Jaffe family


The Jaffe Family is one of the oldest and most distinguished Ashkenazi Jewish Rabbinical families. Originally from Bohemia, members of the family have produced numerous famous rabbis, scholars, and communal workers, with members in Germany, Austria, Poland, Great Britain, Italy, The United States, Canada, and Israel. The family traces its descent to Elhanan ben Isaac Jaffe of Dampierre, with minor branches descending from Mordecai Jaffe of Prague, Joel Sirkis-Jaffe of Kraków and Jacob Margolioth-Jaffe of Nuremberg.
The family progenitor Elhanan ben Isaac Jaffe of Dampierre was a French Tosafist and the son of Isaac ben Samuel who was the paternal grandson of Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry and the maternal grandson of Meir ben Samuel, making Elhanan ben Isaac the great-great-grandson of Rashi. Rashi himself claimed to be claimed to be a 33rd-generation descendant of Johanan HaSandlar, who was a fourth-generation descendant of Gamaliel, who was reputedly a descendant of King David. Making the Jaffe family alleged members of the Davidic line. In the 14th century, the family moved to Germany and Italy, where they served as Chief Rabbis and Av Bet Dins. In the 15th century, a large percentage of the family moved to Bohemia, where they achieved even greater prominence.

Ancestry of Elhanan Jaffe