[ssba]

“Yitzhak was a noble man, a president who was a man of the people, and one beloved by the people. His door was always open to all. … He never hesitated to speak what was in his heart, nor did he hesitate to intervene when he felt it was his moral duty, even if it came at a personal and professional cost.

…

Darling Yitzhak, our beloved president, we wanted you to stay here, with us, just a while longer, but your presence was required in the heavens … You had the privilege to walk down your life’s path hand in hand with the State of Israel. You were a beacon, and the public always knew to look to you when the road was unclear.

Your life took you on the path of the Israeli people and the Israeli nation. Time and time again you found yourself playing a significant role in our nation’s meaningful junctions, as an adviser, a government official and educator, a diplomat and a statesman, as a minister and as president, and every event bears your unique mark, shaping the road ahead.

Now that you have come here, to the President’s Residence, for the very last time, on behalf of the people of Israel, on behalf of all Israeli presidents, I bow my head and bid you farewell.”

(President Reuven Rivlin speaking at the funeral of Israel’s fifth president, Yitzhak Navon, 08/11/2015)