Rabbi Evan Jaffe

Dear family and friends,

It is with deepest sadness and sorrow that we inform all of you that this morning our husband, father, rabbi, friend and mentor passed away.

While for a time he seemed to improve in the ICU, due to the exceptional care of the nursing staff and doctors of UPenn medical facility; unfortunately, the past couple of days were a struggle, and he succumbed to the disease. While his body struggled, his brilliant mind stayed strong, brave, kind, and even humorous all the way till the end.

He was an inspiration to all of his doctors and nurses -- they loved him even for the short time he was with them.

Funeral services will take place Friday, August 14, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. in the Flemington Jewish Community Center, 5 Sergeantsville Road, Flemington, NJ under the direction of Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, Flemington, NJ. Interment will follow in the Flemington Jewish Community Cemetery, Capner Street, Flemington, NJ.

As is traditional in the Jewish faith, the Rabbi would not want flowers. Instead, please consider a donation to the Flemington Jewish Community Center, HIOC, or Volunteer Guardianship One-on-One.

We are so heartbroken to announce this news. He was an incredible man with a spirit and soul that were always selfless, always kind, forever patient, with love for everyone.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Thank you,

Phyllis, Jordana and Atara Jaffe

Rabbi Evan A. Jaffe, died Wednesday August 12, 2015 at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA, he was 62. Born in Baltimore, MD, son of the late Marvin and Carolyn Moranz Jaffe, he had resided in Flemington since 1987, and formerly resided in New York City.

Rabbi Jaffe was a graduate of Columbia University and received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary, in New York City. Evan was the Rabbi at the Flemington Jewish Community Center (FJCC) since 1987. At one time, he was a professional ballet dancer in New York for seven years.

Active in community activities for nearly 30 years, he was the Chaplain at Hunterdon Developmental Center, in Clinton, NJ and the Greenbrook Regional Center, in Greenbrook NJ. He was the President of the Hunterdon Interfaith Outreach Council, former President of the Women’s Crisis Center in Flemington, was an active participant with the Volunteer Guardianship of One-on-One in Hunterdon County and Meals on Wheels of Hunterdon County, and was a volunteer at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, NJ. He was also the founder of the O.P.E.N. Road of Flemington, which facilitates the transportation for the developmentally disabled and the homebound elderly to places of worship. He was also very active in the Matheny School and Hospital in Peapack, NJ.

During his tenure at the FJCC, he oversaw the growth of the community center and was selected by The Forward magazine “as one of the 33 most inspirational Rabbi’s in the US.”

Rabbi Jaffe is survived by his wife of 33 years, Phyllis Lerner; two daughters, Atara Jaffe of Vacaville, CA, and Jordana Jaffe of Hoboken, NJ, and a sister, Mindy Jaffe of Honolulu HI.

Funeral services will take place Friday, August 14, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. in the Flemington Jewish Community Center, 5 Sergeantsville Road, Flemington, NJ under the direction of Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, Flemington, NJ. Interment will follow in the Flemington Jewish Community Cemetery, Capner Street, Flemington, NJ.

As is traditional in the Jewish faith, the Rabbi would not want flowers. Instead, please consider a donation to the Flemington Jewish Community Center, 5 Sergeantsville Road, Flemington NJ 08822, the Hunterdon Interfaith Outreach Council, at the same address, or Volunteer Guardianship One-on-One, 188 Route 31, Flemington, NJ 08822.