Itzhak Rabin was shot on
November 4, 1995. I have heard the phrase
Where were you when Kennedy was shot? many times, often in relationship to
psychological phenomena. People remember certain
instances of their lives very vividly, mostly due to an
intense experience. It is interesting to view such an experience, especially one that affected an
entire country. I doubt many Americans who were alive in November, 1963 have forgotten what they were doing when the radio announced that
Kennedy was shot. I doubt many Israelis have forgotten what they were doing 32 years later.
The date of Rabin's murder rapidly approaches, and this brings back memories, as every year, of the occurences of that night. I was serving in the artillery in the IDF. That November I was in a course in the army. It was a Saturday night, and we were staying that weekend at the base, mostly for guard duty. That night was supposed to be exceptionally annoying, with guard duty at night, meaning little and non-consecutive sleep, plus a whole week of training ahead of us starting the next day (the week starts on a Sunday in Israel).
We went to sleep and were awakened not long afterwards by our commander. After we stood in threes, he told us that Rabin had been shot. We went back to our tents, and there was a lot of talking, although some people tried to go back to sleep. About an hour later we were called back out, and told that Rabin had died from his wounds.
A radio was turned on, and most people talked. I personally didn't. I didn't have much to say. But our guard duties didn't change, and for many, those few hours were the only hours they would get to sleep that night. One such person, who was in a bed at the corner of the tent was trying to sleep through the noise. The most vivid memory I have of that night is this:
He said, "Couldn't he have gotten murdered another night?"
I will never forget that. I will never forgive it either.