Ruth Rappaport was born in 1924 in Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, she and her family left Germany and immigrated to Israel, then Palestine. After several years in Tel Aviv, her parents decided to make their home in Haifa. At the age of 18, while studying at the Levinsky College of Education, she met Bruce Rappaport, the love of her life, and she shared the joy of building a family together and 65 wonderful years with him. As Bruce’s business flourished, Ruth and Bruce’s commitment to serving the greater community began to unfold. Over the years to come, they continuously donated their time, wisdom, determination and wealth to many good causes in Israel and the world. In particular, Ruth and Bruce established and then supported the Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences within the Technion Faculty of Medicine. Following the passing of Bruce in 2010, Ruth became the driving force in the perpetuation and further development of both the Rappaport Institute and the Faculty of Medicine which now proudly bears their names.
Ruth passed away in 2018, at the age of 94, and is survived by her four daughters and their families, all of whom are continuing Ruth and Bruce's legacy and the philanthropic foundation, The Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Foundation.
Those of us that had the privilege of knowing Ruth will never forget her determination, generosity, her outright support of women in Medicine, the extensive affection she garnered from students and staff alike, and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes when expressing her views, vision and wishes.
Ruth will be sorely missed by us all.