Thank You, Izhak Rabin

On November 4, 1995, the Prime Minister of Israel was assassinated at a peace demonstration in Tel Aviv.

When the Teachers' and Leaders' Class I teach met a few days after the assassination, we divided time, and each person had the opportunity to discharge. Here are some of the thoughts I shared at the beginning of the class:

  • lzhak Rabin's assassination gave an entire nation an opportunity to genuinely appreciate a leader.
  • It has given us a whole week (the traditional Jewish week of mourning) to stop criticizing each other.
  • It has given an entire nation and its leaders an opportunity to grieve openly, deeply-on TV, at home, and in public squares.
  • It has given those closest to us the chance to grieve old hurts.
  • Discharge not only heals old hurts, it is an opportunity to re-evaluate the past. It is not by chance that such mass discharge manifests itself in the most dramatic changes in public support of the peace process.
  • Rabin's assassination gave Arafat the opportunity to come openly to Tel Aviv, and for Hussein and other Arab leaders to come openly to Jerusalem.
  • It has given all of us the chance to appreciate these nations' young people and their leading role in support of peace.
  • It has given all of us the opportunity to be more completely human.

Lisa Blum
Tel Aviv, Israel


Last modified: 2022-12-25 10:17:04+00