Like so many others, I remember being shocked and saddened on that Saturday night in November, and in the days that followed when I stood in line, along with people of all ages, religious and political beliefs, to pay our last respects at the Knesset.
The mourning of an assassinated prime minister should never have become a political event. It is a national event, a national loss, a national disgrace. In the shadow of Rabin's assassination, our country's "leaders" did nothing to encourage a feeling of unity, and by now I fear we have gotten used to this national bifurcation as the status quo, even -- especially? -- on national days of mourning.
Not nearly enough balance here.
ALN
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4 comments:
My daughter was in Yigal Amir's law class, and also an "activist" and there was no talk of assasination.
Whatever guilt is on Avishai Raviv and his handlers.
I was referring not to the assassination itself but to the aftermath and the national split that was only exacerbated by the politicians' failure to use the tragedy as a call to unity, instead of the the opposite, in which the Left camp is given legitimacy to mourn publicly, while the Right is not. I blame the "leaders" on both sides for this split, and I am ashamed by what we have not learned about the dangers of our lack of national unity, on all levels.
Last year, an American cousin of mine was here in Israel during November. She was very surprised that most people she met viewed the anniversary as just another day. Apparently, an Israeli friend of hers in the States had told her that it was a "national day of mourning". I tried to explain to my cousin that half the country is made to feel marginalized and delegitimized and that they deal with it by basically ignoring the day.
It really doesn't have to be this way...
Ah, but I am wondering what we can do about it. It is hard to mourn without feeling angered by all of the "taking sides" that accompanies it, which leaves little room for the mourning itself. Everything is loaded, and nothing is allowed to remain untainted by political or religious beliefs. What a national burden.
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