Rachelle Rabin-Yaakov, Sister of Yitzhak Rabin, Dies at 101

Rachelle Rabin-Yaakov, a founding member of Kibbutz Menara in the Galilee and a respected educator, passed away on Friday at the age of 101. Born in Tel Aviv in 1925, she was the younger sister of assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Her parents were prominent figures in the Labor movement; her father, Nehemia Rabin, was a public activist, and her mother, Rosa Rabin, known as "Rosa the Red," was a leading labor organizer and member of the Tel Aviv city council.

President Isaac Herzog eulogized Rabin-Yaakov, stating, "Her long and impressive life journey was a model of educational and public endeavor. I know how much she grieved for her brother Yitzhak, the object of her love and admiration, yet she chose to continue her work for the public good." Kibbutz Menara also mourned her, calling her "one of the pillars of the kibbutz" and a significant figure in shaping its identity.

Rabin-Yaakov grew up in a home that emphasized public service, simplicity, and modesty. She joined a pioneering group that settled the northern border with Lebanon in 1943, becoming a founder of Kibbutz Menara. She later co-founded and managed the "Emek HaHula" regional school, becoming a prominent educator in the Upper Galilee. She openly discussed the challenges of maintaining the kibbutz, including the aging population and the difficulty of attracting new members, noting the struggle to keep young people from leaving.

After her brother Yitzhak's assassination in 1995, Rabin-Yaakov dedicated herself to preserving his legacy and promoting tolerance and democratic discourse through the Yitzhak Rabin Center, lecturing to students and soldiers. In recent years, she witnessed Kibbutz Menara begin to flourish with new residents, a vision she had long fought for. However, the kibbutz suffered severe damage during the recent war in the north, forcing Rabin-Yaakov to leave her home and move to assisted living, never to return to the kibbutz she helped build.