Wednesday, January 21, 1998 23 Tevet 5758 Jerusalem Post Nation mourns Zevulun Hammer By LIAT COLLINS JERUSALEM (January 21) -- Education Minister Zevulun Hammer, who led the National Religious Party from its historical alliance with Labor into a new partnership with the Likud and served in both Labor and Likud governments, died yesterday after a long bout with cancer. He was 62. Hammer's death was announced at 8 a.m. He was buried yesterday afternoon in a state ceremony at Jerusalem's Mount of Olives cemetery. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent a message from Washington in which he said that "the government and the whole nation bows its head in mourning and deep sadness at the tragic death of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Culture Zevulun Hammer, leader of the National Religious Party. "Zevulun Hammer was one of the central pillars of the national revival of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. His path was full of love for Israel, and for the eternal values of the Jewish people, which he labored as education minister to bequeath to a whole generation of youth he educated in Israel. He combined in his personality depth of thought, grace, and regard for his fellow man and enjoyed the respect and support of all parts of the nation. We should only be worthy of his unifying legacy." The Knesset stopped much of its regular activity yesterday to unite in grief. Hammer was a member of the House for over 28 years. Flags flew at half mast, and the building was unusually quiet. In the afternoon, MKs, ministers, dignitaries, party functionaries, friends, and schoolchildren gathered in the Knesset forecourt to pay their final respects. As they filed slowly past the body, many openly wept. Four members of the Knesset Guard, in dress uniform, stood at attention around the stretcher bearing Hammer's body. The Knesset ceremony was marked by the modesty and simplicity which so characterized Hammer, demonstrated the respect he inspired, and united MKs from across the House. Political foes such as Meretz leader Yossi Sarid and Democratic Arab Party leader Abdul Wahab Darawshe were among those who quietly stood before the body. During the ceremony, Hammer's two sons recited Kaddish as his wife, Menahemia, and their two daughters looked on. "Zevulun has left us, young forever," President Ezer Weizman said in his eulogy, praising Hammer's "wonderful nature." "I don't remember him ever raising his voice," he said, adding that nonetheless, in his quiet way, Hammer led a social and educational revolution. "He was one of the outstanding leaders of the country, a true Zionist," Weizman said. "Zevulun, as NRP leader, was one of the founders of the idea of national civil and military service. Zevulun was one of those who paved the path for the Hesder yeshivot, which have made such an important contribution to the IDF. He showed that it was possible to be a good Zionist, a good IDF officer, and at the same time, to keep the precepts of the Jewish faith." Weizman also noted that Hammer had promoted equal rights for Arabs, Beduin, and Druse. Knesset Speaker Dan Tichon said the Knesset joined all the people of Israel "in bowing its head in mourning." Tichon, like most of those who eulogized Hammer, noted he had never lost touch with the common people and was always an educator. "Tolerance and understanding were not just a slogan to him," Tichon said. Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau also recalled Hammer's origins as the son of a Haifa factory worker. He said Hammer was was formed by and lived by the Bnei Akiva motto: "Torah and labor." Lau recalled Hammer as "intelligent, moderate, balanced, and considerate," who could bring together people from very different sectors. Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moshe Katsav, said the country had "lost a great patriot."He said Hammer had lived modestly, believed in and fought for the Land of Israel and also for a true peace. He was "the beautiful child of the 'knitted kippot.'" Katsav also eulogized Hammer at the special cabinet meeting held in the Knesset. At Katsav's request, Gesher leader David Levy also attended the meeting. Hammer's chair was covered with a black cloth. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A bar mitzva boy with a core of steel IN MEMORY by SARAH HONIG (January 21) -- Without a doubt Zevulun Hammer was the most accessible cabinet member. Reporters felt free to phone him at any time and disturb him at home. He may have been busy and preoccupied, but the voice on the other end was always more than polite. It was friendly to the point of giving the impression of delight at hearing from a friend. The calls didn't always have to do with business. He also was available to hear opinions and gripes about the educational system and would take what he heard seriously. Though politically one of the most powerful figures in public life, Hammer was never higher than thou. In fact, it was almost the reverse. He was modest and unassuming, nearly to an extreme. Hammer was often derided, especially during his first stint as a minister in the 1970s, for sounding like a bar mitzva boy, innocently rolling his eyes heavenward. But there really was something of the bar mitzva boy in him; he was very sincere, idealistic, and easily moved by any story of personal hardship - often to tears. At the same time, this sentimental, ostensibly naive man was a political heavyweight who helped change the country's entire political configuration. When he first appeared on the National Religious Party scene, the NRP was run by European-born politicians whose main objective was to bend with the prevailing political winds blown by the omnipotent Labor Party, and to somehow win concessions for various religious demands. The NRP was then far more religious and far less nationalistic. It was the object of ridicule for its accommodation and compromises. It was accused of corruption and shady dealing. Hammer was a reformer and always squeaky clean, both personally and politically. He helped create a different NRP. He was, significantly, the first sabra NRP leader and he paved the way for a party more sure of itself in society's mainstream, less of a special interest group, less for sale, more nationalistic, and extremely vocal on issues far removed from local religious council politics. His young guard, which undermined and then toppled the old NRP establishment, also shook and then cast aside the alliance with Labor. Gush Emunim, which Hammer helped found, was responsible for the great settlement movement in the territories, and the NRP in turn nurtured and protected the Gush. The NRP at times appeared to the right of the Likud, and Hammer stayed in the opposition during the Labor government of 1992 to 1996. But Hammer should not be seen as unequivocally and inflexibly far-right. He was more complex than that. He started out by putting a renewed emphasis on the first initial in his party's acronym, but he was a moderate hawk and a pragmatist. He retreated from militant positions for a time, and especially took to heart the heavy casualties among hesder yeshiva students in Lebanon. Hammer was always very carefully attuned to his party. His political fingers were constantly on its pulse. This is not to say that he was a weak figurehead. In fact, for the past 20 years Hammer was the uncontested leader of a party which had once been torn by internal strife and malignant intrigue. After he took over, he did away with the warring factions. He evinced an uncanny ability to reconcile the deep differences between many of the NRP's disparate components. He was in full control of a party that was difficult to control, but he was never arrogant and never dictatorial. Hammer led but he also listened. He was very sensitive to every nuance and mood swing in his very ideological party. Overwhelming sentiment in the NRP made him appear to veer rightward again, especially since the Oslo Accords. Yet Hammer could voice the same opinions as his more outspoken party colleagues, while seeming to send a softer-spoken message. He didn't ignore reality and was open to negotiations, while at the same time resolutely sticking to his ground. That made him a unique phenomenon in the political arena - he could communicate with the secular and the religious, the hawk and the dove. Despite his very distinct positions, he was capable of verbal tolerance and a healing dialogue. He was as accessible to his political foes as he was to nagging reporters.