Reuven Martin Jaffe, a passionate Bay Area educator and advocate for Israel, died Aug. 6 in San Francisco at the age of 74.
Born Jan. 18, 1937, Jaffe graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco and went on to further his education in 11 different schools across the United States and in Israel. While a student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 1967, he met his future wife, Ruth, who had just begun to teach there; the two married within a year.
The couple subsequently moved around the world — to Los Angeles, to Jerusalem — but always wound up back in San Francisco.
“This was his home, and he was always very insistent about that,” Ruth said. “He always wanted to return here.”
Jaffe was well-known in the community for his commitment to education. Over the course of his roughly 50-year career, he taught in synagogues near Los Angeles and in San Francisco public schools, and served as education director at San Francisco’s Congregation Ner Tamid. He was a lifelong student, receiving his doctorate from the University of Southern California at age 46.
Those who knew him well say he touched countless lives through his work as a teacher. At his funeral Aug. 9 at Sinai Memorial Chapel (where he and Ruth were members), former students spoke of Jaffe’s compassion, drive and support.
“He really changed his students’ lives,” said Ruth. “One student in particular spoke beautifully [at the funeral]. She said she didn’t know where she’d be if it weren’t for him.”
Jaffe, the only member of the Northern California Board of Rabbis who wasn’t an ordained rabbi, was a fixture in the Bay Area Jewish community. He served on a plethora of boards and committees that combined his passions for Judaism and education, such as the Jewish Community Relations Council’s public schools committee; he was a member of the Hebrew Free Loan Association and Raoul Wallenberg Jewish Democratic Club, among many others.
A longtime member of AIPAC, Jaffe traveled to Washington, D.C., many times to attend the organization’s annual conference. He also was a lifetime member of the NAACP, staying active and educated on social justice issues. He and his wife once took a current affairs class together, and when the teacher couldn’t be there, he was a natural replacement to take over.
“He carried the world on his shoulders,” said his wife. “He wanted to fix the problems of the Middle East. Israel was central, was foremost in his life.”
Of course, he loved San Francisco. A devoted Giants fan, Jaffe fulfilled a lifelong dream when he attended Giants Fantasy Camp at the age of 69. In the years that followed, his business cards bore a picture taken there.
Lou Haas, a board member of the Concordia-Argonaut Club in San Francisco — yet another group to which Jaffe belonged — remembers him as a smart, compassionate leader.
“He was an educator to the nines,” said Haas. “He was just a good fellow, and we’ll miss him.”
The father of two and grandfather of eight had a tremendous impact on all their lives, his wife said. “He had two mottos in life. One, from the Bible, was ‘Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.’ And the other was ‘Justice, justice, thou shall pursue.’ That’s really how he sought to conduct his life.’”
Jaffe is survived by wife Ruth, daughters Adina Lipson and Naomi Ives, and eight grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to Hebrew University or Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco.