Shalom, Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin

by David Horovitz

The winner of the Non-Fiction National Jewish Book Award. This authoritative biography traces the life of Rabin, from 1922 to his untimely death on November 4, 1995, and its repercussions. 48 b/w photos.

Genres: Biography, Israel, History, Nonfiction, Jewish

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 1996

Reviews

[Surya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shalom, Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin, is a detailed biography of Israeli Prime Minster Yitzhak Rabin, and how, despite facing opposition from foes and allies alike, he never gave up in fighting for peace in his home country and in solving tensions that were present between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. I really enjoyed learning about his public and personal lives because they gave me a better understanding of who he was as person. I got to learn more about his childhood, his military service during WWII and the six-day war, his relationship with his wife, children, and grandchildren, how he was with his aides, and his views on other world leaders. Throughout his life, he was misunderstood for being too brash and unserious when it came to critical desicions. However, it was only after his death, when family members and close aides had said about how he was like behind closed doors, did people start to appreciate him more. What is even more sad is that when he was killed, he was about to make a peace deal with the Palestinians, and he finally understood what the Jewish people in Isreal wanted. One can only assume what he would have done had he lived longer. Even though he was not perfect, he was a man who had always learned from his mistakes and was willing to do better in order to make Israel and the Middle East a peaceful place free of war.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a no-nonsense, fast-paced, brutally honest English-language bio of the Israeli prime minister assassinated on November 4, 1995 by an ultra-rightist Israel terrorist. The staff of the Jerusalem Report helmed at the time by David Horovitz (now editor of the Times of Israel) contribute to a very informative and insightful parallel history of Rabin and Israel, including a look into the sickeningly lax security arrangements that allowed the gunman to get fatally close to the PM after an enormous rally for peace held in Tel Aviv. The authors also delve into the tensions - already long-festering at the time and largely still unresolved 25 years later - between various segments of Israeli society, e.g. secular and religious, settlers in the territories captured in ‘67 and everyone else, etc. The book is very journalistic and well written. You don’t need a lot of background in Israel’s history or politics to appreciate it. The authors reminded me of many moments and people I had forgotten about, including the moving speeches at Rabin’s funeral, including by President Clinton, whose final remark is the source of the book’s title.

I bought this former library book in a garage sale and let it sit on the shelf 5-10 years; I’m glad I finally dove in and got it read.

[Rob van de Merwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book gives you hope for a better future. Whether it's possible....

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book I was struggling through the political settings. I had a hard time morally as well with the in my opinion one sided perspective of the political development en strategies to make Isreal expands its borders. I thought I was a bit aware of the political situation in Isreal but in fact I was/am not at all. From page 200 the history of Judaism got a chapter but in my opinion it was to short to really get a complete view of what was exactly going on at the time Rabin was prime minister.

As a dummy I think the beginning 'storyline' for me was to advanced
but the end did make up for a lot. I think I got a quit good look at the man mr. Rabin was, how he developed from a soldier to a much respected politician and how the different (religious & political) opinions in Israel clashed which led to his murder by mr. Amir.

sorry for the bad english

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can still remember the day that Yitzhak Rabin was killed. I had been following the news of the peace efforts at the time.. recently read a bio of Moshe Dayan and an other of Ariel Sharon. For me this was the most honest because the author would often write that there were others who did not agree with some of the statements which Rabin claims to have made at various times. Of the three bios which i have read at times covering the exact events, yet the authors saw the events in very different ways. My admiration of Rabin is still intact and i feel that i know more abut the man in his personal life, or how he saw things at the time.I remember people in the state dept thinking he was an unrefined military fool when he first arrived in D.C. Well he fooled them. Who is there to day to follow in his foot steps??????

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admired Rabin. Wanted to know more about the circumstances / reasons that lead to his killing.
Of course there are always questions, but in general I got an answer to what I wanted to know: now I know a bit more about the man, his way of thinking and his personal history.
Recommend it!