Legendary Israeli radio host presents book of famous last words

In 1970, Israel Zvi Kaner, a teacher with a PhD in philosophy and an ordained rabbi, published Last Words, a collection of the last words people have said before their death. This book was a summary of his life’s work and serves as a testament for future generations. 

Kaner “infected” his son Dan with the same compulsion. For many years now, Dan Kaner, the legendary radio announcer, has been collecting last words said by people, both famous and not so famous. He then uploads them to a website called Ceremonies (tkasim.co.il), which he administers with Yehuda Siman Tov. 

“We collect word selections from books and newspapers, and more recently we’ve begun adding quotes from the Internet, too,” Kaner explains. “We’re extra cautious, though, when it comes to quotes we’ve found on the Internet, since you can’t trust that a certain person actually said those words, so we try to cross-reference everything. 

“I’ve been working on this project for so long, since it’s really a continuation of the work my father started. I genuinely love spending time collecting words.”

For years, Kaner had been toying with the idea of compiling all those texts that he’d been collecting and turning them into a book. That vague idea turned into something much more concrete one day when Kaner was doing a radio interview with Yigal Gueta a few months ago. 

“Yigal encouraged me to take all these writings and sayings that I’d been collecting and turning them into a book,” Kaner recounts. “But I was very hesitant because all I could think about was, how would critics critique the contents? Nowadays, when you want to publish a book, you have to finance it yourself, and because my ego got in the way, I refused.

“Later that day, Moshe Gromov, who runs the Nadav Publishing House, called me and said that he’d be happy to publish my book for free. And that is what we did. Moshe put a lot of hard work into transforming my work into a 399-page book. This has made me extremely happy.”

When Kaner speaks about his book, Dvarayhem Ha’achronim (Their Last Words), you can hear in his voice how excited he is to be continuing the project his father began. “My father had such a strong influence on my life. There were already books with quotes from people’s last words, and usually just a sentence or two about the person whose quote it was.

“I decided that I wanted to focus on the people whose words are featured in the book. I write a page, or page and a half, about each person, including details about the people who were with them at the time that they spoke those words, and what the specific situation was. 

“Words that people say before their death shed light on their personality and what they value in life. Even when I was little, I didn’t think writing about people who had died was macabre. Instead, I liked spending time thinking about how these people grew up and spent their lives. I never focused on the sad circumstances of their death,” he says,

How did you decide what to put in the book and what to leave out?

I’m lucky that I got to work as an announcer, moderator and presenter, and not as an editor or publisher, as the latter constantly get their heart broken every time they need to decide what to leave out. Thank goodness I didn’t have to deal with that heartbreak. 

I had to leave out Trumpeldor, for example, who is one of the people I admire most in the world – I grew up in a home of staunch Revisionist Zionists. My father, in fact, used to spell Trumpeldor’s name with the Hebrew letter taf instead of with a tet, since that was the way the Zionist youth group Betar spelled it.  

So, I did not include the phrase that Trumpeldor was famous for saying: ‘Never mind, it is good to die for our country.’ If I ever get around to publishing a second book, I’ll include that quote, as well as the last words of Uri Ilan, who was captured by the Syrians. 

Ilan committed suicide so as not to reveal military secrets under torture. A note was found between his legs on which he’d written, ‘I did not betray.’ I will remember these words forever; but unfortunately, they did not make it into the book.

What is an example of a quote that is included in your book?

It’s a book from which you can learn about history and values. It features leaders, statesmen, military officials, doctors, pirates, outlaws from the Wild West, criminals, painters, musicians, astronauts and people of all different religions. 

One of my favorite quotes is from Rabbi Haninah ben Teradion. As punishment for going against the Romans and continuing to teach Torah, he was set ablaze wrapped in a Torah scroll and covered with vinegar to prolong his suffering. 

When his disciples asked him, ‘What do you see?’ he replied: ‘Parchment burning and letters blossoming.’ In other words, the physical parchment of the Torah scroll might have been burning, but the letters of the Torah will remain forever. 

There is also an amusing entry. When Peter Paul Rubens, one of the greatest Flemish painters of his time, was on his deathbed, he told his wife: ‘Death will soon close my eyes forever. You are still young – you must marry again. My only request is that you wait until flowers bloom on my grave.’ It was said that just one week later, his wife was spotted planting flowers on top of his grave to speed up the time until they bloomed.

