Relatives of freed and murdered Gaza hostages, as well as families of soldiers who have fallen since the October 7 massacre, urged national unity at a rally held by several youth movements on Wednesday.
Several Israeli youth movements held the rally, titled “Rising Together!” marking 30 years since the assassination of then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin on Mount Herzl on Wednesday.
Meirav Leshem Gonen, mother of freed hostage Romi, addressed the event, saying that we must “wake up and open our eyes wide,” and urged unity, saying that we should understand that people standing beside us want what is good for them, but also what is good for us.
“If we awaken to this truth, we can rise, speak in song and not words of anger, and remember the place we never want to return to again,” she said.
“We are the hope. I say to the girl I once was, keep believing, keep asking, stay curious, and don’t give up your ability to make an impact. From this faith, we act. Do not let hate defeat love,” Shir Siegal, daughter of freed hostages Keith and Aviva, said.
“Even within great disagreement, it is possible to love and respect those you differ with,” said Rabbi Tamir Granot, the father of Capt. Amitay Zvi Granot, who was killed by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile.
“Do not cast blame; take responsibility. Raise the bar of mutual responsibility. Choose hope and unity. Be angels to one another. Thus, we will be a whole people,” Granot added.
Fallen soldier's mother affirms existence of baseless, unconditional love, even among disagreements
“After October 7, I understood if there is baseless hatred, then love too can be baseless. It is possible to disagree in opinions, but the foundation must be unconditional love,” said Laly Deri, mother of fallen soldier Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Saadia Yaakov Deri.
“If we want to cultivate dialogue, we must engage in dialogue. We are the people. We are the dialogue,” she added.
“Rabin was a symbol of leadership unafraid of reality. We are the generation that takes responsibility to encourage creativity, courage, and true friendship. Not to wait for someone else to build the future,” Yonatan Shalev, founder of the Shoulder to Shoulder movement, said.
“In this way we will be able to tell our grandchildren that we succeeded in building the country Rabin dreamed of,” he expanded.
“I ask that we light candles in memory of the youth who were murdered in Be’eri,” Haim Yellin, the former head of the Eshkol Regional Council, said.
“They were the light, and you today are the continuing light. You, the young, deserve a future of hope and light, and you are the ones who will carry the torch and build a more moral and just society,” Yellin added.
The youth movements also issued a joint statement, saying that “thirty years after Rabin’s assassination, the young generation chooses to remember not out of guilt but out of responsibility, to conduct disagreements with respect, to choose dialogue that brings people closer and not apart, and to believe that in the place where one truly listens, hope is born.”
The rally aimed to promote unity between the different sectors within Israel, regardless of what political views they hold.
It was initiated by the youth movement Remember the Murder, Fight for Democracy, with the participation of Dror-Israel, HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, and Bnei Akiva, among others.
Nitzan Rosnok-Ziv, secretary-general of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, underscored ahead of the rally at Mount Herzl that “the memory of the [Rabin] assassination must not belong to any one group or tribe.”
“The memorial day for Rabin’s assassination must be a national day on which different groups can jointly commemorate and learn the lesson of that terrible murder,” he said.
“Even in the harshest disagreements, no one may raise a hand against the rules of democracy.”
The youth groups stated that the rally aims to emphasize the responsibility of the younger generation to mend social rifts, restore respectful dialogue and moral discourse, and learn to manage disagreements through listening and mutual respect.
The event was hosted by N12 journalist Amalya Duek, with a musical segment led by the band Hatikva 6.
Keshet Neev contributed to this report.