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Israelis and teamsters unite for a common cause

Just two hours before speaking to a room packed with hundreds of labor union members on July 9, Yuval Rabin, son of late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was sitting in an empty meeting room at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
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July 15, 2015

Just two hours before speaking to a room packed with hundreds of labor union members on July 9, Yuval Rabin, son of late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was sitting in an empty meeting room at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. 

Yuval Rabin, who speaks so low that you have to lean in to hear him, talked about his father’s legacy, eyes darting from his phone to his speech to the unpolished table in front of him. In some moments, he took a break from his fidgeting and said something strikingly real and personal.

How does a son remember his father, the subject of a political assassination that shocked the world 20 years prior? 

“The tendency is to forget. We vow to never forget, but life goes on, and people are busy with their own day to day,” Rabin, 60, told the Journal, eyes cast away.

Still, his father had some words of wisdom that Rabin will never forget.

“The advice is universally true for anybody and any set of circumstances, and it’s a simple one: Be honest with yourself, be true to yourself, be satisfied with yourself,” Rabin told the Journal, fidgeting with the speech in his hands. 

“That’s it. And it goes a long way,” he continued, finally making eye contact.

On this night, he appeared as the special guest at a gala memorializing his father and supporting the nonprofit American Friends of Yitzhak Rabin, honoring the work of American labor unions. Joined by his two daughters, who live in New York, he flew in for a four-day stint before returning to Israel. 

The gala honored two notable labor leaders, Randy Cammack, president of Teamsters Joint Council 42, the union’s largest regional arm, and Ken Howard, president of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Proceeds from the event will support a variety of educational programs and initiatives that reflect the legacy of Yitzhak Rabin, one of which is a scholarship with Hebrew University.

As the night progressed, the link between the gala’s participants and honorees became strikingly clear. Prior to presenting the Yitzhak Rabin Leadership and Public Service Award to Cammack, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters James Hoffa explained, “We are dedicated to the existence of Israel, and we will be all the way.” He then added, “That’s the connection.”

Previous honorees include Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and various labor leaders.

As Cammack ascended the stage to receive his award, a Teamster from the center of the ballroom rose from his chair and cried out, “Who are we?” with fierce pride. “Teamsters!” the audience bellowed. The question came again, and a thunderous call and response ensued that seemed to shake the crystal chandeliers overhead.

“It’s one of the greatest moments of my life to receive this award,” Cammack said. The Teamsters chant continued where it left off.

Howard, who was honored for bringing about the merger between SAG and AFTRA in 2012, graciously accepted the 2015 Yitzhak Rabin Legacy Award. “It’s a great honor to even be mentioned in the same breath as Yitzhak Rabin,” he said. 

Other attendees included Israel’s Consul General in Los Angeles David Siegel and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

During a heartfelt speech, Siegel reminisced back to Nov. 4, 1995: “I was a young diplomat in the horn of Africa — very, very far away from the ability to receive news.” 

Woken in the middle of the night, he and his fellow diplomats were informed that the prime minister had been assassinated. “And not only was he assassinated,” Siegel said, “he was assassinated by a Jew.” Still unable to grasp the implications of such a catastrophe, he described the experience as feeling like a “head-on collision.” 

Garcetti, the night’s keynote speaker, high-fived people at some tables before taking the stage. “Welcome to a city that I hope you feel at home in,” he said to the Rabins. 

Garcetti, who mentioned in his speech that he is a SAG-AFTRA member, was honored with a hamsa sculpture by Israeli artist David Gerstein. 

“Mazel tov and now, adios, dinner will be served,” said master of ceremonies Frank Mottek, anchor of  “Money News” on CBS’ KNX 1070 Newsradio, in his signature telecaster cadence, after Garcetti — who has both Jewish and Mexican ancestry — was gifted the brightly hued art piece.

After dinner, Rabin took the stage, adding a personal note to the night’s celebrations.

“My father, when he could, loved being behind the camera even more than in front of it. He left behind thousands and thousands of slides, pictures of the family, of wildlife,” he said.

“This is who my father was.”

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