The Barbara Gaffin Papers

Born on October 24, 1954 in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Irene (nee Glazer)and Stanley Gaffin,z"l. She had two siblings - sister Beverely "Bev" Finley Gaffin and brother Harris Gaffin.

Barbara Gaffin has engaged in community relations efforts and advocacy for Jewish communities since the 1980s.Gaffin graduated from Brandeis University in 1976 with degrees in Near Eastern and Jewish Studies and Psychology. In October of 1981 she traveled with the first group of American Jews trip to Ethiopiain, where she learned the severity of the situation Ethiopian Jews, or Falashas, faced. Once Gaffin returned to the United States, she began to participate in, and lead, efforts to raise awareness about the state of Ethiopian Jewry and efforts to help Ethiopian Jews escape to Israel.

On July 1, 1984, Gaffin married Douglas Cahn (who served as the administrative assistant to Congressman Barney Frank from 1983-1991). They had two children - son Elon "EG" Gaffin-Cahn and daughter Tamar Gaffin-Cahn.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Gaffin also worked on projects to improve the lives of Yemeni and Soviet Jews. Barbara served as Associate Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston, the Congressional Liaison for the National Conference on Soviet Jewry in Washington, D.C. from 1986-1991, and National Coordinator of “Freedom Sunday” for Soviet Jews in Washington in 1987. During the 2000s and 2010s, as the representative of the JCRC, she directed the Dnipropetrovsk Kehillah Project (DKP), now called the Dnipro Kehillah Project (DKP),in partnership with the Combined Jewish Philanthries (CJP) and the Jews in Dnipro, Ukraine. The DKP was part of a nationwide movement to link American Jewish communities with their counterparts in the Former Soviet Union, to help rebuild Jewish life in Dnipro, Ukraine a partnership of Jews in Boston and Dnipro, Ukraine.

Gaffin currently serves as the Managing Director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, creates custom Judaica, and is active in the Boston Jewish community.

1954 October 24

Boston, Massachusetts

Barbara Gaffin is born.

1976

Gaffin graduates from Brandies University with degrees in Near Eastern and Jewish Studies and Psychology..

1979-1981

Gaffin serves as Community Relations Associate of the Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Boston.

1981 October

Gaffin participates in fact-finding trip to Ethiopia, where she learns the severity of the situation facing Ethiopian Jewry.

1981

Gaffin begins delivering lectures and seminars about Ethiopian Jews in Greater Boston and New England. Early speaking venues include the Brown University Zionist Association, the American Jewish Committee, and Temple Israel and Mishkan Tefila in Boston.

Gaffin is invited by the Massachusetts Council of Rabbis to appear on WSBK-Channel 38 for an interview about her trip to Ethiopia.

1982

Gaffin delivers dozens of lectures and seminars about Ethiopian Jews in Boston and New England. Venues include temples, Hebrew schools, Jewish Community Centers, chapters of the B’nai B’rith Women, Hadassah chapters, the Boston College Jewish Law Student Association, the Hillel Foundation at the MIT, the Boston University Hillel, the Jewish Students Council-Hillel at SUNY-Albay, the Greater Albany Jewish Federation, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, and the Providence chapter of Women's American ORT.

Gaffin spends a month volunteering at an absorption center for Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Beersheva, Israel.

1983-1984

Gaffin begins offering lectures and seminars about Ethiopian Jews as part of the “Jewish Community Speakers Bureau.” She travels within Boston and more widely in New England to deliver dozens of presentations at temples, Hadassah chapters, chapters of the B’nai B’rith Women, chapters of the Womens American ORT, Hebrew schools, Jewish Community Centers, Hebrew College, the Brandeis Hillel, the Wellesley College Hillel, the Tufts University Jewish Political Action Committee, the American Jewish Congress at Brown University, the Worcester Jewish Federation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Schenectady, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. She also travels to California to present at the Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco.

1983-1999

Gaffin serves on the Advisory Board of the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry.

1984 July 1

Gaffin marries Douglas Cahn.

1985

In Washington, D.C., Gaffin delivers presentations about Ethiopian Jews to the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Washington and the Capital Political Action Committee.

1986-1991

Gaffin serves as the Congressional Liaison at the "National Conference on Soviet Jewry"

1985-1986

Gaffin serves as the Director of International Affairs of the Baltimore Jewish Council.

1987 December 6

Gaffin serves as the National Coordinator of the National Summit Mobilization for Soviet Jews ("Freedom Sunday") in Washington, D.C.

1988 December

Gaffin travels to the Yemen Arab Republic to meet with Yemeni Jews.

1991 September 30 - October 6

Gaffin, as a representative of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston leads the National Delegation of American Jewish leaders to Moscow, Russia and Kiev, Ukraine

1991-2002

Gaffin serves as the Associate Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston.

1994-2019

Gaffin leads the Dnipropetrovsk Kehilla Project (DKP), a partnership between Jews in Boston and in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

1996 May 2

In the House of Representatives, Barney Frank acknowledges Barbara Gaffin as “an extraordinarily dedicated and effective citizen,” praises her leadership “in the effort to save Jews worldwide from the oppression that they faced in many countries,” and declares that “she had a major role in the efforts many of us made here in Congress to protect Jews from being victims of oppression and death.”

1996 June 6

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston awards Gaffin the Warren B. Kohn Award in Jewish Communal Service.

2000

Boston, Massachusetts

Gaffin is honored at the Women Who Dared sponsored by the Jewish Womens Archive and Hadassah Boston.

2019

Gaffin meets with newly elected Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky.