Esther Rubin passes away

In the past, I’ve taken many opportunities to post the paintings of Reuven Rubin. Until today, I knew nothing about his wife, Esther Rubin. She has just passed away at 99 years old, after living in Tel Aviv since the age of 18 when she won an essay writing contest for Young Judea on what Palestine meant to her. She hailed from the Bronx. Sailing to Israel, she was immediately noticed by another passenger on the ship, Reuven Rubin, who was already in his 30s. He proposed marriage within minutes of meeting her.

This means she’s been based out of Tel Aviv, plus or minus some years when they lived abroad, for about 80 years. She witnessed its evolution from a central viewpoint because Rubin was an important artist throughout his career. They were friends with the writer Haim Nahman Bialik and eventually donated their house on Rehov Bialik to Tel Aviv as a museum of Rubin’s work.

What a charmed and interesting life. You can read more at the Jerusalem Post.