She was the grand doyenne of Denver’s yeshiva community, which includes Denverites across the entire spectrum of Jewish observance, because Mrs. Reva Wasserman of blessed memory, wife and partner of yeshiva dean Rabbi Isaac Wasserman, brought the yeshiva into so many people’s lives and so many circles across almost six decades of Denver history.
Mrs. Wasserman was the consummate rebbetzin, if ever there was one.
Her presence was palpable. It was majestic. Not just because of her impeccable taste and poise. It was her gracious character that shined through in every interaction and in every thoughtful act she extended to everyone.
And I mean — everyone.
Whether you were a VIP honoree, the teen yeshiva guys, the young Torah scholars at the yeshiva, or an outlier — to Mrs. Wasserman, it was all the same. She extended her graciousness to you.
In her feminine regality and distinct attention to aesthetics, she appeared flawless. In reality, she was a supremely hard worker. She carried a bulging briefcase as she invested her time and energy into building Yeshiva Toras Chaim. She just did it all without breaking a sweat and making it seem effortless.
She was an organizational genius, founding and spearheading endless projects on behalf of the yeshiva, that entailed leadership, delegating and diplomacy.
Mrs. Wasserman didn’t stop at that, satisfied to shepherd the process. She was all in, all hands on deck, working side by side with the volunteers she recruited for the projects she spearheaded. Mrs. Wasserman didn’t just delegate. If, for example, it involved the kitchen, she was there side by side with the volunteers, who were preparing her recipes. The event itself was always executed with Mrs Wasserman’s vision and talent for transforming spaces and projects with her modern-meets-traditional flair.
Mrs. Wasserman’s Shabbos meals and hostessing were legendary. I lived on the other side of town, a two hour walk — not practical for sharing a Shabbat meal — but we found our ways of sharing a meal or a moment together.
Famously — and devotedly — Mrs. Wasserman accompanied Rabbi Wasserman on his many flights, his many fundraising trips. Upon landing back in Denver, one would think it be with a sigh of relief, time to return home and focus on recovering from their busy work trip. Instead, the Wassermans used the opportunity to stop by and say hello to friends or anyone who could have used their cheer, whose neighborhoods they passed by on their way home.
In their post-airport pop-by’s, which I personally experienced at a friend’s home about eight years ago, as Rabbi and Mrs. Wasserman were getting on in years, we bonded and shared special times, including the new Yiddish words Rabbi Wasserman taught me as he regaled us with his eye-opening and colorful stories.
Like a diamond with so many different facets was the breadth of Mrs. Wasserman’s people skills.
She was a unifier. Despite hailing from a more insular world, she could speak with and connect to anyone, of any background. A mark of her work and personality was that of a consensus builder; of bringing people together — all with Mrs. Wasserman’s signature finesse.
She took joy in connecting Jews from all walks of life to the yeshiva’s mission of deep Torah study for its own sake, thereby enriching the Jewish community. Mrs. Wasserman leveraged all of her talents and range of skills for the sake of elevating the yeshiva that her husband, together with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan and his esteemed and treasured Rebbetzin of blessed memory, Leah Kagan, pioneered here in Denver in the 1960’s.
On a personal level, Mrs Wasserman’s almost supernatural attunement to others’ needs and feelings was unparalleled. Harmony with people. Shalom. Friendship. These were supreme to Reva Wasserman.
With her profound sensitivity and perception, she would notice micro-changes in someone’s behavior. If she deduced even the slightest of distance, she found a way to shower the person with extra love. She never waited for anyone to do anything for her or expected anything from anyone. Mrs. Wasserman always saw herself as the one who needed to do for the others.
That is how she lived. Constantly thinking of other. Be it calls, pop-in visits, or a card in the mail— Mrs. Wasserman showered this on countless people in our community.
In the end, all we have is our character. Mrs. Wasserman’s was always so elegant and stylish, but really this was simply a reflection, a cloak, in harmony with her elegant neshama.
Blessed to live a rich life of service up until nearly the end, at the very end when all externals are stripped away, when even speaking was difficult for her, still she managed to scrape together two words, “thank you,” to the people who cared for her.
Mrs. Wasserman was the matriarch of the yeshiva — and first and foremost filling that role for her wonderful family, of course.
For that, for all the kindnesses she scattered like sparkling diamonds to so many, for all that Mrs. Wasserman modeled for us, we say in return the very same two words with which she left us: Thank you.
© IJN 2025
