Her last name means “symbol” in Hebrew, and for as long as almost anyone can remember, she was one. An icon in the Bay Area, Rita Semel was a pioneer of interfaith relations, a leader of multiple Jewish community institutions and an indefatigable social justice activist across decades. She died May 13 in San Francisco at 104.
“She lived an extraordinary life and modeled for all of us the value of and pathways to building truly enduring relationships with people of all backgrounds,” Rabbi Doug Kahn said in a social media post, describing Semel as a mentor, friend, boss and predecessor as executive director of the local Jewish Community Relations Council. “We are all the beneficiaries of her mentorship, example, and passion for a better world.”
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco described Semel as “a dear friend.”
“The passing of Rita Semel is a profound loss for San Francisco and for all who believe in the power of dialogue, understanding and justice,” Pelosi said in a statement. “For decades, Rita was one of the great moral voices of our community: bringing together people of different faiths, backgrounds and perspectives in pursuit of peace, dignity and respect for all God’s children.”
Semel’s CV was jampacked. In addition to co-founding and chairing the San Francisco Interfaith Council and the United Religions Initiative, she helped form the San Francisco Council on Religion and Race. She sat on the boards of San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El and Grace Cathedral. She also served on the S.F. Human Services Commission and the New Israel Fund’s regional board.
The S.F. Interfaith Council posted a tribute to Semel on its website. “Rita has been the heartbeat and soul of the SFIC since its inception, a bigger-than-life presence whose countless contributions to the betterment of society comprise the incredible legacy she bequeaths to our City and beyond,” it read.
Rita Roher Semel was born in New York City in a secular Jewish home. She graduated from Barnard College in 1941 with an eye on becoming a journalist. That dream would have to wait, but not for too long. Together with her husband, Max Semel, then an Army officer, she lived on a military base in Mississippi during the war years, witnessing Jim Crow in action. It stirred her nascent activist instincts.
While her husband fought in Europe during WWII, Semel landed a job as a “copy boy” at the San Francisco Chronicle. Among her assignments was covering the signing of the United Nations charter in San Francisco on June 26, 1945.
“It was so exciting,” she told J. in 2011. “We thought it was the beginning of a whole new world.”
A few years later, Semel became associate editor of this publication, then known as the Jewish Community Bulletin. She also began doing public relations for the local Jewish Community Federation. After taking time off to care for her two young daughters, Jane and Elizabeth, Semel jumped back into her career.
She began doing freelance public relations for the March of Dimes, the United Way, the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, AIPAC and the Israeli consulate. In 1964, Semel served on the committee that organized the San Francisco Conference on Religion and Race, becoming its coordinator for the next 25 years.
One day, she took a call from Eugene Boyle, a Catholic priest who asked Semel to represent the Jewish community on a new interfaith task force born out of the conference. That entity evolved into the San Francisco Council on Religion and Race.
One of her most impactful roles began in 1964, when she became associate director and, later, executive director of the local JCRC, which seeks to “mobilize Bay Area Jews and our allies to counter antisemitism and rising hate, advance social justice, [and] strengthen civic engagement,” according to its website.
Semel stepped down from her role at JCRC in 1989, though her interest in interfaith relations only intensified. In 1988, San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos asked local clergy and lay leaders to provide shelter and meals for homeless residents. That ad hoc group eventually formed the San Francisco Interfaith Council in 1991.
In addition to her leadership of that organization, she chaired the Global Council for the United Religions Initiative and served on the boards of Catholic Charities, Family Services America, Friends of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, San Francisco Children’s Rights Coalition, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and the San Francisco Homelessness Board. She was honored in 2008 by the Islamic Society of San Francisco and United Muslims of America as a “longtime Jewish activist and interfaith pioneer.”
Semel was not unacquainted with sorrow and loss. Her daughter Jane died in 1970 after an accident. Her husband passed away in 1994.
Still, her work went on. Ever humble, Semel explained her dedication in a 2020 interview with J.: “I’m just a busybody.”
In November 2021, the occasion of her 100th birthday inspired a joyous celebration at her synagogue, Congregation Emanu-El. Representatives from the Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Hindu, Catholic, Buddhist, Mormon and Native American communities sat on the bimah, while Semel sat next to then-House Speaker Pelosi.
When the testimonials had all been given, Semel took to the bimah. “I wrote something down but I’m not going to read it,” she said. “We’ve had enough words for one day. My father used to say, ‘Keep it short, keep it simple, keep ’em laughing.’”
Just last November on her 104th birthday, Semel sat down with J. to reflect on her long life of service.
“I wanted to make the world a better place,” she said. “And I was very fortunate. I had a husband who — he probably would have preferred a housewife, but he didn’t have one. He had me.”
As she told J. in 2011, “I have a theory that there is no such thing as retirement. It’s important for people to keep going. It doesn’t matter what you do, but you have to do something. So I choose to spend my time doing this, and as long as people figure I can make a contribution, I’ll do it.”
She certainly did.