Remembering Rabin and that evening 30 years ago

Many of us remember perfectly where we were on the evening of November 4, 1995, when we heard the news of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Prime Minister of Israel. How did we react? What did we feel? What do we feel today, thirty years later? Have our emotions changed?
And further: what does Rabin represent for the young people who were born after that time? What do they know about him? What do they feel when faced with the testimonies and footage from that November 4, 1995?
Is Rabin’s legacy still alive? Are we still capable of dreaming of peace?
This evening — Tuesday, November 4, at 9:00 p.m., at the Social Center of the Jewish Community, Piazzetta Primo Levi 12 — we will try to bring together our memories of that night which changed our lives and perhaps altered the course of history: Italians and Israelis, young and old, those who agreed with Rabin and those who may have opposed his policies but would never have wished, nor even imagined, that he could die at the hand of another Jew.
Above all, tonight we will remember Yitzhak Rabin. Beyond in-depth historical and political analyses, beyond reflections on the responsibilities for his assassination. Not because these themes are unimportant, nor because they do not deserve to be explored, nor because it is wrong to hold different opinions and discuss them among ourselves — but because, thirty years after that tragic November 4, it is important to remember Rabin together, as a Community. Not as individuals, not as separate and disconnected groups, each with its own information and its own truth. This is not a renunciation of politics; in fact, the very choice to hold a shared evening in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, thirty years after his assassination, even without detailed political analyses, is in itself a political act.
Even if we hold different opinions, even if the narratives we refer to are not the same, we still share a common language that allows us to dialogue: our tradition.
On the 3rd of Tishri, the day after Rosh Hashanah, we fast in memory of Gedaliah, a Jewish governor assassinated by another Jew. Gedaliah, a descendant of the House of David, was appointed governor of the Kingdom of Judah when the First Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. He became a symbol of hope for the Jewish people, who saw in him the continuation of their state and independence. With Gedaliah’s death, all those hopes were extinguished.
Many have drawn parallels between the two figures, and some, when fasting on the 3rd of Tishri, also remember the assassination of Rabin — following the tradition of not multiplying days of mourning, but rather adding to existing ones the remembrance of more recent tragedies.
With the guidance of Rav Finzi, we will examine the similarities and differences between these two figures, compare the two tragic events, and reflect on their consequences for the people of Israel.
All those who wish to contribute personal memories and reflections will be most welcome: when it comes to sharing one’s own experiences, fears, and hopes, no one can claim to be more of an expert than anyone else.
Our thanks go to everyone who will take part in this evening.

Anna Segre