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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 10:26 23/12/2007 Radical Black Panthers bury group's leader Sa'adia Marciano By Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel, Sefardic, race  Sa'adia Marciano, the former Black Panther leader and member of Knesset who died Friday at the age of 58, used to say, according to his sister, "The government is corrupt and will continue to create social gaps in the country." Marciano's sister, Ayala Sabag, a social activist, said her brother was working to re-establish the movement of which he was a founder in the early 1970s. Among the mourners at Marciano's funeral Friday in Jerusalem were those he would call the "oppressed and the wretched of Israeli society," according to his friend, former MK and fellow Black Panther leader Charlie Biton: the homeless, the elderly and drug addicts that Marciano tried to help, sometimes putting them up in his own home, in addition to social activists and former Black Panthers. T Advertisement he Knesset Guard placed a wreath on the grave, and among the eulogizers were former minister Shimon Sheetrit, and MK Yoram Marciano, a relative. "We must raise the banner that Sa'adia Marciano raised, we must continue the struggle," Biton said. Poet Erez Biton said that as young university students in the early 1970s, "We were ashamed to live normal lives when you, at age 20, together with people with a spirit of greatness, put yourself in the eye of the storm." Marciano, born in Morocco, was the sixth of 11 children raised in a small apartment in the low-income Musrara neighborhood of Jerusalem. In 1971, he joined forces with Charlie Biton, Reuven Abargil, Eli Avichzer and others to establish the Israeli Black Panther movement. He was arrested often during protest rallies. Attorney Avi Bardugo, a member of the Panthers, said in a phone interview that Marciano "was the face of the Black Panthers, he was the face of protest. The day the police took him and beat his face swollen it shocked the public. That was when everybody started asking why they went up against us so harshly." Years later, when Marciano was sworn in as an MK, he told Haaretz his activities had taught people "not to be ashamed of being Moroccan." Marciano began his career as a lawmaker in the Sheli faction, later becoming a one-man faction and finally moving to Labor, but eventually losing his Knesset seat. He remained active on the social front, establishing a drug rehabilitation center and, most recently, distributing blankets and heaters to the elderly in cooperation with the Pensioners Party. Bookmark to del.icio.us Bye bye Borat Sacha Baron Cohen will reportedly retire his much-loved alter-egos Borat and Ali G. Divided reformists Reform head Eric Yoffie slams a vote on Jerusalem by the Conference of Presidents.   1.   Sa`adia Marciano... 07:38  |  Esther 23/12/07   2.   Civility Before Activism 15:08  |  Sia 23/12/07

Today Online U.S. plans confidential appraisal of Israeli and PA peace moves Responses: 110 Reform head: U.S. Jews mustn't oppose compromise on J'lem Responses: 30 Israel expands plans for new homes in E. J'lem, W. Bank Responses: 19 Meron Benvenisti: Israeli Arabs must stop mourning Nakba Responses: 15 Haaretz.com TV: Darfur refugee with cancer is still in jail Responses: 6 Rosner's Domain Riedel: "Israel will attack Iran" (WTR) Hijacked by the demanding, spoiled Bar Mitzvah families Romney to Evangelicals, like Messianic Jews to Jews (WTR) Rosner's Guest: deNazify the Palestinian culture More Headlines 15:53 Security cabinet okays funding for 'Iron Dome' rocket defense system 15:54 Olmert rejects Hamas' offer of cease-fire in Gaza Strip 14:43 Barak denies intelligence failure on abducted IDF soldier Shalit 12:00 U.S. plans confidential appraisal of Israeli and PA peace moves 09:18 Reform head: U.S. Jews must not oppose compromise on Jerusalem 11:29 Israel expands plans to construct new homes in E. J'lem, W. Bank 13:26 Women's groups petition court to rule again on Ramon ministerial post 09:53 New talks between lecturers, Finance Ministry break down 15:36 Religious outpost takes over secular settlement in West Bank Previous Editions Select Day 21 dec 20 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec 16 dec 14 dec 13 dec 12 dec 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec

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