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Rabin Square — LGBTQ+ Memorial Context

Memorial 2009 Still active

Civic square where 20,000-30,000 people rallied the night after the 2009 Bar-Noar attack — annual 1 August candle-lighting since.

Google (324) 4.5

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G4.5

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Rabin Square, Ibn Gabirol Street, Tel Aviv-Yafo 6427708, Israel

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About this place Rabin Square — LGBTQ+ Memorial Context

Rabin Square is Tel Aviv's civic square, named for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated at its southern edge on 4 November 1995. It is the standard venue for political demonstrations, and its role in LGBTQ+ history is that: political rallies. It is a memorial site by function rather than by monument. On 2 August 2009 — the day after the Bar-Noar attack — a rally called by Aguda and endorsed by every mainstream political party drew somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 people to the square. Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Peres and opposition leader Livni all spoke; the LGBTQ+ speaker slot was given to the surgeon who had operated on the wounded that night. The rally is widely credited with securing the Knesset's hate-crime enhancement law passed later that year. Since 2010, Rabin Square has hosted the annual Bar-Noar memorial candle-lighting on 1 August. On the same square, the Tel Aviv Pride Week opening ceremony was held each June from 1998 until the parade route was redesigned in 2018 (it now starts from Meir Park). The square remains the natural gathering place for Israeli LGBTQ+ civic mobilisation — including the July 2018 surrogate-rights strike, when 100,000 people filled the square in the movement's largest single demonstration. There is no permanent LGBTQ-specific monument in the square. What's here is the Rabin memorial itself and, at the northeastern corner, a small plaque installed in 2019 recording the 2009 memorial rally. The square is free, open 24/7, and heavily used every day. Best visited at the northeast corner, then walked south past the Rabin memorial to Ibn Gvirol's cafés.

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4.5

★★★★★

324 reviews

Based on 324 Google reviews.

qasim Apr 2026

★★★★★

Death to Israel

Thanks to Michel Verny Dec 2025

★★★★★

I love this place dedicated to Yitzhak Rabbin

Stace Nelson (Bull) Nov 2025

★★★★★

Paid my respects and prayed for this man of peace. Let his memory be a blessing to his family and his country.

Yossi Ezra Nov 2025

★★★★★

On November 4, 1995, 30 years ago, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. The memorial monument and the entire square serve as a living symbol of hope and the democratic resilience of Israel. On the 30th anniversary of the assassination, the site reminds us again that large segments of society are still seeking healing for the rifts. The experience at the site is inspiring and reinforces the values that Rabin represented - peace, reconciliation, and tolerance. The message on this day is clear: the price was unbearable, but we are here to ensure that democracy is stronger than the conflict. This is a rare moment of unity and introspection, which allows us to look forward and build a better future on the foundations of responsibility and respectful discourse. A visit to the monument and Rabin Square is a powerful reminder of the critical importance of preserving democracy and its values. - - - - - - - - - - On November 4, 1995, 30 years ago, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. The memorial and the entire square are a living symbol of hope and the democratic resilience of Israel. On the 30th anniversary of the assassination, the place reminds us once again that large parts of society still seek healing for the rifts. The experience there is inspiring and reinforces the values that Rabin represented – peace, reconciliation and tolerance. The message on this day is clear: the price was too heavy to bear, but we are here to ensure that democracy is stronger than the controversy. This is a rare moment of unity and hindsight, allowing us to look forward and build a better future on the foundations of responsibility and respectful discourse. A visit to the memorial and Rabin Square is a powerful reminder of the critical importance of preserving democracy and its values.