Yitzhak Rabin's Sister Dies, Recalling Fears Before Assassination

Rachel Rabin-Yaakov, the sister of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, passed away on September 12, 2026. In a 2015 interview with Maariv, she expressed deep concern over the political climate leading up to her brother's murder, stating, "I felt that Yitzhak's blood was permitted." She recalled feeling immense fear in Jerusalem in the days before the assassination, noting that people were afraid to walk the streets or enter buses. Rabin-Yaakov recounted her own fear two weeks prior to the assassination, hearing Rabin being called a "traitor and murderer" and chants of "With blood and fire we will expel Rabin!" She felt security forces failed to protect him adequately, suggesting they should have immediately neutralized the shooter after the first bullet. She emphasized that Yitzhak Rabin himself was not afraid, believing he would not be harmed in Israel. Rabin-Yaakov did not attend the peace rally where her brother was murdered, explaining she usually spoke with him on Saturdays but didn't on that particular day, and he had seemed concerned about rally attendance.

She maintained her commitment to her brother's path, believing that force is not the answer and that solutions lie in dialogue and establishing borders. Rabin-Yaakov lamented that the lessons from Rabin's assassination were not learned, attributing the murder to unchecked incitement. She described Yitzhak as a very introverted and shy child, recalling his humorous letters from detention in 1946. Rabin-Yaakov spent her years in the Galilee involved in education and served as chair of the administrative committee for two colleges of the Kibbutz Movement. She saw her work as a mission to share firsthand accounts of pre-state Israel. She also studied Jewish subjects at a retirement home. She felt like the "little sister" and was reassured when Yitzhak was among decision-makers. She last recalled hearing about shots fired at the rally and, unable to reach anyone, drove to their Tel Aviv home, learning of his death from the radio. Rabin-Yaakov concluded by stating that issues concerning the assassin were not just the Rabin family's concern but that of all Israeli society.