Jerusalem Post says former chief editor Ari Rath dead at 92

VIENNA – Former Jerusalem Post chief editor Ari Rath, who advocated the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, died Friday in Vienna at 92, the paper said.

Rath was best known for his more than decade-long tenure at the daily’s helm. His support of dialogue to resolve past and present conflicts won him numerous honours, including Germany’s Order of Merit and Vienna’s Golden Award of Honor.

Born in Vienna, Rath, at 13, was among the Jewish children who managed to escape the Holocaust through special transports to Palestine after Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938. He joined the Jerusalem Post in 1957 and was appointed chief editor in 1975.

Rath counted former Israeli President Shimon Peres and assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin among his friends. He regained his Austrian citizenship in 2007 and spent his last years in a senior citizen’s home run by the Austrian capital’s Jewish community.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz paid tribute to the editor, saying he considered it particularly important to follow Rath’s contribution to “tolerance and understanding.”