Kaner, 77, who is an announcer, broadcaster, host and one of Israel’s most well-known radio and TV personalities, never dreamed as a child that radio would play such a central part in his life. He believes that fate led him to this role.

Has your feeling about radio changed over the years?

No, I still get very excited about radio programs – much more than anything on TV. That’s not to say that TV programs are bad – they have lots of advantages. But radio is special exactly for the reason that no one sees you. As a result, people can go about their day while they’re listening to the program. 

Also, let’s say I have to cough or sneeze. I can shut off the microphone for a second, then turn it back on, and no one will have noticed. I also love that anyone anywhere can tune in to radio.

What has changed about the radio audience?

When I began working in radio, there was only Galei Zahal (IDF Radio) and Kol Israel (Voice of Israel). Nowadays, you can do a radio show, and when you walk around town, no one will recognize you. 

Having such a wide variety of shows now is amazing – there’s something for everyone. Of course, as a freelancer in the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, I want as many people to hear my program as possible.

What’s your opinion about the style of Hebrew used by the younger generation of radio broadcasters?

Language is a living thing that grows and changes with time. That’s only natural. That I’m not developing alongside the Hebrew language is another matter. I am more into lamenting about my time and style of Hebrew. 

I understand why young people are taking modern Hebrew to a different place, but I must admit that hearing things young people say sometimes makes me cringe. But I certainly have no complaints.

Do you still use punctuation when sending a message on WhatsApp?

Yes, of course. I even use punctuation when I write my wife a message on a piece of paper if I leave the house early in the morning.

KANER HAS become a legend in radio. After completing his IDF military service, he was hired at Kol Israel as an announcer. And when TV’s Channel One was established, he began working as an announcer there too, and later on as a TV show host. 

In the 1970s, Kaner was appointed performance director at Kol Israel. One of the most unforgettable moments for him was when he announced that Zohar Argov had just been selected as the winner of the 1982 Mizrahi Song Festival.“

“When I heard Zohar performing “Perach Bigani” (“Flower in my Garden”), I felt deep down inside of me something so special, that at that very moment I was experiencing history in the making,” Kaner recalls. “This wasn’t just another person winning a music competition. This was Zohar breaking through all the boundaries and becoming the singer of an entire nation.”

For decades, Kaner has been moderating Israel’s official state ceremonies, including the main ceremony that takes place on the eve of Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism. 

“Every year, the ceremony is very moving,” Kaner says. “But the Yom Kippur War was probably the most emotional. I recall many years when battles, victories and loss were described in great detail. One of the hardest parts in these ceremonies is reading the names of people who were killed. 

“I was lucky that I was able to read the text ahead of time, since many times it would bring tears to my eyes. This way, I would be more in control while reading the text during the ceremony. Although there were times that I got choked up during a ceremony.”

Kaner’s “baby” was a radio program called Tsafihit Badvash (Something Honey-Sweet), which he began broadcasting in 1977. The program featured foreign songs from the 1950s and 1960s, alongside their translation into Hebrew. 

“I did that radio program for 40 years. I would record all the songs ahead of time, since we didn’t have any technicians working on Shabbat. There were many, many people who listened to that program every week for years. I would introduce each song, giving details about it before I would play it. This was not done so often, and many people appreciated learning about the song before they’d hear it,” he says.

Have you taken part in any of the demonstrations over the closing of Israel’s Public Broadcasting Corporation?

No, I’ve not been involved. I also never talk about current events or politics. I can tell you, as someone who grew up in public broadcasting, that I see its advantages and importance. These programs could not have been made on commercial stations.

What other new projects have you been working on?

Well, I’m still working on my regular radio show, which is broadcast three days a week, and for which I am always searching for new and interesting ideas. I also still present at ceremonies and performances. 

I have two of my own live shows as well. One is called Matok MayDvash (Sweeter than Honey), which focuses on songs from the 1950s and 1960s and the stories behind them. The other show is Zahav Lanetzach (Gold Forever), which focuses on Jewish singers from that era, such as Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand. And I’m happy to admit that the auditorium has been packed to the gills. We have two female singers, two male singers and six musicians. 

In addition, I have been hosting various performances, such as The Flower in the Garden, under the musical direction of Uri Karib, which features songs from hassidic and Mizrahi music festivals.

Translated by Hannah Hochner.