Bar-Ilan University held a memorial service on Thursday for the slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. Students at the university, which Rabin's killer Yigal Amir attended at the time of the murder, say they are still being targeted for blame.
"Every year, as the memorial day for Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin approaches, we are witness to efforts to turn this solemn and important memorial into days of making hate-filled and alienating accusations against a large and important sector of Israeli society," the chairman of Bar-Ilan's Student Union, Gilad Bar-Gil, said during the Rabin memorial on campus.
Bar-Ilan University, while attended by Israelis from all sectors of society, is strongly identified with the religious-Zionist ideology and outlook.
"Today, fourteen years afterwards, the time has come to say, 'Enough, the lowly murderer did not come from among us.' While he did spend his time within the walls of this institution - which advocates giving all students from all levels of society and all sectors an equal chance, and which offers assistance for those with learning disabilities - the murderer did not absorb his insane ideas from his environment, nor from his kippah-wearing acquaintances," Bar-Gil said.
"We must not be apologetic," the Bar-Ilan student leader added. "As those who take a large and respected part in the leadership of Israeli society - in the IDF, in the justice system, in the financial sector, in academia - we will stand strong in the face of the charges and say confidently: Our hands did not shed this blood."