Remembering Rabin
By Ahron Shapiro

There are things that occur in this world that are so traumatic that everyone can remember where he was when they happened. Rabin's assassination was like that.

I'm a journalist, but ironically I was practically one of the last people in Israel to hear about it. I had spent the evening with friends watching several movies on video and hadn't checked the news at all. I returned to my apartment in Jerusalem, which was coincidentally a block away from the Prime Minister's house. It was two in the morning, but I was surprised to see large crowds and a great commotion there. It wasn't until I spoke to my flatmates that I realized what had happened. I was stunned. I never thought something like that could happen here.

AS THE nation pauses to observe the fifth anniversary of Rabin's murder, it would be fitting to begin at the Knesset, where Rabin spent so much of his life. The Knesset Web site's Rabin memorial is tastefully laid out in English and Hebrew, has links to Rabin's biography, as well as a picture gallery and guest book (http://www.knesset.gov.il/ knesset/ rabin/rabin. htm).

Remembering Rabin: Her Grandfather, His Legacy His name was Yitzhak Remembering Rabin What he left behind A tough act to follow Clinton: "Rabin, we, will never forget you." (Audio) National Day of Dialogue (Audio) Remembering Rabin (Audio) From the day following the assassination: November 5, 1995 Rabin Assassinated From the day of the funeral: November 7, 1995 Rabin laid to rest on Mt. Herzl From the First Anniversary: October 24, 1996 Yitzhak Rabin: The Sabra, the Mensch From Father to Son From the Second Anniversary: November 9, 1997 Massive rally honors Rabin Yitzhak Rabin Peace Center From the Third Anniversary: November 1, 1998 Mordechai: Continue Rabin's legacy A lesson in remembrance (Feature) Nothing has changed (Opinion) Rabin's victory (Opinion)

Speaking of guest books, one of the original Rabin condolence pages, Netking (http://www.otn.com/netking/Index.html), has a sprawling guest book, arranged by date, that still gets plenty of submissions year-round. Perhaps you were one of the many thousands of people who have contributed to this site. You may still find your message here, years later.

NEXT STOP is the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Israel Studies, which was created in 1997 by an act of Knesset to serve as a permanent national memorial.

Its impressive Web site (http://www. rabincenter.org.il) is informative and handsome-looking, offering a great deal of material about the former prime minister's life and tragic death. I found the transcripts of some of his speeches especially interesting.

Unfortunately, this site shows signs of neglect. Checking the "What's New" sections, while the current date is programmed to appear at the top of the news, most of the news itself appears to be from last year. Also, some of the site is better fleshed out with information than others. That said, the center's on-line resources are still the best you'll find anywhere. A distant second, but perfect for casual Web surfing, is the Foreign Ministry's Rabin page (http://www.israel.org/mfa/go.asp? MFAH00ga0), which relies on hyperlinks embedded throughout his biography to let you choose what subtopics you want to read about. (Note: If you have trouble with any of the above links, try again later; the above sites have been the target of hacker attacks.)

RABIN'S MURDER was a tremendous blow to the nation and deeply affected Israelis from all walks of life. Many people sought an outlet for the feelings the assassination evoked, and we continue to find evidence of this all over the Internet. An excellent example is photographer Tal Gluck's Tears of Shock site (http://www9. cc.huji.ac.il/rabin). The exhibit of pictures taken in the days following the assassination really needs no captions. The gravity and emotion displayed in the images are timeless. If a picture speaks a thousand words, Tears of Shock speaks volumes.

ADMIRERS OF Rabin have also shown their respect and appreciation through special honors. It should come as no surprise that Rabin is featured prominently at My Hero (http://www.myhero.com/ home.asp), where site visitors nominate champions of worthy causes for recognition. It should be noted that the late prime minister was widely praised and received prestigious honors throughout his lifetime, none perhaps more grand than the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. You can look it up at Nobel's official site (http://www. nobel.se), where Rabin is remembered among other past laureates.

IN THE aftermath of the murder, the stunned nation went through a period of reflection and soul searching. In particular, the Orthodox Jewish community had to come to terms with the fact that the assassin, Yigal Amir, had studied in mainstream Orthodox institutions and attributed his motives to religious convictions. At the time, the Mail Jewish e-mail list compiled a collection of essays by prominent rabbis reacting to the assassination (http://mail-jewish.org/ rabin.html), which are as interesting and important to read today as they were then.

NO REMINISCENCE of Rabin would be complete without discussing his illustrious military achievements, which predate the founding of the State. For these reasons, The Hagana Web site (http://www. hagana.co.il), which has mostly Hebrew content, would be an appropriate site to visit in Rabin's memory, as would be the IDF's bilingual official site (http://www. idf.il), which includes historical data. Ironically, most of the current news on the site involves the clashes between the IDF and the Palestinian forces that threaten to nullify the historic understandings achieved in the Oslo Accords, which Rabin so boldly pursued and for which he tragically paid so dearly at the hands of a zealous assassin.

MOVING OFF the topic now, voters in the United States go to the polls this week to elect a new president and other representatives. Many Israelis with US citizenship have sent in their absentee ballots. The Internet has become inundated with Web sites vying for your attention and patronage during the elections period. All the major news sites are sure to have at least competent coverage, but I'd like to recommend two from amidst the pack:

C-span (http://www.c-span.org/ campaign2000) is a US cable channel that is known for its coverage of debates in Congress and such. What I didn't realize is that it has been following candidates around and archiving their speeches onto the Web site, available for viewing free of charge. This is a remarkably useful resource and a must-see for those following the US elections. Shifting from the visual to the print media, for the sake of tradition, why not visit the Washington Post's Elections 2000 section on its Web site (http://www.washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/politics/ elections/2000). It's got the comprehensive political coverage you'd expect from the Washington Post, all just a few clicks away, thanks to the site's effective design.

IT'S EXCITING to see democracy - something we have here in Israel also, which is rare for the region - in action. Amir tried to destroy the process with a gun. Only by remembering Rabin each year can we learn the lessons from our past, and thus preserve our freedoms for the future.

Send comments and suggestions to: ahron@jpost.co.il