Another Israeli tragedy

The recent death of Yitzhak Rabin has deeply shocked and saddened much of the world. His death is tragic for many reasons. But foremost, perhaps, because he was simply a decent human being. His granddaughter's words -- saying what dignitaries and diplomats could not say -- described it best: his devotion to his family was absolute and unquestionable. Rabin's immeasurable loss on the political landscape will be felt for many years to come.

This is not the first time in Jewish history that tragedy has occurred. Jewish life has been punctuated by events both horrific and celebratory. The persecution of Jews for adhering to their monotheistic beliefs has characterized the Jewish experience for the last 3,000 years. Perhaps more than any other group, the Jewish people have longed for and merited a return to their native land. Thus, on the ruins of the Holocaust, when offered a small portion of land termed "Palestine" in 1948, the Jewish cry of woe rang loud around the world. The land as partitioned into two different countries, Jordan and Israel, with Jerusalem as an international city.

One can only imagine what a different world it would have been today if the Arabs had accepted Israel's offer to peaceful coexistence in 1948. Instead, Israel was met with the combined invading force of five Arab countries less than a week after being declared a state. Miraculously, the tiny country, whose soldiers included Yitzhak Rabin, not only survived but also turned back its would-be conquerors. Had the Arab nations not attacked then, they would still possess the very land now being negotiated.

In 1956, a war followed that the Arabs lost. In 1967, the Egyptians -- backed by the Soviet Union -- promised to finish its neighbor once and for all "by driving the Jews into the sea." Rabin played a primary role in that war which, by all accounts, held Israel as an underdog against the combined military might of its surrounding Arab countries. Incredibly, Israel persevered and won, even pushing into formerly Arab territory and unifying its capital, Jerusalem.

Israel's neighbors could not yet accept that Israel was a viable country with a right to exist. In fact, the Arabs refused to acknowledge Israel by name, simply referring to it as "the Zionist entity."

In 1973, as Israelis all over the country fasted on Yom Kippur -- the holiest day of the year to Jews -- the Arabs attacked again. This time Israel, caught totally off-guard, almost lost. But for the fourth time in many decades, Israel turned the war around and won, decimating Egypt.

As always, the Jewish nation remained firm, but ready to negotiate with its would-be destroyers.

The legacy of both Rabin and Israel has been unique in history. For Rabin to decide that Israel could give up much of its blood-soaked land in order to stem another attack by its neighbors has been, as Rabin said, "a great risk." Israel and the world await the Arab response.

[ Golden Gater Online November 14, 1995 ]

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