Jane Falk

1943 - 2019

Jane Lois Falk

May 16, 1943 - June 28, 2019

Jane was a linguist who was proud of her direct New Yorker style of discussion (and argumentation). Always interesting and interested in big questions. Remembered for the intensity of her spirit and love of life, and for her perseverance through the challenges of health – she succeeded in softening her heart before it finally failed her.

Born in Brooklyn, attended P.S. 215, Winthrop Jr High, then Hunter College High School, for intellectually gifted girls, followed by Brooklyn College. Jane received her Ph.D. from Princeton University. Insightful about bridging cultural differences, she taught English as a Second Language in the US and English at Hebrew University, and served as a consultant to US companies engaged in international business. She was a major force in the City of Berkeley's annual Holocaust Memorial observances.

Although she found happiness and community in California, she was at times ambivalent about whether she should have stayed in Israel with the spirited friends and family she'd discovered when she was a starry-eyed young dreamer in her twenties (and with whom she remained close ever since).

Previously married to Stuart Margolis, she enjoyed being a step-parent to his children Leah and Josh (and Josh's daughter Mookie). Jane was a longtime resident of an apartment building in Berkeley that became a source of daily support and affectionate friendships that grew stronger over the years. Her team of extraordinary doctors definitely extended her life. She loved and was loved by her Jewish community at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley. Her correspondence with family and friends stretched out from her local community across the world, and she offered quiet assistance to many in times of difficulty. Her nephew Jesse Falk-Finley and brother-in-law Lowell Finley grew closer in the last decade of her life (and helped with menchwork). Her sister Candace remains ever grateful for Jane's early life guidance, for her unbridled enthusiasm for Candace's work, and for the calmer, wiser, love they shared in the later years of true sisterhood.

Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley will hold a memorial service on Sunday, July 7 at 10:00 a.m. Per her wishes, Jane was buried in New York, near her father.

Jane had a lasting impact on all who knew her well, and will be greatly missed. Shayna Liebe bat Malka and Nachum Eli ben Chaim Yosef, may her memory be for a blessing.