what? You are not the Dayan HaEmes.