Yosef "Tommy" Lapid, a former justice minister and one of Israel's most influential journalists, was buried Monday afternoon in the Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv.
Despite his apparent antagonism toward religion, at the request of his family he had an Orthodox funeral, where his son, Yair, recited the Kaddish mourning prayer.
Hundreds of friends, both associates and political rivals, including current cabinet ministers and MKs, attended the funeral.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivered the eulogy for his friend, saying that Lapid was for him "a strong wall during storms" and "a loyal friend."
"It's so difficult to talk about you and not to you," said a tearful Olmert.
Yair read a poem by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
At the end of the funeral, Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and the Israeli "Kmo Tzemach Bar" (Like a Desert Bloom) were played, at Lapid's request as stipulated in his will.
Lapid, a Holocaust survivor, succumbed to cancer around 5 a.m. on Sunday morning at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv at the age of 76. He is survived by his wife, author Shulamit Lapid, son and daughter.
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