This historic and rare letter, signed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on April 20, 1977, stands as a vivid testimony to the lowest point of his political career. Only days earlier, Rabin had been forced to announce his withdrawal from the race for prime minister following the Dollar Account Affair – a scandal that became a personal disaster for him and a symbol of the collapse of the ruling Labor establishment.

The affair broke out in early 1977, when it was revealed that Rabin’s wife, Leah Rabin, held a dollar account in the United States in violation of Israel’s strict foreign currency laws at the time. Legally, Attorney General Aharon Barak decided to impose only an administrative fine and not press criminal charges. Yet many have argued that there was an implicit deal: Rabin would resign from the race, and in return Barak would refrain from indicting him. Whether or not a formal deal was made, the public perceived the episode as yet another example of corruption and moral decline at the top of the political system.

In this letter, written in reply to a supportive citizen, Rabin admits that the encouragement was a “source of strength in these difficult hours.” His words expose the sense of isolation and humiliation he experienced as his career unraveled.

But the Dollar Affair was not an isolated case. The 1970s were rife with corruption scandals involving key figures in Mapai and the Alignment (Ma’arach) – most notably the Yadlin Affair. These scandals deepened public disgust with the Labor Party, which had ruled Israel since independence. Rabin’s forced resignation, combined with the growing sense of betrayal, paved the way for the Mahapach – the May 1977 electoral earthquake that brought Menachem Begin and the Likud to power for the first time, ending nearly three decades of Labor hegemony.

This letter is therefore not merely a polite thank-you note. It is a rare document marking the downfall of a sitting prime minister, the exposure of corruption at the heart of Israel’s ruling party, and the dramatic turning point that reshaped the nation’s political landscape.