Skip to main content

Israelis remember Rabin, but many reject his legacy

Educators, especially within the national-religious sector, debate whether Rabin Memorial Day should be dedicated to his political legacy or to tolerance and coexistence.
Israeli school children stand next to a memorial marking the site where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv October 20, 2010. On Wednesday Israel marks the 15th anniversary of Rabin's killing by an ultra-nationalist Jewish assassin. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY) - RTXTMUL
Read in 

As terrorists undertook another deadly hit-and-run attack in Jerusalem on Nov. 5, Israeli schools marked the 19th anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. A memorandum by the Ministry of Education's general director noted that the day “provides an opportunity to discuss the importance of tolerance, understanding and cooperation between all sectors of society.” But following this, lesson plans distributed to principals and teachers were sharply criticized for failing to deal with the assassination itself, the assassin's identify and the environment that led to the assassination, focusing instead on some amorphous concept of “tolerance” and the figure of Rabin as an “Israeli patriot.”

Dealing with the issue of tolerance is especially relevant in Israel in 2014, with some people in an uproar over the so-called Rabin festival and even expressing a modicum of support for the assassin, Yigal Amir. A survey conducted by the Mako news website found that some 50% of right-wing voters are not sure that Amir assassinated Rabin, and that 14% of the public believes that he should be released from prison.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.