Remembering Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995)

October 26, 2015 marks the twentieth anniversary of the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a lone Jewish assassin.

I first encountered Yitzhak Rabin when I was a student at the University of Minnesota, which had an enrollment of over 40,000 students and was the biggest single campus in the USA at the time. Yitzhak Rabin served as Israel's ambassador to the United States from 1968–1973, during years that I was living in Minneapolis. Although I was not sufficiently well-versed in Israeli politics to know this, it was clear that the ambassadorship was a high-profile perk that was awarded to Rabin, a successful general and rising star in the dominant Israeli Labor Party. Rabin viewed the ambassadorship as a stepping stone to something bigger (as do all successful Israeli generals who go into politics), and Rabin would go on to lead his Labor Party to victory in the 1973 elections and become Prime Minister of Israel (1973-1977). In 1992, he again led the Labor Party to victory and served as Prime Minister till he was shot and killed in 1995.

Traditionally, one of the functions of an ambassador was touring American college campuses, expounding official Israeli policy, with the intention, of course, of increasing support for the State of Israel and inspiring pride within the American-Jewish community. When Rabin arrived at the University of Minnesota, he still had the glow, for proud Jews like me, of a successful and charismatic leader. For someone brought up on the eloquence of Abba Eban (1915-2002), Israeli ambassador to the US and UN, I anticipated a real treat. I still remember the advertisements for his upcoming speech in the University of Minnesota Hillel building and in the Minnesota Daily, the university-wide student newspaper, having a circulation in the tens-of-thousands. I marked going to his lecture as a 'must do' activity in my schedule. There was, of course, offsetting Arab propaganda, but it was nothing like the aggressive and violent activities of Palestinian and BDS anti-Israel demonstrations nowadays. 

And so, the big day arrived. A very large campus hall had been reserved that could seat hundreds of people. I arrived early and seated myself somewhere in the middle of the hall and off to one side. The turn out, however, was disappointing. Perhaps a few dozen people were scattered throughout the big room. 

Yitzhak Rabin, other dignitaries and a university representative entered, and sat on a stage at the front of the hall. Yitzhak Rabin was introduced and came to the podium. I leaned forward in my chair expectantly. Then, he began to speak. In his very heavy Israeli accent and characteristic monotone, he droned on and on. His English was almost incomprehensible. What a disappointment! Could this be the famous Yitzhak Rabin, the war hero, the new Abba Eban? I really don't think he managed to inspire anyone that day, and I doubt whether anything he said was intelligible. The audience was polite, of course, and he finished with a round of applause. I was disappointed and sad and embarrassed. I felt that a great opportunity for Israel at the University of Minnesota had been wasted that day. I was glad that I had not asked any of my non-Jewish friends to accompany me. In retrospect, this was Israeli 'hasbara' in action (public diplomacy).

Fast forward. Year – 1995; the place – Wingate Institute. My family decided to spend the day at the Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) annual picnic, where my children would be able to meet and talk with other English speakers. So, I drove south from the city of Karmiel with my wife and two small children, stopping off at Netanya to see my wife's relatives, and then continued on to the picnic grounds a short distance away. In the late afternoon, with all family members starting to get tired, we considered leaving. I noticed that security personnel had been significantly augmented, and there was now an obvious presence of security vehicles. When I inquired, I was told that Yitzhak Rabin would be visiting the AACI picnic as part of his campaign in the upcoming, already acrimonious, national election. We considered whether to stay, but decided that it would be better not to wait around, anticipating a long trip with two young, tired children. 

In the evening, we watched the news on TV and saw Rabin at the picnic and how a lone protester had raced through the loose ring of guards around him, almost reaching him. Even I, as an ordinary citizen, was shocked at how close an unwanted person could get to the Prime Minister, and how poorly guarded he was. Indeed, it was ominous. 

We now know that the security establishment's mistaken 'conception' was that harm to the Prime Minster would not come from another Jew. How wrong they were! We hope that they have learned important lessons since then, will take nothing for granted, and be more creative in protecting our leaders in the future. We must consistently be vigilant and think 'out of the box' and that applies not only to protecting our Prime Minister.