Charles “Chuck” Kaplan, Seattle pediatrician and founding member of Temple Beth Am, died on April 18, 2008. He was 95 years old.
Friends and family described Kaplan as a dedicated father and physician, as well as a man who was deeply committed to the growth of the local Jewish community.
Along with his work with Temple Beth Am, Kaplan was also a founding member of the Seattle Jewish Community School, and served terms as the president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, the Stroum Jewish Community Center, and the American Jewish Committee’s Seattle Chapter.
“Chuck was an amazing and generous human being who wanted to help any Jewish institution he felt was going to be promoting Jewish life,” said Temple Beth Am’s Rabbi Jonathan Singer.
Kaplan, a graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School, moved with his wife, Lillian, to Seattle in 1948 after serving in the Army Medical Corps for four years.
He first became involved with Temple Beth Am shortly after his arrival in Seattle when it was nothing more than a small group of Northend families who gathered in each other’s homes for Shabbat dinner on Friday nights. Eventually, those involved began thinking seriously about starting their own Reform synagogue.
Molly Cone, a long-time friend of Kaplan and a fellow founding member of Temple Beth Am, recounted Temple Beth Am’s first Shabbat service, which was held at the old Hillel at the University of Washington.
“We only expected about 20 people to show up, but that first night we had over 100. And it just grew from there,” Cone said.
She credits Kaplan for much of the early enthusiasm surrounding Temple Beth Am.
“People just naturally gravitated towards him,” she said.
As a pediatrician, Kaplan was a favorite among Northend parents. He treated patients for more than 30 years out of an office in the University District, patients which included Cone’s two youngest children.
“There was something about Chuck, a certain magic about him, that put small children at ease,” Cone said.
Kaplan also served as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Washington Medical School, and as the chairman of the King County Association on Sex Education in the late 1960s.
According to his son, Robert, Kaplan took special care to balance his work and community obligations with his family life.
“He was a very energetic person,” Robert said of his father. “He was always available as a mentor and as an advice-giver.”
Robert noted that both he and his sister were heavily influenced by their father’s love of philanthropy and community involvement.
“Probably his greatest influence on us was the result of his personal actions. Both my sister and I are involved in a lot of social issues because that’s something that he showed us was important,” Robert said.
Memorial services for Kaplan were held on April 22 at Temple Beth Am. He is survived by his wife and two children.