A memorial service was held yesterday on the steps of the Rotunda to honor the life and contributions of the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The event marked the third anniversary of Rabin's assassination, and was organized in a collaborative effort by the Virginia-Israeli Public Affairs Committee and the Hillel Jewish Center.
We "wanted to have something that would be meaningful, short - something [from which] people could take a good feeling in their hearts with them when they leave," said Adam Greene, president of the Virginia-Israeli Public Affairs Committee.
Greene opened the event by emphasizing Rabin's perseverance as a statesman.
"One of the great hopes for peace had passed away," he said to the crowd.
Because of Rabin, there may be a pulse for peace in the Middle East, Religious Studies Prof. Vanessa Ochs said.
Religious Studies Prof. Peter Ochs explained to those gathered the devastating impact Rabin's assassination had on the Jewish community.
"That day was one of the blackest in our lives ... when we lost him, we really didn't know what we would do on Earth," Peter Ochs said.
Rabin helped restore Jewish faith in both humanity and God, he said.
"He was a man who could not only defend peace, but extend it to our neighbors," he added.
William Quandt, government and foreign affairs professor, recapitulated Rabin's political legacy.
Rabin was "a late life peacemaker [who] made a fundamental commitment to the peace process," Quandt said.
Palestinian Leader Yasir Arafat and current Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak likely will perpetuate Rabin's original vision of peace, he said.
Flowers were then laid around a lit candle in Rabin's honor.
The flowers symbolized the accomplishments of the peace process, and the blooms represent the hopes for the future of peace in the Middle East, said Hannah Graham, Internal Vice President of the Hillel Jewish center.
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