Rachel Rabin Yaakov, Sister of Yitzhak Rabin and Kibbutz Manara Founder, Dies at 101

Rachel Rabin Yaakov, the younger sister of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and a founding member of Kibbutz Manara, passed away on Friday at the age of 101. A veteran educator and prominent figure in the Kibbutz Movement and the Upper Galilee region, Rabin Yaakov was born in Tel Aviv in 1925. She was among the founders of Kibbutz Manara in 1943, located in the Naftali Mountains near the Lebanese border.

During the 1948 War of Independence, Rabin Yaakov remained at the kibbutz, participating in its defense and aiding the wounded, while children and most mothers were evacuated. Throughout her life, she held various roles at Manara, including educator, kibbutz secretary, and board member. She was instrumental in establishing the "Har VeGai" regional school and held leadership positions in educational bodies, including the Ministry of Education and the "Oranim" and "Seminarium HaKibbutzim" academic colleges.

She received numerous awards for her contributions to education, including commendations from the Hebrew University and the Upper Galilee. In 2017, the Kibbutz Movement nominated her for the Israel Prize. At the start of the "Swords of Iron" war, Rabin Yaakov was evacuated from Manara due to daily Hezbollah shelling. Due to her health, she had not returned to her home at the kibbutz, where she had been a member for over eight decades.

President Isaac Herzog eulogized her, calling her life "a model of educational and public endeavor." He acknowledged her role in establishing Manara and its defense during the War of Independence, noting her decades as a "leading figure in Manara and the Kibbutz Movement." Herzog also recalled her grief over her brother Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, emphasizing her choice to continue her public service. Rabin Yaakov is survived by her three children and an adopted son, who fell in the Yom Kippur War. She will be laid to rest on Monday at the Manara cemetery.