Jackie Kaufman Tauber, 1977-2015

By Eric George Tauber

SAN DIEGO — On January 14^th, 1977, a great blizzard hit the northeastern United States.  In Cincinnati, my brothers and I cheered it on, certain of school closures the following day.  Little did I imagine that -on that very night, in a hospital in Long Island, New York- the great love of my life was coming into the world.

Jackie Kaufman was the second child of Dr. David and Dale Kaufman.  Two years later, the Kaufmans moved to San Diego County.  But Jackie and her mother would make regular trips back to “the old country” and always considered themselves New Yorkers.

As a young child, Jackie thought everything had feelings, including inanimate objects.  She recalled that, at the age of four, she closed a door much harder than she meant to.  Gently, she touched the door and whispered, “I’m sorry.”  This sensitivity and the ability to project sentience onto the inanimate would characterize her life and career.

As an adult, Jackie decided that the calling of her life was to be a puppeteer.  She could put a sock on her hand and bring it to life. Thus, she became the first intern of the San Diego Guild of Puppetry, making puppets and performing in Balboa Park and around the county.  And this was how we met…

In 2005, I was working for the REP.  All arts organizations with school outreach programs have to send representatives to the district office for regular meetings.  This meeting was about stuffing envelopes.  For an hour, we stuffed envelopes, talking about everything from the Muppets to Monty Python.  She was absolutely adorable and I wasn’t about to leave without her phone number.  Two years later, we stood under a chuppah and I sang Eyshet Chayil, a song I would sing to her every Erev Shabbat.

Jackie went on to become a Lead Teaching Artist with the Guild of Puppetry, teaching workshops and residencies in schools and community centers around the county.  She had a way with children that I called “Jackie Magic.”  One day, as I picked her up from work, it took us at least twenty minutes to get off campus because every child who crossed our path just had to stop and give Miss Jackie a hug.

Over the years, Jackie was given some very challenging children to work with.  Yet, she had a way of tapping into their creative energy and getting the best of what they had to give.  One was a little boy who suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome.  He couldn’t sit still and he rarely heard his name without a scold.  Frustrated, he came up to Jackie, put his head on her stomach and sighed.  She gently put her hands on his shoulders and said, “I know, Sweetie.  It’s tough.  And I know that you’re doing your best.”  With her, he found a safe space and a source of comfort that his soul was thirsty for.

Jackie also had a way with animals.  Dogs a block away would pull at their leashes and claw at the ground to reach her.  They knew at a glance that this was someone eager to shower them affection.  Once, at the Houston Zoo, we came to the elephant enclosure.  Jackie made eye contact with the matriarch of the herd and the two of them stood transfixed for at least five minutes.  When Jackie reached out with her hand, the elephant reached out with her trunk, making contact with a kindred spirit.  It was magical.

Tragically, Jackie contracted a very rare and aggressive form of breast cancer that metastasized to her lungs.  When they called off her clinical trial at MD Anderson, we brought her home. She slipped away on Nov 7^th, 2015, surrounded by people who loved her.  As we reminisced, we found laughter through our tears as her sense of humor had given us so much to laugh about.

In Jewish tradition, we say, “May their memory be a blessing.”  Jackie’s memory is indeed a source of many blessings to everyone who knew her and that is the hallmark of a life well lived.

Shalom.

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Eric George Tauber is a freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts.  He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com.   Any comment in the space below should include the writer’s full name and city and state of residence, or city and country for non-U.S. residents.