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Rita Semel

Rita Semel at her home in San Francisco in 2020. (Norm Levin/J.)
Posted inFirst Person

A tribute to the extraordinary 104-year life of Rita Semel

Doug Kahn by Rabbi Doug Kahn May 28, 2026May 28, 2026

Note: This tribute is adapted from the writer’s introduction to the oral history of Rita Semel as part of the Oral History Project at UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library and was […]

Rita Semel in 1974.(J. Archives)
Posted inFrom the Archives

Bay Area icon and Jewish leader Rita Semel began her career right here at this newspaper

Maya Mirsky
(Aaron Levy-Wolins/J. Staff) by Maya Mirsky May 21, 2026May 21, 2026
Rita Semel on her 104th birthday, sitting in her room at Rhoda Goldman Plaza in San Francisco on Nov. 15, 2025. (Aaron Levy-Wolins/J. Staff)
Posted inObituaries

Rita Semel, interfaith activist and S.F. Jewish leader, dies at 104

by Dan Pine May 14, 2026May 14, 2026
Rita Semel
Posted inThe J. Interview

At 104, Rita Semel is proud of a life spent ‘making the world a better place’

Jew,  Jewish,  J. The Jewish News of Northern California
Emma Goss.(Photo/Aaron Levy-Wolins) by Emma Goss November 26, 2025November 26, 2025
Rita Semel at home in San Francisco, where she has devoted herself to public service for decades. (Photo/Norm Levin)
Posted inBooks

At 100 years old, local Jewish legend Rita Semel gets a young adult biography

by Dan Pine August 15, 2022August 19, 2022
Rita Semel at home in San Francisco, where she has devoted herself to public service for decades. (Photo/Norm Levin)
Posted inTrailblazers

Rita Semel, 98, is a tireless leader and ‘interfaith bridge’

by Liz Harris April 2, 2020May 21, 2026
Posted inBay Area

Rita Semel: At 90, a tireless advocate for interfaith understanding

by Dan Pine November 18, 2011May 14, 2026

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