Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner on the legacy of Yitzhak Rabin z”l

As a child, I was privileged to meet Yitzhak Rabin z”l. His impact on me was powerful. He was a fierce, formidable man. Not a politician eager to please and charm but one focussed, determined and ideologically driven. I have another powerful memory, of being in Jerusalem where I lived 20 years ago. The Prime Minister had been assassinated and was lying in state. Notices around the city reminded us in stark black and white that Rabin’s last will was the pursuit of peace. I felt a sense of bleak dread, that his will would not be fulfilled. And sadly it proved to be true.

Marking this anniversary, the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin said: “Without vision, without hope, without a dream, the people will be left desolate… Two decades have gone by, and still we remain overly focused on the wounds of the past, and not enough on building the future… Too much are we focused on fear and not enough on hope.”

President Rivlin is so right. Israel needs courageous, resilient, determined leadership with integrity and vision to continue Rabin’s legacy.

May his memory be a blessing, an inspiration and a positive force for a lasting and just peace.