Allgemein | Rabin Project

On Thursday, August 26th 2010 we went on a trip to kibbutz Menara near the Libanese border. This meeting was organised by one of the madrichim of Hanoar Haoved Welomed, who knows Rahel well.

Rahel Rabin’s husband, Rafi Jaacov, told us about his emigration to Israel in 1939 and his childhood in Berlin, because this is where the German group comes from. It was interesting to get to know something about the relationship between the Libanese and the first Jewish people who came to build Kibbuz Menara. 70 years ago, when Rachel and her husband started to build up the Kibbuz there were no other Jewish settlements around. This is why they got their water and food mostly from across the border, because in these days their relations to Lebanon was good. At the same place there is today a well guarded border (by the U.N. and the Israeli and Libanese army) with a barbed wire fence, 60 years ago there were only some stones to mark the border.
After Mr. Jaacov told us about his life some of the group members started to ask Rahel questions about Itzchak Rabins childhood and his character traits. She told us that her brother used to be a shy and introverted child and a boy of few words. But there were always some boys who gathered around him to hear what he had to say. Furthermore Rahel told us that Itzchak was always right, whenever he expressed his view.
She talked about their experiences as members of the movement “Hanoar Haoved Velomed” which was founded in 1924. Itzchak and his sister decided to help building up kibbuzim, and Rahel was sent to the area at the Lebanese border, where one can find Menara today.
Itzchak went to Kibbuz Ramat Yohanan and later became a member of the “Palmach”, a Jewish paramilitary organization.
After the state of Israel was founded Rabin became a soldier and a general of the Israely Defense Forces. Rahel also told us, that it was always him to mourn about the victims of war, not only the Israeli but also those victims of the opposite site.
Rahel was asked whether she has shared the political views of her brother. Her answer was that there were some non elevant arguments about details, but they actually agreed in principle. In addition she said that they both grew up in a Zionist-Socialist family sharing the same values.
Some students wanted to know how Rahel dealt with the fact that her brother became the Prime Minister of Israel and with this a person of public interest.
Rahel told us various anecdotes in order to answering this question. Wherever she was she never told the people, that she´s Rabins´s sister. One day she heard two women chattering about Itzchak Rabin in a bus. Of course they were unaware of the fact that his sister is hearing their words. One woman asked: “Do you know, why Rabin has that red face? It is because he´s a drinker.” “How can you know it?” – the other woman replied. The first one answered: “I´ve read it in the papers.” At this point Rahel blended herself into the talk. She said: “No, Rabin´s not a drinker.” One of the women asked her: “How can you know it?” Rahel said: “Because I´m his sister.” The two women were astonished and said: “What, you´re the sister of the Prime minister and you go by bus?”

Hereafter we went on to the day of Rabin´s assassination.
The students wanted to know what Rahel was doing while her brother was assassinated. The day he was shot Rahel was as usual at Kibbuz Menara and saw his speech at the peace rally in Tel Aviv in the TV. She received the horrible news of her brother being shot sitting on her couch. Rahel and Rafi tried to call their relatives in Tel Aviv, but nobody answered the phone. Finally she reached Rabin´s secretary who told her of Itzchak’s acuteness and that she should come to Tel Aviv as fast as possible. She and her husband immediately took their car heading Tel Aviv. Halfway they heart in the Radio, that her brother was dead. Suddenly the room was filled with a cold shiver.

Our students asked a lot of other questions and Rahel answered all of them patiently.

Afterwards we went to the Lebanese border, took some photos and discussed about the Israeli-Lebanese relationships.

In order to convey our deep respect for Rahel and her family and to thank them for answering our questions we sang the song “Shir Lashalom”, which was the last song Rabin sang during the peace rally before his assassination.