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A Soldier Falls

As a people, Jews are convulsing with pain. ish people on the battlefields of four wars, in-
Yitzhak Rabin was a leader of such strength and cluding World War II. As a soldier — for 27 years
stature that, until Saturday evening, a Jewish in the military and then for 27 more in govern-
world without him seemed incomprehensible.
ment — Mr. Rabin knew no rest.
In a brief moment now remembered with
He was first thrust into our hearts while serv-
howling agony, Yigal Amir did what enemy sol- ing as Israel Defense Forces chief of staff. In
diers, tanks and machine guns never could. Mr. June of 1967, it was the Rabin-built army that
Amir stopped Yitzhak Rabin. The 25-year-old won a stunning and lightning victory over the
law student, moments after an unprecedented Arab armies. That win reunited the holy city of
peace rally in Tel Aviv, slammed two hollow Jerusalem and brought Israeli control to the
point 9 millimeter bullets into the body of Is- West Bank and other territories. From 1968 un-
rael's first native-born prime minister. This act til 1973 he served as ambassador to the United
violated the precepts of God, the Jewish peo- States, forging his own deep respect and love for
ple and the moral con-
America, its people and
science of the world. Yet,
their style of govern-
this was not the work of
ment. In 1974, he be-
a crazed lunatic. Mr.
came Israel's youngest
Amir was in complete
prime minister. He vol-
control. Indeed, he had
untarily chose not to run
planned this event for
for re-election in 1977,
months. His only disap-
following a financial
pointment was that he
scandal involving his
did not also murder Is-
wife. He did not return
rael Foreign Minister
to government's inner
Shimon Peres that
circles until 1984, as-
evening.
suming the role of de-
Adding layers of trau-
fense minister. Mr.
ma to an incomprehen-
Rabin was re-elected to
sible tragedy is that Mr.
his country's top position
Amir was raised in a re-
eight years later. He im-
ligious home. To call Mr.
mediately began drag-
Amir a religious Jew
ging his nation down an
himself would be a grave
aggressive path for
insult to all Jews. Mr.
peace.
Amir has disgraced the
In a great sense, for
Jewish people as per-
the past three years Mr.
haps few Jews in histo-
Rabin sought to com-
ry ever have. Our
plete that decisive win of
people's custom is to say
1967. He sought to take
that our enemies' names
the Jewish people on a
Rabin before a session of the Knesset. By his side
should be blotted from Yitzhak
journey where it would
is Shimon Peres.
the pages of history.
hopefully learn to value
However, Mr. Amir's name will never leave us. life over land, democracy over subjugation, dig-
Nor should it. His name, his deed, should nev- nity over disgrace. As no other man ever had or
er be far from our thoughts. We should always could, he commanded the helm of a painful
be cognizant of where our differences can lead process that sought to turn our people from an
if they remain unchecked.
inheritance of trauma to one of embracing re-
We say "our" because, in this darkened hour, sponsible power.
all Jews everywhere must be one with the peo-
Mr. Rabin, in his own last words, best
ple of the State of Israel. We, too, are of the summed up his vision and hopes for Israel. Mo-
House of Israel. While Yitzhak Rabin was not ments before he fell, he had this to say to the al-
our president, we looked to him as we could no most 100,000 people who had come to urge him
other leader outside of this country. Some of to continue his efforts with Shimon Peres:
"I have always believed that the majority of
us knew him personally. Some of us loved him.
Literally millions of us have shed tears for him. the people want peace and are ready to take risks
Even those who disagreed with his politics — for peace," he said, an uncharacteristic smile
some vehemently — have honored the heroic spreading across his face. "In coming here to-
acts and the lifetime of service that Mr. Rabin day, you demonstrate, together with many oth-
gave our people. The minority fringe that ap- ers who did not come, that the people truly desire
plauded his assassination is a cancer in the body peace and oppose violence. Violence erodes the
of the Jewish people. We must act now before it basis of Israeli democracy. It must be condemned
and isolated. This is not the way of the State of
takes more lives — as we well know it could.
Mr. Rabin was an unprecedented Jewish and Israel ... For Israel, there is no path that is with-
world leader. The retinue of presidents, prime out pain. But the path of peace is preferable to
ministers and kings at his funeral is testimo- the path of war."
Yitzhak Rabin is dead. May his memory be a
ny to that. In Jerusalem on Monday, they came
to say farewell to a man who had served the Jew- blessing.

A Long Friendship
With Mr. Zuckerman

T

his photograph of Yitz-
hak Rabin (middle) and
late Detroiter Paul
Zuckerman (right) was
taken in 1974 at a United
Jewish Appeal dinner in New
York.
The late Mr. Zuckerman
served as a national chairman
of the UJA. His wife, Helen,
says she and her husband
were close to the Rabin fam-

ily. The Rabins often came to
the Zuckerman home in Israel
to swim and "do things friends
do together.
"Yitzhak and Paul were
such good friends for so many
years. Yitzhak was always shy
in public. I'm just filled with
so much sorrow.
"I knew (his wife) Leah well,
and I feel badly that she has
to go through this." I=1

Editor's Notebook

More Bullets
That Kill Our Spirit

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

There are other
bullets. Friday
night and Satur-
day, Shabbat Vay-
era is the Jewish
Community Coun-
cil's Unity Shah-
bat. It's supposed
to be a time when
we light an extra
candle in a-show of
unity of the Jewish people.
I'd be satisfied at this point if
we all agreed not to say a con-
demning word about one another
this Shabbat. You know what I
mean.
While the Jewish Community
Council's mandate of building
bridges between Jews and other
groups is extremely important, I
am calling on this organization to
work on the bridges in its own
community. It's going to take
more than distributing candles.
The vitriol is not limited to
those we call extremists. May I
suggest that if words make one
an extremist, then go back to the
mirror and take a look.
No sooner had I walked into
Adat Shalom Synagogue on Mon-
day for the memorial service for
Yitzhak Rabin than an acquain-
tance came to me and asked me,
"Where are all the Orthodox
people?"

Yes, there were Orthodox Jews
at the event. The Young Israel
Council got the word out and they
were there. Young Israel of Green-
field's Rabbi Steven Well spoke at
the event on behalf of his congre-
gation, the Council of Orthodox
Rabbis and the Orthodox com-
munity.
He delivered an eloquent
speech, calling Mr. Rabin, "our
prime minister" and taking on the
issue of love versus hate.
But the truth is, with 4,500
people in attendance, there were
probably less than 100 Orthodox
Jews. And so, we're quick to get
on that bandwagon of finger
pointing, because we just don't un-
derstand one another.
Did you know that there are
some members of the Orthodox
community who have children,
relatives and friends who were
bludgeoned and bloodied by
Israel's police force because they
participated in sit-ins and protests
against the Rabin government?
In the 1960s in the United States,
we called this the civil-rights
movement.
Maybe we need to reach out
and learn what it is these people
are feeling at this time.
There are Orthodox Jews who
follow as many of the laws as they

BULLETS page 4

