EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
Ghost Of Rabin
was the one whose memory, by action
he recently started "final-
and deed, American Jews spit on.
status" talks between Israelis
That's evident by the dearth of
and Palestinians eerily coin-
Rabin
memorial activities here and
cided with the recently con-
elsewhere.
Catch those Rabin memori-
cluded memorial observances for
al
events
in
recent weeks? They didn't
Yitzhak Rabin.
exist,
and
who
cares? Our agencies
You remember Rabin. The then
and organizations and groups allegedly
prime minister was gunned down by a
concerned about Israel
religious - Jew on Nov. 4,
were, I guess, too busy.
1995. Rabin's army liberated
Of course, that's not
Jerusalem and, 25 years later,
what
we said four years ago.
he approved an agonizing
The
days
following the
process that will eventually
murder
were
intense. So
see that city's Arab neighbor-
many
of
us
felt
such a sad
hoods handed over to the
sense of loss, even most of
Palestinians.
whom vehemently dis-
His prime ministership
agreed with Rabin's policies.
showed the depths to which
In Atlanta, I joined
personal flaws can plunge a
NEIL RUBIN
3,000
people on a horrible
nation. You see, Rabin exem-
Senio r . Editor
stormy
night to mourn in
plified the ability to grab an
1995.
Similar
events were
existential enemy's hand while
held in Detroit and else-
slapping those of political
where. In the ensuing days and
ones. (Mind you, thoughts that this
months, unity pledges were made.
made Rabin responsible for his mur-
Vows
of respecting fellow Jew's were
der are repulsive. Yigal Amir pulled
signed.
Talks of tolerance programs
that trigger. And the rest of us —
were
made.
right, left and indifferent — are
Four years later, who cares?
responsible for failing to ostracize rab-
Not
American Jews.
bis and like-minded people who justi-
Meanwhile, Jews in this country
fy such acts.)
continue to distance themselves from
Oh, and one more thing. Rabin
Israel's increasingly complex society.
That's a tragedy in its own right since
Senior Editor Neil Rubin can be
Israel and U.S. Jewry have a still
reached via e mail at
uncultivated beneficial relationship
nrubin@jewishtimes.corn
waiting — and not just money, some
He collects personal memories of Rabin,
of which Israel now sends our way.
so please send them his way.
As we contemplate that, we will add
T
-
that Rabin's assassination, which offered
a chance to talk about our emotional
ties toward Israel, hasn't left us. It just
leaves us somewhere else. And that is at
the point of intra-Jewish relations.
The truth is that these days Ameri-
Four years later,
it's clear that
Rabin's murder
meant all the
wrong things to
American Jews.
can Jews tied to the organized Jewish
community — about 50 percent if
we're lucky — have little to do with
non-like minded Jews. That's due to
geographical dispersion, increasing
work/family commitments and a focus
on synagogues rightly being the center
of Jewish life. So people with vastly
different paradigms rarely, particularly
in theological and political terms,
cross our path. The Federation world
and some Jewish agencies offer excep-
tions, but they involve but a handful.
Mind you, in rhetoric-obsessed
Israel, Rabin's murder remains a power-
ful divider. For the hardcore left — for-
tunately, much of which is being
pushed aside by the centrist-minded
Prime Minister Ehud Barak — it
heightened the need to push the peace
process, and to blame and stain the
right. Leading the pack is Rabin's
widow, Leah. Her understandable bit-
terness need not be so public. It does
more to divide than unite.
Meanwhile, the hardcore right
understands the meaning of Rabin's •
death — a need to avoid blame.
Binyamin Netanyahu's three-year rule
as prime minister made that possible.
Now, with Rabin's mentor in power,
they are again exposed to charges of
treason. So they lash out.
The hardcore left — along with
Rabin's children — are pressing for an
open investigation into the assassina-
tion, one that would publish still secret
documents. I agree; all evidence should
be made public. It's the best way to
shatter the ridiculous conspiracy
myths. If by some miraculous chance
they prove accurate, I'll be the first to
crusade against those responsible.
Well, at least Israelis and American
Jews are united in one way. They all
miss the point. You see, Rabin's mur-
der isn't about blame for the act or
debate on the peace process. And its
legacy is worse than an inability to
talk about Jewish differences. Rather,
it's about blindly accepting the label of
indifference.
But you already knew that. And
you didn't care. Sorry to waste your
time. 1-1
LETTERS
Cubans Suffer
Due To Policy
We recently returned from a humani-
tarian mission to Cuba with the Unit-
ed Jewish Appeal and the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
The trip was an eye opener for us
to the remarkable work of the JDC
around the globe and, specifically, in
rejuvenating the tiny Jewish commu-
nity of about 1,400 people throughout
the island.
Observing their joy in practicing
Judaism was a moving and, some-
times, enviable experience. The "Joint"
is responsible for bringing the supplies
and outstanding personnel that made
this transformation possible the
moment (Cuban leader) Fidel Castro
opened up Cuba to such
outside assistance.
There were 15,000
Jews in Cuba before
Castro; 90 percent have
left. Now the few
remaining Jews are leav-
ing Cuba for Israel and
the United States
because of the failed
economy. This is unfor-
tunate because Cuba is
one of the rare places
that had been hospitable
to Jews. The consensus
is that there has been no
anti-Semitism in Cuba.
The Jews in Cuba
suffer equally with the
rest of the population from food and
medicine deprivation, a 40 percent (at
Jose Miller, president of
the Jewish Community
House of Cuba, speaks
to the press Oct. 12 in
Havana.
least) unemployment rate, impossibly
low wages (we were told that doctors
earn the equivalent of about $20 per
month). In the mean-
time, Castro has raised
the literacy rate to 96
percent and health care
is available to all, the
two bright spots in a
poor and poorly run
country.
Cuba is a lovely and
fascinating country; the
people are warm and welcoming, and
it would be a friendly neighbor. The
American embargo policy imposes a
1999
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