Victoria remembers Rabin
MORE than 200 people gathered at Beth Weizmann on Sunday, October 25 to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
MORE than 200 people gathered at Beth Weizmann on Sunday, October 25 to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The Nobel laureate was shot dead at a peace rally on November 4, 1995, by Yigal Amir, a right-wing radical who opposed the Oslo Accords. The commemoration fell on Rabin’s yahrzeit, Cheshvan 12.
Addressing the crowd, Jewish Agency shlichim delegation head Rinat Kedem Bart recalled watching her father weeping when news of the assassination broke. She also recounted a poem she wrote at the time, “The three bullets that were directly aimed at him, hit one by one in our hearts, when we realised we lost a father, Av.”
The assassination, Kedem Bart said, shaped her life, and she has dedicated herself to “educating and fighting for Israel to be a more equal, just and peaceful society”.
Representatives of Melbourne’s Zionist youth movements echoed the sentiment. “If we can act together, despite our differences, then perhaps we can bring about the magic of peace,” said federal mazkirah of Netzer Shira Appelboom.
Noting the poignancy of the service at a time of increased violence in Israel, Zionism Victoria vice-president Sharene Hambur said, “Tonight as we gather to remember the legacy of Yitzhak Rabin, we also remember those who have lost their lives in the latest attacks against the civilian population of Israel and those seeking to defend them. We are here tonight in solidarity with them and we continue to pray for the strength of Israel and for her people, and will continue to tell her story loudly and proudly.”
The event was organised by Zionism Victoria, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Jewish Agency Shlichim, United Israel Appeal, the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Zionist Youth Council of Victoria.
AJN STAFF
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