Readers recall the night of November 4th, 1995

rabin special 298 (photo credit: )
rabin special 298
(photo credit: )
Few incidents of historic proportions occur during one's lifetime. But those moments are never forgotten. If you're American, you probably remember all too well where you were when you first heard John F. Kennedy had been shot. If you're Israeli, the siren that silenced the quiet of Yom Kippur in 1973 is likely still vivid in your mind. The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, on November 4, 1995, was no doubt one of those moments. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the assassination, we would like you to share with us and our readers your experiences of that terrible evening.
Send us your comments >> Yoel Nitzarim, Skokie, IL, USA: I recall what I did when I heard that Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin had been assassinated by a Jew. At that time I was a 46-year-old grown man with a wife and two daughters living in a house in Skokie. It was very different from the time when John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Then, I was a thirteen-year-old seventh grader and was standing at the top of the stairs right outside Von Steuben High School, on Kimball Avenue, in Chicago. Then I was stunned, puzzled and at a loss of words. Yes, Mr. Rabin's murder was different. I was touched by such a feeling of futility and rage. I went out into the backyard of my home and yelled at the top of my lungs: This can't happen in Israel! It is our land! We are its keepers: we till the soil, we moderate its daily happenings. And Rabin is our leader. And a "religious" Jew did this to him? It can't be! Afterwards, I remember being yet again at a loss for words and hoarse and just feeling helpless as I returned to my home, my wife, and my two daughters. Hannah, England: I still remember the night clearly! I was 16, I had finished school and came home. Mum was cooking. I think I had the news on, not too sure. I do remember a news flash had come up on the screen saying that Yitzhak Rabin had been assassinated! I was so angry, I screamed and my mum came running into the room and asked what had happened. When I told her, she didn't believe me, so I made her watch the news with me. David Bleier, Jerusalem: I remember turning on CNN and hearing that Rabin was dead. The original reports said he was not hurt in the attack. The rest is history. Why can we not re-open the investigation, and finally discover who really killed our Prime Minister? The Israeli public deserves to know the truth. Avi Gabbay, Los Angeles, CA, USA: I was just a kid... around 10, 11 years old. I lived in Iran at the time and remember the news on Israel News which we could hear through AM radio. I remember my mom, and my dad tearing up, and crying.... On the other hand, Muslim people in iran were passing out candy, and celebrating... I wanted to go out there and choke them, but what could I do? The Iranian TV portrayed him as some tyrant, of course the brain washing method of them thugs. I will never, ever forget that day... It triggered my parents to get out of that country and move to the USA. I can not wait to visit Israel. God Bless Yitzhak Rabin, and his soul. Rahel, Jerusalem: I was on my way home from a shabbaton in Bet Shemesh when the assassination occurred. Since the radio had not been playing in the sherut in which we had been riding, I had no idea what had happened. When I reached downtown Jerusalem to wait for my bus home, I noticed how empty the streets were but did not know why. I met my friend on the bus and she told me Rabin had been shot. When I got home and turned on the television, I saw Eitan Haber announcing Rabin's death. David: I was watching it on TV and at the time naively hoped that it meant at least no more land and guns would be given over to the Palestinian enemy by our government, and the murders, kidnappings, and bus bombings would stop. Unfortunately, future governments continued to follow in Rabin's heritage of capitulation to terrorism. Noga Martin, Jerusalem: Rabin was assassinated exactly one year after I'd made aliyah. I was living in Tel Aviv at the time and I was actually suppposed to go to the rally in Kikar Malchei Israel (as it used to be called). But I got called in to work, and that's where we heard the initial reports. I made my way home along Dizengoff St, and in all the shops and the cafes people were crowded around TV sets. I remember one man cluthcing his head and moaning. When I got home my roommates told me that he was dead. Shani, Jerusalem: I remember watching Crocodile Dundee on Channel 1 with my friend, just another Saturday night before returning to the army on Sunday. Suddenly, the screen went blank. When a picture resurfaced, the on call news anchor reported that shots were fired at Rabin in the then 'Kikar Malchei Yisrael', and that Rabin was not hurt in the attack, according to witnesses. Well, the rest is history… I finally put myself to bed at 3 a.m.