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Meir Weingarten ל"ז

ל"ז דוד ןב םוחנ ריאמ

is name might not resonate gems such as the live radio reporting of
with some, but his story, IDF paratroopers liberating Har HaBa-
mission and legacy cer- yit, the Temple Mount. His segments on
Htainly will. the meanings of Hebrew words, which
On Shabbat Parashat Nasso, the Jewish he aptly named Meir Millim, was a labor
world lost a Religious Zionist icon with of love for his people and their ancient
language.
the sudden and shocking passing of
Meir Weingarten. In his professional career at Ariel
Tours, in his radio career at JM in the
Meir was a Biblical scholar, a Hebrew AM and the Nachum Segal Network, in
language expert and a wonderful baal his involvement in the community – in
tefillah and baal kriah. all his endeavors he brought people to
For over 17 years, Meir’s chavruta was
As the owner of Ariel Tours for the last Dr. Leeor Gottlieb, the preeminent Israel. He brought them to the Land of
40 years, and out of his devotion to Bible scholar. In an email he sent me Israel, to the literature of Israel and,
Eretz Yisrael, he helped facilitate travel after Meir’s passing, Dr. Gottlieb wrote: most significantly, he brought them to
for hundreds of thousands to Israel. “Meir was eternally grateful to G-d for care about Israel. Kishmo ken hu – he is
as his name implies. He was a beacon
He led groups and missions, and played living in a time in which he can take in our midst – Meir, a source of light.
an instrumental role in sending stu- part in the replanting of our nation Our world is dimmer now without
ִ
ֹ
dents to study in Israel. in Eretz Yisrael. אל ְו ם ָת ָמ ְד ַא ל ַע םי ּ ת ְע ַט ְנּו him, but in truth his beautiful light
ם ָת ָמ ְד ַא ל ַע ֵמ דֹוע ּו ׁש ְתָּנִי “And I will plant will continue to shine through the
Meir was also well known as one of the them upon their soil, nevermore to fruits of his efforts, through the souls
dedicated staff members of JM in the be uprooted from the soil I have given that he touched on and off the air. I am
AM. An expert mechanech, Meir hosted them” (Amos 9:15). He shared his love grateful for being one of those souls.”
The Israel Show and used those airwaves of Israel and the Hebrew language with
to transmit hours and hours of educa- his radio audience, preparing special Meir is missed by so many in our com-
tion on various topics: from Tanach to shows on Tu BiShvat, Yom HaAtzmaut munity worldwide, and especially by
history to Hebrew and more. and Yom Yerushalayim, connecting his many families like mine, whose chil-
listeners to a vast amount of knowl- dren gained so much by having Meir in
He will be best remembered, however, edge that he amassed about the geogra- our lives. Our radio family will mourn
for co-hosting the Yom HaAtzmaut and phy of Israel, the courage and sacrifice for quite a while as we realize how
Yom Yerushalayim Specials every Iyar. of modern day heroes in Israel, and the positive and important an impact he
jubilation of triumph in rebuilding our had on all of us. His memory will be a
Meir’s passion and fervor for religious land and returning to the places of our blessing for eternity.
Zionism, the State of Israel and Israel forefathers. His broadcasts included
advocacy made him a unique individ- riveting analyses of popular songs
ual. He was considered by all to be a such as Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, tying — by Nachum Segal, president of the
Ben Eretz Yisrael, all the while living in the lyrics to their biblical sources. He Nachum Segal Network and host of
the Diaspora. pored over audio archives to find rare “JM in the AM” for almost four decades

ךורב ורכז יהי