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Uri Avnery - No pig deserves to reach this age (296/315)

197 views · Published 12 July 2017 · 4:16 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Web of Stories - Life Stories of Remarkable People · 2017 · News & Politics

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To listen to more of Uri Avnery’s stories, go to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFw4EQRLZvAoreWVLWLJDNaI

Uri Avnery (1923-2018) was an Israeli writer, journalist and peace activist. He was editor-in-chief of the weekly news magazine "HaOlam HaZeh" and founded the Gush Shalom peace movement. [Listener: Anat Saragusti; date recorded: 2017]

TRANSCRIPT: There is nothing much to say about one's 80th birthday. There is a popular saying in German: 'No pig deserves to reach this age'. Eighty was old. We held a sort of rally at Tzavta; I don't remember much about it, except that some renowned people came to honor me. But I made a condition that they would not talk about me. If there's one thing I despise it is public birthdays when people get up one after the other, man after man and woman after woman, and praise the 'birthday boy' − praise him and glorify him; it is very unpleasant. So I made a condition: I agreed to have a birthday celebration, but it would be a symposium on the subject of peace. And some highly respected people came to make a speech. I think that Meron Benvenisti came.  I oppose his views completely, but really respect and like him, and a few other individuals. It was nice, let's put it that way. I never imagined then that I would live this long, but it has happened.

[AS] Do you want at this opportunity to also talk about your 90th birthday?

I can already jump to my 90th birthday although it's a bit mixed up in my mind, I don't remember anything special about the 90th.  At my 90th birthday, Rachel was no longer with us and that, of course, changed everything. In between – at the same place, it was always at the same place, at Tzavta – there was the eulogy gathering for Rachel, which was also very impressive. It was impressive because people spoke and revealed how much everyone had loved and especially appreciated Rachel. I think I've talked about that separately; it was very moving. And on the screen behind us we showed pictures of Rachel's life, it was quite touching.

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