IDF pays tribute to Charles Aznavour
October 3, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
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In a Twitter post the IDF wrote of Aznavour “His music and strong bond with Israel and the Jewish people touched the lives of many”.
Charles Aznavour in Jerusalem
#CharlesAznavour, the “French Sinatra,” died today. His music and strong bond with Israel and the Jewish people touched the lives of many. May his memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/fGSE71E91L
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) October 1, 2018
He was big in Australia.
Charles Aznavour was one of France’s, indeed the world’s, most popular singers, selling 180 million records during his lifetime.
Unlike so many of his countrymen, Aznavour – who was of Armenian extraction – and his family hid Jews (as well as others in danger) and undertook other rescue activities during the Nazi occupation of France. In doing so, the Aznavours put their own lives in peril.
Among his many honours, Aznavour (and his sister Aida) received the Raoul Wallenberg Award in 2017 for their wartime activities. Aznavour chose to receive it in Israel. As he then said, “We have so many things in common, the Jews and the Armenians, in misfortune, in happiness, in work, in music, in the arts and in the ease of learning different languages and becoming important people in the countries where they have been received”. Sadly, Israel – and most other countries – have never recognised the Armenian genocide perpetrated by Turkey.
Charles Aznavour was a hero who contributed to the happiness of so many. As the IDF spokesperson wrote yesterday, “May his memory be a blessing”.