AUGUST 5 • 2021 | 61

R

uth Pearl, the mother of 
slain Wall Street Journal 
journalist Daniel Pearl, 
died on July 20, 2021, at age 85.
In 2002, Ruth and her hus-
band, Judea Pearl, were thrust 
into international attention 
after Al-Qaeda terrorists in 
Pakistan kidnapped their son, 
Daniel Pearl, and executed him 
nine days later.
Ruth Pearl, an electrical 
engineer and computer ana-
lyst, was born Eveline Rejwan 
in Baghdad on Nov. 10, 1935. 

According to the University 
of Southern California Shoah 
Foundation, her childhood 
was interrupted in 1941, when 
a coup attempt in Iraq left a 
power vacuum in the British-
controlled territory, allowing 
thousands of Iraqi civilians, 
soldiers and paramilitary gangs 
inspired by Nazi propaganda 
and anti-Zionist fervor to 
start a pogrom against the 
Jews, known as the “Farhud.” 
According to the release, at 
least 179 Baghdadi Jews were 

killed in the Farhud and hun-
dreds of others raped, injured, 
or had their homes and liveli-
hoods destroyed. Pearl recalled 
seeing a bullet fly past her 
mother while she held her baby 
sister and watched Jewish-
owned shops being looted.
In 1951, she, her younger 
siblings and her parents were 
transported to Cyprus and then 
Israel as part of the mass exo-
dus of Jews from Iraq, forfeit-
ing citizenship and possessions.
Ruth met her husband, Judea 
Pearl, while studying electrical 
engineering at the Technion–
Israel Institute of Technology 
in Haifa. They married in 1960 
and moved to New Jersey to 
pursue graduate degrees. They 
had three children; Daniel 
Pearl was the middle child.
When Daniel was kid-
napped, Ruth dreamt that he 
was in trouble. She woke up 
and sent her son an email.
“I said, ‘Danny … please 

humor me and answer this 
email immediately.” Daniel 
Pearl never responded.
She and her husband went 
on to form the Daniel Pearl 
Foundation, which sponsors 
fellowships to bring journalists 
from Muslim countries to the 
United States, among other 
programs. They also started the 
Daniel Pearl Foundation Music 
Day project, held on their son’s 
birthday.
Ruth Pearl served as the 
chief financial officer for the 
foundation, which aims to 
perpetuate Daniel’s commit-
ment to reaching across divides 
through journalism and music.
In addition to her hus-
band, Ruth Pearl is survived 
by daughters Michelle and 
Tamara. She is also survived by 
her daughter-in-law Mariane; 
her sister Carmella; and grand-
children Leora, Tori, Ari, Evan 
and Adam. 

— JNS.org 

Ruth Pearl, Mother 
of Daniel Pearl

WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY JOYCE N. BOGHOSIAN/JNS

Ruth and 
Judea Pearl 
light a
menorah at 
the White 
House in 
2007.

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

Honors the Memory of
Honors the Memory of

Graham A. Orley

1924 - 2021

On Behalf of a Grateful Community
On Behalf of a Grateful Community