Yitzchak Rabin - 15 Years

Radio and TV are devoting the day to various aspects of Rabin's life and death. At the opposite end of what I have written in the previous paragraph, Amir's wife, Larissa Trimbobler (someone once joked that she preferred to marry a murderer rather than to continue with her weird surname ..) was quoted as saying that deep public discussion should be devoted to the murder, since it might lead to the conclusion that her husband's actions were justified. Naturally, nobody takes this seriously; the only discussion I heard on Reshet Bet was regarding whether or not her opinion should have been published at all. Freedom of the press, etc etc.

Rabin's murder divided the country into two factions - left and right. The left, as they say in America, went postal - on a rampage against the right in general, and against religious people who wear knitted kipot like myself in particular. And if you think this wore off after a time, a couple of years ago Israeli publicist Yair Lapid claimed that the destruction of Gush Katif - a large proportion of whose residents were religious - was an exacting of revenge for Rabin's murder. I never saw a denial or repudiation of that statement (although I have a different opinion which hinges on various aspects of Ariel Sharon's behaviour, but he is not the subject here.)

For the last 14 years Rabin's yarzheit has always been marked by a huge gathering in Rabin Square (which was so renamed after his death from the Kings of Israel Square). The square is said to contain some 250,000 people, and so far has been full every year.

But this year the organisers - headed by Rabin's daughter, Dalia - have said that there will be no more annual gatherings there, since they have found that public interest in Rabin is waning, that the young know little or nothing of him, which has naturally led to accusations against the education system for not teaching Rabin's "legacy".

I put the word "legacy" (in Hebrew: moreshet) in quotes because it is probably the chief cause of the failure (according to Rabin supporters) to afford Rabin his correct place in the public awareness.

I place doubt on the very word "legacy". I don't think Rabin had one. Yet every year since his death, his anniversary has been marked by followers building up his so-called legacy by attributing more and more characteristics to said legacy, until he was beginning to acquire the qualities of either a Messiah or a Superman. I could see the balloon slowly inflating, until it was clear to me that one day it would burst. Well it hasn't exactly burst, but it has sprung one hell of a leak. Rabin's followers have wisely identified this in advance, and in a smooth damage-control public relations spin have spared themselves in advance the embarrassment of a half-empty Rabin Square, and announced that in future his yarzheit would be commemorated in a different, as-yet-to-be-determined fashion, thus skipping over the decline in Rabin's posthumous popularity, and placing the blame on others.

While writing this, I've just heard on the radio someone claming that Rabin did not intend the path laid out by the "legacy" currently attributed to him.

I remember the day of Rabin's funeral; he lay in state in front of the Knesset, and people passed his coffin in silent tribute. Since I live within walking distance from the Knesset, I had intended to do so myself, despite the fact that I objected to almost everything Rabin had done as P.M., as an expression of my disgust at his murder. However, I heard famous TV commentator Haim Yavin report the lying-in-state, and then asked rhetorically "are not all those passing his coffin in fact expressing identification with his political direction". That did it: those numbers I was not prepared to swell. I did not go.

If one were to compile a legacy for Rabin based on objective historical fact, it would perforce have to contain 3 negative points regarding Rabin:

(1) In 1948 he was responsible for firing on - and sinking - the Lechi arms ship, the Altalena.

(2) From Wikipedia: "In the days leading up to the (Six Day) war, it was reported that Rabin suffered a nervous breakdown and was unable to function." (His wife Leah acknowledged this in a newspaper interview in 1992).

(3) as Prime minister in 1977, he lost control of his government, lost the subsequent general election, which led to Menachem Begin's ascent as Prime Minister.

In retrospect, I don't think that Rabin was a bad person (whereas Sharon, whom I supported for more than 20 years, including while serving two reserve spells of IDF duty in Lebanon, I finally regarded as evil because of what he did to Gush Katif).

As I have said, I objected to almost everything Rabin did (except for lighting the entire highway between Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv), but he should be examined in a very historical context, which in my way of thinking includes lessons learned from history starting with Joshua and ending with Kings II, during the most of which time Israel was fighting with its neighbours. Rabin had no religious education; his mother was nicknamed "Red Rosa" because of her extreme leftist opinions, which had no place for religion. I believe that Rabin wanted to bring peace to the region. But I still think that his Oslo agreement (with which very few Israelis still agree) was - simply put: stupid. I once sat down and figured that I personally know at least ten families, a member of each of whom was murdered as a direct result of the Oslo agreement which was passed in the Knesset by one or two votes only, after Rabin bribed at least one opposition member, and because of Shas's greed for money.

May he rest in peace. Which is more than he left us.