The man who educated through love and concern – not fear

SHIRA DRUION

“The calendar tells me I am 80 and therefore it must be so.” said Wolf, humorous as ever, addressing the crowd as his “dearest students”.

“(Brother) Jeffrey and I are both still holding positions; he is in fact teaching and I am travelling extensively…The pleasure, satisfaction and sense of purpose with which each day of our lives is filled, must be why our lives have meaning, why we can maintain an active lifestyle. Could this be the panacea for a long life?  

“Let me take this wonderful opportunity in London to communicate directly with you, for nothing can be better than face-to-face reconnection with those with whom I shared a magnificent past.”

Speaking at the event, Discovery Health CEO Adrian Gore said: “Mr Wolf’s impact on me was profound. He taught me that credibility and leadership wasn’t about hierarchy and bullying, but soft power based on values and purpose. He was and remains hugely inspiring to me.”

“It is always so heart-warming to see so many alumni who clearly remember their days at KDS with great fondness,” said Raelene Tradonsky, co-director of the King David Schools’ Foundation who travelled with Eliot to be at the event.

“For Elliot, these trips are always emotional ones down memory lane as he remembers them (the grown-ups around him) as school kids who are now all ‘grown up’. He genuinely cared about his students – from the very bright to the most vulnerable, trying to ensure that each reached their fullest potential; he was a real ‘educator’ in the true sense of the word.”

 “I don’t think Davidians, past or present, need much motivation or coercion when there is an opportunity to honour and thank Mr Wolf,” said Candice Rakusin who attended the event.

“We owe so much of who we are to him – our education, our Jewish identity, our values and our commitment to community. It was a privilege to be able to wish him happy birthday, in person, in London.

“There is a deep sense of connection, of support and understanding among Davidians,” says Rakusin. “We know that we have experienced the same extraordinary foundation upon which we have been able to build our lives.

“In any country, in any city in the world, it feels the same – recognition that we are part of something much greater than ourselves and that we have a responsibility to sustain this legacy.”

“Mr Wolf was and is an inspirational man,” says former Linksfield King Davidian and current headmaster of King David Victory Park Primary School, Rabbi Ricky Seeff. “The Jewish ethos of the schools and his pupils were his priority during his tenure and this remains so in his capacity at the Foundation.

“He always carried himself with dignity and his very presence commanded the respect of the pupils and staff. He took an interest in me and I always felt supported and he acknowledged my efforts and achievements particularly as they related to school activities.

“The singular point that distinguished Mr Wolf, and that I hope to emulate, was his dedication to his pupils above all else. He knew us all, cared for us all, and you sensed he would do anything to ensure the well-being of his pupils. He educated through love and concern – not fear.

“When you give of yourself so selflessly to Jewish education, for so many decades, you form bonds that last a lifetime. Mr Wolf is completely unique in his dedication to our community, and stands as a real-life lesson to us all, particularly in a time when people are increasingly fickle and self-centred.

“He is an example of a person who put others before himself and is living testament of how this ultimately allows one to achieve true greatness.”