David ben Seymor, whose civil name was Dale Jeffries, passed away yesterday in Miami during Shabbat. Born in 1954, he will be buried in a local Jewish cemetery. His remains will soon be transported to Porto to take their place in the family tomb in the Isaac Aboab cemetery, whose construction he actively participated in since 2016.
A frequent president and member of the board of the Jewish Community of Porto, Jeffries was the best institutional representative the community ever had, due to the great cultural calibre he held, and the loving availability he always demonstrated to all who knew him, doing good justice to the fact that he was a descendant of Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, the great Gaon of Vilna, a central figure in Lithuanian and world Judaism in the 18th century.
It was Dale Jeffries who began the process of religious rehabilitation of the Jewish Community of Porto a decade and a half ago. promoting and strengthening, with David Garrett, the relationship between the then few Jews in Porto and the London community of Golders Green and with Chabad Lubavitch. It was Jeffries who conceived the production of the film "Sefarad," which aimed – in his words – "to tell our story without fantasies and make it immortal." It was he who constantly offered contributions on the process of promoting Jewish culture in the city – museums, cinema, painting, music, library – and who presented a Ladino music concert in Porto, which filled the main hall of the Casa da Música with more than a thousand people.
Jeffries leaves an impressive positive legacy capable of guiding new generations. His wife, Dara Jeffries, is a force of nature. His mother-in-law, Marilyn Fliterman, a pianist like Jeffries, remains vibrant and full of energy at 97 years old. Everyone calls her "the Boss". His son Jason, once a boy not very fond of Jewish customs, has completely transformed over the years. He presides over Jewish and Israeli organizations in the USA and Israel, and wants to be part of the next generation of leaders of the Jewish Community of Porto, which is currently being prepared—all people in their 30s—who will continue the work that has been done in the meantime.
Throughout his life, David ben Seymor Z"L symbolized much of what is good in the Jewish people. He was a creator, a man of culture, a person only available for useful and beautiful conversations, never to waste time on malice, slander, and envy. It was an honor for everyone to know him. It will be an honor for the Isaac Aboab cemetery to receive his remains. May he rest in peace.
