Yuval Rabin, the son of former Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, educated students and community members Sunday night about the legacy of his father and gave his personal opinions of the ongoing struggle to find peace in the Middle East.
Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in Nov. 1995 while leaving a peace rally. He was highly criticized by his people at the time for signing the Oslo Accords, which allowed the Palestine Liberation Organization the right to govern parts of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Rabin summed up his father’s legacy as an endeavor to ultimately benefit the welfare of the Israeli citizens.
“There has been a vast majority of citizens that have moved towards the center in the last 10 years and begun to believe what my father pushed for and what he eventually died for,” Rabin said.
He said that 65 percent of Israeli citizens now accept the idea of a two-state solution in the area.
Rabin began his speech by listing the three “mandates,” or “commandments,” that made up his father’s legacy. The first was his father’s belief that Israel must be able to defend itself and “fight the just war” when there is no alternative, and the second was his father’s “pursuit of peace.”
“Peace is the basis in creating a normal society,” Rabin said. “My father strongly believed that when and where a place for peaceful action is possible, it should be pursued.”
Rabin discussed his father’s commitment to democracy.
“That was fundamental for his overall being,” Rabin said.
Rabin also spoke of his father’s success in rebuilding an Israeli infrastructure that led to economic and educational success.
“Almost overnight, we saw the nation going to work,” Rabin said.
The former prime minister doubled the budget for education and cut the unemployment rate in half in less than three years. The newfound success led to the country’s largest tax break in its history in 1995.
“All this happened while Israel was fighting terror and while negotiating peace with Palestine,” Rabin said.
Rabin answered questions from the crowd after a 45-minute speech, including those about the family aspect of his father.
“He was a very different person in private than his perceived image,” he said.
Rabin explained that most people expect generals to be demanding and very disciplined, like on the TV show “Major Dad.”
“He was nothing like ‘Major Dad,’” Rabin said with a smile. “I would sum him up by what he would always tell us, ‘Be happy with what you do, and be good at what you do.’”
Oregon Hillel, in conjunction with the Jewish Student Union, sponsored the event that brought Rabin to Oregon. Rabin, who now resides in Washington, D.C., where he manages a company that brings Israeli technology to the United States, said it was a rare speech because he doesn’t normally make public appearances.
Jonathan Rosenberg, director of the Jewish Student Union, said the Hillel and JSU want to bring in as many points of view as possible throughout the year.
“It is so nice to have someone speak to us that had a personal relationship with a world leader, and who can provide a direct insight into his life,” Rosenberg said. “It’s so valuable to be able to educate students on campus about these issues.”
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