Dear Friends,
This week, we observed the 24th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was known throughout his career as a military hero; he was the chief operating officer of the Palmach during Israel’s War of Independence and the chief architect of the Israeli Defense Forces swift and decisive victory during the Six Day War. He was first elected as the Prime Minister of Israel in 1974 for his military prowess, but when it came time for his second term in 1992, he was singing a very different song. His platform embraced the Israeli Palestinian Peace process, and amidst a very controversial political climate, it appeared as if progress was being made. He signed the Oslo Accord with Yasser Arafat, with whom he would share a Nobel Peace prize, and he signed a Peace Treaty with Jordan as well. He famously said “enough is enough. We who have fought against you, the Palestinians, we say to you today, in a loud clear voice, enough blood and tears.”
And then, on November 4th, 1995, after speaking at a peace rally in the center of Tel Aviv, he was assassinated by a Jew who disagreed with him. It was one of the most successful political assassinations in history. Not only was the Prime Minister killed, the peace process which he had worked so hard to initiate was killed as well.
I was having a conversation with High School students and I asked them who Yitzhak Rabin was. Few had heard of him or knew what he stood for. Yet all of them were aware of the conflict that he fought so hard to resolve. While Rabin is no longer with us, the challenges he faced, and conflicts he encountered continue to thrive. Just this week, we saw a new barrage of rockets being fired from Hamas into Southern Israel.
I don’t know how to create peace in the Middle East, or that I necessarily agree with Rabin’s politics or methods, but I can tell you that I agree with Rabin, when he said, in a loud clear voice, that there have been “enough blood and tears.”
One of the many ways we can ensure that Rabin is never really forgotten, and that his memory will always be for a blessing, is that regardless of politics, we continue to engage with the conflict, and we continue to strive for, and pray for peace.
Shabbat Shalom
,
Josh
