Captain, our captain

When I started working at Haaretz in the summer of 2005, young and fresh out of university, on the eve of the disengagement from Gaza, I knew to expect at least one phone call each shift, one that would either throw me into fear or reassure me that I was in the right place. And there it was, the gruff British accent, no formal greeting other than a bellow through the line: "Who's in charge?" There was no choice those early days, those late night shifts, but to squeak: "I am."

The gruff was always David Landau, the British born editor of Haaretz, the founder of our English edition. Sometimes he called to scold, to criticize, to scream even, and often he just called to say 'well done,' a compliment which lingers still today.

It was never clear which message he'd have, and every phone call bore trepidation. He was a man who intimidated and impressed at once, inspired and encouraged, made young and eager writers like myself realize that there is a place for us in Israel, in journalism here. He was raised in the U.K., gave birth to Haaretz's English edition, and despite all religious and linguistic differences, became the editor in chief of the paper's Hebrew edition from 2004-2008.

He was the Godfather of Anglo journalism in Israel, the former editor of the website, Sara Miller, told me tonight. A better description would be hard to find.

David died tonight from a long and terminal illness. He will be missed, but not forgotten.