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Philadelphia Jewish Exponent archives<\/p>\n Philadelphia Jewish Exponent archives<\/p>\n
The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on Nov. 4, 1995, rocked the Jewish world and spurred an outpouring of shock and grief from Jews in the greater Philadelphia area.<\/p>\n
In this edition of \u201cRemember When,\u201d we look back at a Philadelphia Jewish Exponent article from Nov. 10, 1995, the first issue after Rabin\u2019s shooting, titled \u201cAt Consulate, Hundreds Line Up to Sign Black Books of Condolence,\u201d written by staff writer A. Engler Anderson.
Anderson reported that residents from \u201call walks of life\u201d had filed into Philadelphia\u2019s Consulate General of Israel office after the assassination to offer written condolences to the country and Rabin\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the three days after the assassination, more than five of the tomes had been filled with messages of comfort and sympathy from area residents,\u201d Anderson wrote.<\/p>\n
Anderson said that some of those who paid their respects were figures who typically represented the Jewish community, but others were people who simply admired or supported the slain prime minister, who had signed the Oslo Accords aimed at establishing peace with the Palestinians.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople like Kate Sorokin, a 22-year-old student of Jewish communal service at Gratz College, waited to sign the book,\u201d Anderson wrote. \u201cSorokin, who said she was \u2018completely in tears\u2019 when she learned of Rabin\u2019s assassination, reflected that \u2018the next time I go to Mount Herzl, he is going to be buried there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson added that not all of the signees were even Jewish, and others came to support Rabin\u2019s wife, Leah, as fellow widows.<\/p>\n
Anderson reported that consulate officials had manned the phones constantly since Rabin\u2019s assassination, and the officials estimated that over 1,000 calls came from individuals or organizations offering condolences.<\/p>\n
Anderson wrote that the consulate set up a form on a then-new invention \u2013 the internet \u2013 where people from across the Mid-Atlantic region could express condolences, and that all condolences, both physical and digital, would be printed, complied and presented to Mrs. Rabin.<\/p>\n