Rabin vigil

He whose candle has been extinguished
And has been buried in the dust
From clay they will not awaken him
They will not return him to us
No one will bring us back
From the bottom of a dark pit
And neither songs of victory
Nor of praise
Will be of benefit here

So just sing a song to peace
Do not whisper a prayer
Sing a song to peace
With a great shout

(words from Song to Peace)

They gathered around a makeshift memorial to pay their respects to the man who had come to symbolize hopes for peace in the Middle East.

The vigil for Yitzhak Rabin, sponsored by Hillel and the Zionist Action Committee, drew about 100 mourners to Malcolm X Plaza at noon yesterday.

Members of the two groups led the crowd in "Song to Peace," the song Rabin was said to be singing just before his assassination.

"His copy (of the song) was found in his breast pocket stained with his life's blood," said Brad Weinberger, president of the Zionist Action Committee.

On the memorial, candles burned in memory of Rabin. As mourners passed the fire from candle to candle, the wind repeatedly extinguished the flames.

"We try, like we keep trying for peace," said Barron Lipscomb from City College of San Francisco, as he struggled to keep his candle from being blown out.

Rabin's death evoked memories of other world leaders, such as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981.

"Too often in history those people who take chances for peace end up paying for their bravery with their lives," said Paul Cohen, a staff member of Hillel.

As students and faculty members arrived, they hugged each other for support.

"I think it was the most affected I've been by anything as far as a public event ever," said graduate student Jeremy Schiller. "Whether people liked him or not, he was incredibly important to the peace process."

For many, the circumstances surrounding Rabin's death added to the tragedy.

"I don't think it would have been as sad if he was killed by people outside Israel. I think the fact that he was killed by an Israeli is outrageous," Schiller said.

Lander Bravo said he heard about the assassination when his roommates told him.

"It hit me kind of hard. I think it goes beyond people of Jewish faith," he said. "It's a really big blow to the peace process and what could happen in the Middle East."

Others had more hope.

"I just want to say what I feel, and what I feel is anger, sadness, but also a deep, deep sense of optimism," Meechael Atlan, an Israeli, told the crowd. "We will overcome this one too."

Next to the memorial, a sign invited mourners to send their condolences to the Rabin family.

Dozens of messages and signatures adorned the sheet of paper.

"HE MADE PEACE!" was scrawled above mayoral hopeful Willie Brown's signature. Brown spoke yesterday on affirmative action at Jack Adams Hall.

Another message was left anonymously.

"Now you know how the Palestinians feel," it said before being crossed out.

"I feel it's so insensitive and really disgusting," said Peter Altman from the Israel Project, referring to the message.

Sinan Khairy, a member of the General Union of Palestinian Students, disagreed.

"The media and Israel are making a hero of a cold-blooded murderer who deserved his destiny," he said. "Rabin was the headmaster of many of the massacres that happened to my people. I am not sad that a murderer has been murdered, although I am sad that my innocent people are still being murdered after the so-called peace process."

Khairy, who said he was not speaking for GUPS, added, "when a Palestinian leader is killed, nobody makes a hero out of him."

Altman said the message, and sentiments like it, say a lot about SF State.

"This campus is more hateful than some leaders of Arab countries that have been at war with Israel for many years," he said.

[ Golden Gater Online November 7, 1995 ]

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