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

Rachel Rabin Yaakov, the younger sister of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and a founder of Kibbutz Menara in the Upper Galilee, passed away Friday at the age of 101. Rabin was a dedicated educator, teaching the first class established at the kibbutz and co-founding the Har Ve'Gei regional school in Kibbutz Dafna. She was evacuated from her beloved kibbutz earlier in the "Swords of Iron" war due to daily Hezbollah shelling and, due to her medical condition, had not returned.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1925, Rabin joined the "Working and Studying Youth" movement after her studies. In 1943, she and her peers arrived at Kibbutz Menara, where she remained a member until her passing. She was also a fighter during the 1948 War of Independence, defending the kibbutz she helped build.

President Isaac Herzog eulogized Rabin, calling her life a "model of educational and public endeavor." He noted her role in establishing Kibbutz Menara on challenging land and her service as a fighter. "For decades, Rachel was a leading figure in Menara and the kibbutz movement, educating many generations of students who will surely remember the unique mark she left on them," Herzog stated. He added that Rabin deeply felt the assassination of her brother Yitzhak, her "object of love and admiration," yet chose to continue her public service.

Rabin served as president of the "Working Youth" movement and a training coordinator in the late 1940s. She dedicated most of her career to education, including a role in the 1980s as supervisor for educational institutions within the Ministry of Education, overseeing secondary schools for the working settlements. Later, she chaired the association of academic colleges for education of the kibbutz movements, Oranim and Seminar HaKibbutzim. Her extensive contributions earned her numerous accolades, including the "Model Educator" award from academic colleges of education, the Rothberg Prize for Jewish Education from the Hebrew University, and awards from the Upper Galilee and Tel-Hai colleges.