Ruthee Jaffee ( Rivka) – Died June 8, 2020
By Yehudit Channen
No one I have ever known in my life could ever make me laugh the way my sister Rivka could. Her awareness and appreciation of the absurdities of life was masterful! With her gift for finding humor in everything, she could make us both laugh like fools at some of the most personal difficulties she faced daily. And despite her being so dependent on others for the simplest of things Rivka always maintained a modest regal bearing. Sometimes when she would sit in her wheelchair I imagined her a queen upon her throne. What made Rivka so royal was the dignity and tranquility with which she bore unbearable pain. Her unflagging love for God throughout her severe injury was holy.
My love and my admiration for Rivka never stopped growing, up until our last conversation. There she was, quarantined and bedridden, yet we schmoozed about politics and Rabbi Kessin’s latest shiur. Rivka started talking about how culture has changed since we were young. It was a great conversation: interesting, fun and spiritual. Just like her. May Hashem bless all of us who loved her, especially her children Esther, Chedva and Yissachar, my only sister and my inspiration.
Yehudit Channen lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh with her husband and nine children.