Rachel Rabin-Yaakov, one of the founding generation figures of settlement in the Galilee and a respected educator, died on Friday at the age of 101. Her funeral will be held this coming Monday.
She was born in Tel Aviv in 1925, the daughter of Rosa and Nehemiah Rabin, and the younger sister of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was three years older than her.
Her parents were prominent figures in the Labor movement: her father, Nehemiah, immigrated to the country and was active in public affairs, while her mother, Rosa Rabin, née Cohen, known as “Red Rosa,” was a leading labor activist, a member of the Haganah, and a member of the Tel Aviv City Council.
President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to her, saying, saying, “I was saddened to hear of the passing, at a ripe old age, of dear Rachel Rabin-Yaakov, whose long and impressive life journey was a model of educational and public service. As someone who had the privilege of knowing her and speaking with her on the occasion of her 101st birthday, I know how deeply she grieved the murder of her brother Yitzhak, the object of her love and admiration, and alongside that, she chose to continue dedicating herself to public service, which earned her, rightfully so, many awards and honors. I send my sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, and her kibbutz, and hope that you know no more sorrow.”
Kibbutz Manara also paid tribute to her, saying, “Rachel was among the founders and builders of Manara. She was one of the pillars of the kibbutz, a significant figure in shaping the story of the place over the years, and played a major role in shaping Manara and its community. At this difficult time, the entire Manara community embraces her family and shares in their grief.”
Rachel grew up in a home that combined a deep sense of public mission with simplicity and modesty. As a child, she absorbed the values of giving, public responsibility, and practical Zionism that shaped the course of her life. Her relationship with her brother Yitzhak was deep and close from their childhood days in Tel Aviv and continued throughout their lives.
Rachel helps found Kibbutz Manara on Lebanon border
In 1943, when she was only 17 years old and active in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth movement, Rachel was among the members of a training group that moved to settle a barren rocky hill on the border with Lebanon, becoming one of the founders of Kibbutz Manara. She later helped establish the Emek Hahula regional school, which she also managed, and became one of the leading educators in the Upper Galilee.
Alongside her work as a school principal and her broad educational activities, Rachel dealt with the complex communal and security reality of living in a border community. In early 1989, she openly described the daily struggle over the future of the community.
“We, the veterans, are growing older, and if young members do not join us, we will be in trouble,” she said at the time. “We decided not to give interviews immediately after security incidents anymore, because the publicity causes us problems and deters new immigrants. They hear on the news what happened and do not even want to visit here.”
Rachel also spoke candidly about young people leaving the kibbutz. “Our children come home for a required year after the army, and then they go out for two years to earn money, travel the world, and find themselves. Most of them do not find their way back. Throughout all the years of our existence, we have invested enormous energy trying to bring new people here, and that struggle never ends.”
In his later years, her father, Nehemiah Rabin, also came to live in Manara. After his death, his friends sought to commemorate his memory and donated money to establish a swimming pool in the kibbutz. Years later, the pool became the center of a public controversy when Prime Minister Menachem Begin referred to it as “the swimming pool of the millionaire kibbutzniks.”
Rachel preserves Yitzhak Rabin's legacy through lectures
After the assassination of her brother Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, Rachel devoted herself to preserving his legacy and promoting the values of tolerance and democratic dialogue through the Rabin Center, lecturing to generations of students and soldiers.
In recent years, Rachel saw Manara flourish once again, establishing an expansion project and welcoming new residents and families, realizing the vision of demographic growth that she had fought for over decades. But reality once again dealt a painful blow: Manara became the community that suffered some of the most severe damage in the recent northern war, with extensive destruction to homes and infrastructure caused by shelling and anti-tank fire.
Following the destruction and evacuation, Rachel was forced to leave her home on the mountain and moved to assisted living at Kvutzat Kinneret. She never had the chance to return to the kibbutz she helped build with her own hands or see it begin to grow again from the ruins.