Ruth Pearl

Ruth Pearl (; born Eveline Rejwan; November 11, 1935 – July 20, 2021) was an Israeli-American software developer. She was the mother of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by Muslim extremists connected to Al-Qaeda in 2002.

Early life and career Pearl was born Eveline Rejwan on November 11, 1935, in Baghdad, Iraq. Her father, Joseph, was a tailor who ran an import business, and her mother, Victoria (Abada) Rejwan, was a homemaker. When Pearl was 5, she lived through the Farhud, an outbreak of anti-Jewish violence in Iraq following a failed nationalist coup. She and her family hid in their home for days, protected by their Arab neighbors who told rioters that no Jews lived there. Recognizing her skill in mathematics, the Navy assigned her to teach trigonometry to officer candidates.

Later life After the kidnapping and murder of her son Daniel in 2002, Pearl and her family started the nonprofit Daniel Pearl Foundation to continue Daniel’s legacy and values. The organization seeks to promote tolerance, combat hatred, and nurture cross-cultural understanding, particularly through journalism, music and dialogue, three of Daniel’s passions in life.

Pearl served in multiple executive roles with the Daniel Pearl Foundation, effectively managing it as CEO. She helped establish and guide numerous programs, including Daniel Pearl Journalism Fellowships, which bring mid-career journalists from Muslim-dominated countries to work at U.S.-based news organizations. She also oversaw Daniel Pearl World Music Days, an annual celebration of global concerts dedicated to using music as a bridge between cultures. Through these programs and others, she hoped to combat hatred and violence by connecting people through their common humanity.