With tears and songs, Phila. remembers Rabin

About 100 people turned out to honor the memory of the slain Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin Approximately 100 people packed the Hillel Auditorium last night to remember former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and define what his legacy means today, three years after his assasination stunned the world. The Penn Israel Committee, the Israel Consulate of Philadelphia and Habonim Dror, a Zionist youth group affiliated with the Reform movement, co-sponsored the event, which was open to the Philadelphia community. While last year's memorial was "more spontaneous" and drew only 30 people, according to Israel Committee Co-chairperson Jamie Blank, this year's program brought in more prominent speakers and focused on Rabin's legacy, rather than harping on his November 4, 1995 assassination. Pointing at the crowd, keynote speaker Yael Dayan -- a member of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and a noted Israeli feminist -- urged everyone to remember the political principles for which Rabin died. "Let's not talk about him as if he died in a road accident," said Dayan, daughter of Moshe Dayan, a war hero and former defense minister of Israel. "He died for things we are committed to. He died of an assassination." Dayan hoped that the peace and security Rabin strove for would soon be achieved in the Middle East. Describing Israel's firmly established democratic government and powerful military, she said that "Israel has never been as strong as it is now." Blank said Dayan was "very much emphatic about her stance? though we were looking toward [hearing about] his legacy. She took the more political stance." On the other hand, Brian Bunn -- mid-Atlantic regional director of the University Student Department, a project of the World Zionist Organization -- geared his entire presentation to literally defining the word "legacy" and its relation to Rabin. The dictionary describes "legacy" as an inheritance, he explained. Pointing to the legacy Rabin left the world, Bunn urged the audience not to put Rabin on too high of a pedestal. By remembering both the pluses and minuses of Rabin's accomplishments, Bunn presented the prime minister as a human whose position people could realistically reach. The program also commemorated Rabin with a video, a description of the Jewish National Fund's Rabin Park in Israel and a reading of the lyrics to Israeli rock star Aviv Gefen's song "To Weep For You." In addition, the audience observed a moment of silence and ended the memorial with the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikvah." The large turnout at this year's memorial stood for many as evidence of Rabin's lasting legacy. "It's all the more important three years after than the year after because that's when people are likely to forget," College senior Josh Styne said. College junior Sam Andorsky added that he came to the memorial "not only to mourn Rabin as a person but to think about how far Israel has come." Bunn, too, recognized the significance of the large gathering. "To have standing room only is an excellent indication of how important Rabin's legacy is to the future of the state of Israel," he said.