By: Hadassah Reich (11th Grade)
November 4, 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of former Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. This past Friday, Dr. Noam Weissman, Senior Vice President of OpenDor Media, led an assembly which educated students on the everlasting impact of Rabin’s assassination.
Yitzhak Rabin was a war hero, serving in the Palmach and Israel Defense Forces. After his military service, Rabin entered the political world as the ambassador to the United States. In 1974, he became the fifth Prime Minister of Israel. He was fierce while fighting for Israel, but stirred national conflict through his efforts to pursue peace with neighboring countries.
“Rabin was a man of passion, but also of compassion,” said Weissman.
Despite being virtual, this assembly was interactive and informative. Dr. Noam Weissman began the event by describing his own memory of finding out that Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. He recounted his fear and confusion as to why a Jew would kill his own fellow Jew. Weissman continued by teaching the students all about Rabin’s life. He engaged students with his animated expressions and fun teaching methods, including trivia questions and fast facts. At the conclusion of the assembly, students joined a fun game of Kahoot to test and show off their new knowledge. Students who ranked in the top three of the Kahoot standings were rewarded with a copy of the book The Prime Ministers.
“I learned a lot of information about Rabin’s life and his political career, and I thought the Kahoot was a good way to make sure everyone learned something,” said Bailey Spitz (11th Grade).
Throughout the assembly both Dr. Jones and Dr. Noam Weissman stressed the importance of not just commemorating Rabin’s assassination, but also learning from it. Understanding the complexities surrounding Rabin’s death creates an opportune moment for Cheshbon Hanefesh (introspection), Weissman said. When we truly reflect and strive to be better is when we can begin to change the world. However, in order to accomplish change, we must ask questions and have difficult conversations such as Rabin's assassination.
This meaningful assembly left a lasting impact on many students who never really realized the modern day importance of Rabin's Assassination.
“It was very inspiring to learn about Yitzhak Rabin the way Noam Weissman taught. He made it interactive which helped me internalize the message,” said Daniella Finkelman (11th).