Rabin Rally

Last Saturday, in commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin's death, our group went to an annual rally in his square in Tel Aviv. The ceremony was about two hours, and consisted of many speeches and performed songs, most of which were very interesting. The Rabin rally felt a little bit like an entertainment venue, as many of the participants in the ceremony were famous Israeli figures; among the speakers were Shimon Perez and Yitzhak Rabin's grandson. Performers included Mosh Ben-Ari, Aviv Geffen, and Harel Skaat. 

The atmosphere swung wildly between somber and festive. During sad songs or sentimental speeches, most people were extremely quiet, shushing anyone near by who talked (including the people translating the speeches quietly for us). These people were generally older, clearly still mourning the loss of Rabin and their perception of a hopelessness of peace. Of the (approximately) 30,000 people in attendance, this demographic made up about 40% of the rally participants.


The other 60% were blue shirted youngsters, members of Labor Zionist youth movements. Habonim Dror's sister movement, Hanoar Ha'oved Ve'halomed (The working and studying youth), was by far the group with the greatest presence; they have tens of thousands of members, many of whom were at the rally. Members of the youth movement range from elementary school aged children all the way to t'nuat bogrim (the movement of graduates), who are in their 20s. At the rally these youth were cheery as they met up with old friends and had a night out going to a fun cultural event. Most of the movement members weren't politically conscious at the time of Rabin's death and don't identify the rally as a sad event. Instead, they see it as a chance to advocate for peace and spend time with friends.


As a movement, my group mediated between the two feelings. We paid attention to all the speakers and sang along with the songs, but we also met up with friends and hung out. 


Personally, I was extremely conflicted during the rally. Just a few weekends ago at the Rabin seminar I really learned about him and came to understand who he was as a person and his legacy. In that sense, the rally was my first time truly commemorating his death and acknowledging the void that exists today in Israeli society due to his absence. That understanding drove the rally to touch me in a very personal way as I stood there, listening to the speeches, seeing pictures of Rabin, and mourning this man that I never knew.


Simultaneously, however, I understood that 15 years had passed since his death and that the time now is for influencing the peace process positively in his memory. Maybe the rally wasn't meant to be tragically sad; in some ways it seemed like it should be a joyous occasion, remembering a loved person and continuing in his path. 


I still couldn't shake my feeling of mourning, though.


And I think that's where most of left wing Israeli society stands on the issue. They're teetering between memory and legacy, trying to understand how to feel and what they need to do in order to fulfill Rabin's wishes. I just hope that some time (perhaps now or farther down the line), the fulfillment materializes into peace.