Somewhere In the Mediterranean

He didn't give up. Abie Nathan, the idealist, the meshugeneh (crazy), delivered his message in dramatic ways. He starved his body during self imposed hunger strikes. He organized fundraisers to raise money to refit his Peace Ship. For twelve years, he wore black clothes, in protest of a law forbidding Israelis to have contact with Palestinians. He bought $4000 worth of military toys, smashing and burying them in a seaside Tel Aviv park, in a symbolic anti-war gesture. He organized a bus trip to Jerusalem for poor Jewish immigrants who had never visited the city. Abie's efforts weren't limited to helping those in the Middle East. He worked alongside the Red Cross in Africa, distributing food and clothing to civil war victims. Abie Nathan fought for three decades, risking his financial security, his freedom, and his life. In 1997, he was recognized for his efforts and awarded the Nuremberg Human Rights Award.

Abie attended his last peace rally in 1995. He stood on a platform at this rally with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. By now, his message had become mainstream. Negotiations were underway and he had gained respect as a major player in the peace process. Prime Minister Rabin's words echoed Abie's broadcasts from his boat. 'And you, by coming to this rally, prove...that the people truly want peace and oppose violence. Violence erodes the basis of Israeli democracy." Thousands joined Prime Minister Rabin and Abie Nathan at the demonstration, singing peace songs. The rally ended when three bullets shot and killed Prime Minister Rabin. Another voice silenced. Abie was interviewed on TV shortly after the assassination. He wept openly, unable to speak coherently.

When Abie Nathan took that first plane trip into Egypt, nobody supported him. When he tried to earn money for his peace boat, few believed in his dream. He persevered. He wants his tombstone to read "I tried." He tried, for many years and in many different ways, and he succeeded. Somewhere in the Mediterranean, Abie Nathan's ship sits at the bottom of the ocean. Somewhere in Jerusalem, a headstone marks the grave of Abie's peace ally, Yitzhak Rabin. Somewhere in Tel Aviv, Abie Nathan lives, his peace efforts subdued by age and illness. But everywhere in the world, his spirit lives on. "No more war, no more bloodshed."

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