Benzion Netanyahu was best known as the father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. But he also earned a well-deserved reputation as a historian. His studies focused on the Jews of Spain before and during the Inquisition; his books brought him universal acclaim. He taught at Dropsie College at the University of Pennsylvania, but being far from Israel did not prevent him from taking part in the life of the Jewish state. He situated himself on the right, always. He was against the Oslo accords and an independent Palestine. The peace process was not to his taste.
Fatherhood brought him happiness and sorrow: Bibi’s election as Prime Minister made him proud, but his son Yoni was killed in action during an IDF hostage-rescue mission in 1976. That melancholy could never be erased.
Wiesel is a writer and Nobel laureate