More than 200 people gathered at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades for a special ceremony to mark Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day and the 19 years that have passed since the Prime Minister’s assassination. The program was led by the Tzofim (Israeli Scouts), a youth-led program for the local Israeli community, where children, ages 8–18, meet every Sunday at the JCC to share experiences and cultivate life-shaping leadership skills that will help them develop as responsible and inspiring role models for others.

During the ceremony, the Tzofim shared their thoughts about Rabin as a special leader, quoted from stories that have been told by the people who were closest to him during in his life, and talked about their responsibility, as a new generation of leaders, to ensure that Rabin’s assassination will never be forgotten so we can build toward a future where such senseless atrocities will never happen again.

“It was deeply touching to see these boys and girls, who weren’t yet born when Rabin was murdered, standing on stage and speaking about how violence undermines democracy and other critical lessons we all lived with and continue to learn from,” says Gili Grady, the Shlicha working with the JCC and the local Tzofim. “They understand the importance of justice and freedom and are a real voice for peace for the future.”

The Tzofim meet from 4–6 p.m. every Sunday at the JCC to share in games, discussions, projects, camping trips, holiday celebrations, music, sports, and many other fun activities, including sleep-away camp experiences where they hike and take part in scouting activities. Veteran scouts, ages 15–18, serve as counselors for younger members, ages 8–14. The program is conducted in Hebrew and currently has 160 members. New members are always welcome.

For more information, call Gili at 201-408-1428 or [email protected].