Jewish educator, social worker Yael Etzkin to be laid to rest on Sunday

YAEL ETZKIN, a social worker and Jewish educator who served as principal of Communal Hebrew School here and was also active as a teacher in Dallas, died peacefully from Alzheimer’s Disease on Friday, July 31, surrounded by family and friends in Hartford, CT. She was 81.

YAEL ETZKIN

A native New Orleanian born into a Zionist family, her love of Israel and the Jewish people shaped her entire life. As a teenager she was active in Young Judea and, after high school, spent a year in Israel participating in the organization’s Year Course. Determined to make aliyah, she returned to New Orleans to earn her teaching credentials before moving to Israel, where she became an Israeli citizen and spent seven years teaching high school English.

After returning to the United States, she continued dedicating herself to Jewish education and leadership. She served as principal of Communal Hebrew School in New Orleans, regional director of Young Judea, and spent many summers at Camp Judea in Hendersonville, North Carolina, as a counselor, unit head, assistant director, and director. After moving to Dallas, she worked in the religious school at Congregation Shearith Israel.

She remained passionately committed to Israel throughout her life, returning often and maintaining lifelong involvement with Hadassah. She was an active member of the West Hartford Jewish community.

Whether she was teaching, counseling, or simply listening, she had an extraordinary gift for making people feel seen, understood, and loved. At age 50, she returned to school to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a therapist. She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Texas, Arlington. She became a clinical social worker, first working with individuals living with substance use disorders and later supporting patients with end-stage renal disease and their families with a practice in Hartford.

Ms. Etzkin was endlessly playful, deeply empathetic, and contagiously funny. She loved all things New Orleans – jazz, Mardi Gras, Café du Monde, second lines, and po boys. She loved to travel, followed politics with enthusiasm, and adored her grandchildren. Her daughters described her as their “emotional mom”—always there to offer comfort, guidance, and a good laugh.

She is survived by her beloved life partner of 36 years, Karen Trager; her siblings Sylvia (Jerry) Levitt, Lynn (Steven) Rubenstein, Sandra (Charles) Brum, Aaron (Gaydene) Etzkin, Ian (Patty) Etzkin, Jeffrey (Kathleen) Etzkin, and Michael Etzkin; her daughters, Rabbi Amy Rossel and Debbie (Jeremy) Bradford; and three grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at 10:30 am at Weinstein Mortuary in West Hartford, followed by interment at Congregation Beth Israel Cemetery in Hartford (119 Affleck Street).