1922 – Childhood and Family
Yitzhak Rabin was born on March 1, 1922, in Jerusalem. His parents, Rosa Cohen and Nehemiah Rabin, were among the pioneers of the Third Aliyah. Nehemiah worked for the electric company and Rosa worked as a bookkeeper, but most of their energy was invested in volunteer public activity. Rosa held senior positions in the Haganah [paramilitary organization during the British Mandate period], in the Tel Aviv municipality, in the Histadrut [Labor Federation], and in the education system. She was known by the handle Red Rosa in the Yishuv. Nehemiah held positions in the Haganah and in the Histadrut.
In 1923, the family moved to Tel Aviv, where Rabin spent his childhood. His sister, Rachel, was born in Tel Aviv in 1925. When he was 15, his mother died from an illness.
In his parents’ home, Rabin absorbed values that guided him throughout his life.
“It was during my childhood that I formulated a sense of responsibility for the position, a love of the landscape and the Land of Israel, a sense of camaraderie.”
School Years
In 1928, Rabin began his studies at Beit Hinuch for Workers’ Children in Tel Aviv, the school which became his second home. It set the goal for him to design and form the world of the tzabar, the Israeli sabra, the new Jew, connected to the landscapes of Israel, working the land, defending it from antagonists, and shaped his willingness to be recruited for any task. The emphasis was placed on combining studies with work, field trips, and social activity.
The activity in the HaNoar HaOved youth movement was an inseparable part of the life of the schoolchildren. In that framework, Rabin was exposed to the doctrine of Jewish socialists, and trained for hagshamah – self-actualization – at a kibbutz.
Agricultural studies were the natural continuation of his education at Beit Hinuch. Rabin studied at the District Agricultural School at Givat HaShlosha for two years. Then, in 1937 he reached his coveted target, Kadoorie Agricultural High School at Kfar Tabor, where many of the best youth from the working settlement got their education. At Kadoorie, Rabin became acquainted with Yigal Allon, who recruited him to the Haganah, and the ties of friendship were formed between them. The school was known for its high level in theoretical studies and the special lifestyle that evolved among its students and teachers. Rabin’s talents rapidly stood out. The certificate of excellence that he received upon completing his studies paved the way to higher education for him. However, when World War II broke out, and the concerns about its implications for the reality in the Land of Israel ensued, he forfeited his plans and joined Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan.
In May 1941, he was called to participate in a military operation in Lebanon intended to help the British army. This was his first trial by fire.
“At an age when loves blossom, at age sixteen, I was given a rifle to protect my life – and most regrettably, to kill in a moment of danger… I thought a hydraulic engineer was an important profession in the barren Middle East… but I was compelled to hold a rifle.”
