Pioneering Educator Rachel Rabin-Yaakov, Sister of Yitzhak Rabin, Dies at 101

Rachel Rabin-Yaakov, a prominent figure in Israeli educational circles and a founding member of Kibbutz Menara, passed away at the age of 101. She was the younger sister of the late Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Rabin-Yaakov was born in Tel Aviv and was instrumental in establishing Kibbutz Menara in the Naftali Mountains in 1943. During the 1948 War of Independence, she remained at the isolated kibbutz to defend it and care for the wounded.

Throughout her life, Rabin-Yaakov dedicated herself to education and public leadership. She served as the first teacher at Menara, co-founded the "Har Ve'gei" regional school in Dafna, and led the supervisory department for settlement education at the Ministry of Education. She also headed the "Oranim" and "Seminar HaKibbutzim" academic colleges for education and served multiple terms as the kibbutz secretary. Her extensive contributions earned her numerous education awards and recognition as a "Yekirat HaNiftal" (esteemed figure) by northern academic colleges.

She was married to Rafi Yaakov, with whom she raised three children and an adopted son, Binyamin Jedidi, who fell in the Yom Kippur War. Public relations figure Roni Rahav eulogized Rabin-Yaakov, recalling her modesty and unique way of life, including handwritten birthday letters. He noted that despite her kibbutz being burned by Hezbollah during the recent conflict, she had remained there until she was evacuated from her home. President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute to her.

Her passing at 101 marks the end of an era for a woman who played a significant role in shaping Israeli settlement and education.