@ "We come together to mark this year, and this time, with remembrance and discussion," Rabbi Jeffery Summit said as he introduced filmmaker Michael Yohay Tuesday night.
Yohay spoke on the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, which happened ten years ago this Friday. Rabin served as prime minister from 1974-1977 and again from 1992 until his death. He was shot on Nov. 4, 1995 after speaking at a rally promoting the Oslo peace process with the Palestinians by Yigal Amir, a right-wing activist.
Yohay began his presentation at the Granoff Family Hillel Center by playing singer Naomi Shemer's version of "Oh Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman, which she recorded in tribute to Rabin.
Yohay compared the shock felt by the Israeli people by the assassination to that of Americans on Sept. 11, 2001. "Rabin truly believed in the peace process," he said.
He also mentioned the question in Israel of releasing the Amir from his life prison sentence. "This is something we should never consider and we should never forget," Yohay said.
Yohay then showed a short film of documentary footage on Rabin's career by Shahar Segal.
Rabin was born in British Mandate Palestine in 1922, making him the first Israeli prime minister born in what would become the Jewish state.
In 1962 he became chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces - a position he held during the Six Day War of 1967. After the war, Rabin served as the ambassador to the United States until he was elected on the Labor Party ticket to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in 1973.
He succeeded Golda Meir as prime minister after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He resigned from this position in 1977 in the midst of a political scandal. His wife, Lea, was found to have a U.S. bank account, illegal at that time. He returned to government as defense minister in coalition government with the Likud Party during the 1980s.
When Rabin became prime minister again in 1992, he kept the title of minister of defense.
Yohay retired last year as a lieutenant colonel in Israeli Defense Forces. During his time in the military he served as the head of the Film and News Production Branch of the Spokesperson's Division. He has directed and produced 18 films and now works as a freelance filmmaker.
His team, as well as a delegation from Jordan were the only journalists permitted to cover the peace talks leading to the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan. "It was the peak moment of my army career," Yohay said.
Yohay showed the film about the treaty with Jordan. It featured footage from the opening of the Arava border crossing between Israel and Jordan, the intense negotiations that preceded the treaty and the official announcement and signing of the treaty.
During his time in the military, Yohay spent time around Rabin and shared some anecdotes with the approximately 25 people who attended.
These ranged from light-hearted remarks - Rabin was a poor dancer but an excellent soccer player, he was shy around woman and was never able to tie a necktie - to a description of Rabin's uncompromising stance on peace.
"He had zero tolerance for those who didn't agree with the peace process," Yohay said of Rabin. This may have contributed to the resentment on the right that led to Rabin's assassination, Yohay said.
He concluded the presentation by addressing the question of whether Rabin's death altered the course of history. "It was a waste of an act," Yohay said. He compared Rabin's assassination to that of President Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr., all of whom were killed for political purposes but too late to prevent their life's work from having an impact.
Hillel will host a follow-up discussion on Rabin and the Oslo peace process today.
