Thousands mark 25 years since Rabin’s murder, call for return to ‘decency'

“Peace is possible,” they sang, “from North to South, and from West to East.”

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Israelis gather at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv for a remembrance ceremony marking 25 years since the assassination of late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, held on November 7, 2020. (photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)
Israelis gather at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv for a remembrance ceremony marking 25 years since the assassination of late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, held on November 7, 2020.
(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)
Thousands gathered at Rabin Square Saturday evening to mark the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin 25 years ago.
Once named in honor of the Kings of Israel, the sound check before the event began with "Song of the Herbs" by Naomi Shemer. Based on a saying by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, it speaks of how “each shepherd has his own tune.”
The public gathered to mourn and cry out for a return of a “decent sort of Israeliness,” peace and a leadership untainted with allegations of corruption – is also in search of a shepherd.
“[US President Donald] Trump is already out,” one protest sign asked, “when will [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu be?”
Protesters walked around with black shirts with the slogan ‘Crime Minister’ emblazoned on them in red letters. Others needed several sandwich-boards to transmit all they had to say, one woman warned that “the country is in total chaos” as well as “you can’t end coronavirus with politics.”
A man shouted “Bibi to prison” and, next to him, some very young children began to repeat the slogan, clearly oblivious to what it means.
Israeli hi-tech company MyZone handed people devices meant to keep the public safe during COVID-19 by informing them if someone is within two-meters of them. “I can’t believe they’re experimenting on people,” an angry voice behind me complained when the announcer asked people to take part in the testing of the product.
The event moderator, choreographer Renana Raz, kept reminding the public to wear a mask and follow the Health Ministry’s guidelines as police made sure nobody was bringing in weapons, and kept the peace. A song in Hebrew and Arabic introduced white-clad women, singers Yael Deckelbaum and Miriam Toukan, singing about the day in which “the gates of fear will melt, and I will return from my exile.”
The song seemed to leave the issue of which exile – that of the Jews? That of the Palestinians in diaspora? Both? – wide open.
“Peace is possible,” the song promised, “from North to South, and from West to East.”
On the screen, Rabin was shown speaking of “peace that would solve most of Israel’s problems” before he was gunned down by Yigal Amir on November 4, 1995.  
Opposition leader and head of Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, spoke first and told the audience that “we are the hope, because we continue to fight.”
Lapid said that he sees this slogan on protest signs everywhere and, as he said so, the large video screens at the rally showed just such a sign held by a protester.  
He then called hope an “operating system” and summarized Rabin’s legacy as an obligation “to protect our country.”
“We love Israel,” he said, “and so we won’t give up.” As he spoke, a protester was walking with a sign marking two dates, Rabin’s murder in 1994 and, allegedly, “the murder of democracy in 2020.” The protest sign had a photograph of Netanyahu, whom Lapid did not mention by name.
“We need to unite around decent and law-abiding Israeliness,” Lapid said. “We need to unite around welcoming and tolerant Judaism,” he suggested, “which isn’t used for politics.”  
Film director Yaron Zilberman spoke about his new documentary Days of Awe, which depicts the days before the murder from Amir’s point of view. He slammed “bizarre” conspiracy theories about the film without mentioning any of their authors and claimed his movie would “fight them.”


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