On Sunday, July 21, the world lost an esteemed teacher, father and friend of the community as Etan Savir of Silver Spring and formerly of Baltimore passed away. He was 51.
Born in New York on Oct. 10, 1961, to David and Elizabeth Savir, Savir graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1983 and went on to receive master’s degrees in language, literature and mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986 and Sam Houston State University in 1994.
Strongly dedicated to education and teaching, Savir served as the mathematics department chair at the Garrison Forest School in Owings Mills for 13 years before becoming the Boys Division secular studies principal at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington in Silver Spring in July 2009.
“He was incredibly bright, patient and organized and was an extremely talented teacher and a great role model for the boys,” said Sima Jacoby, who worked together with Savir for the last four years as the Girls Division secular studies principal. “He was someone who loved math, loved English and understood his students’ aspirations to go on with their secular education, but was himself growing in his Torah knowledge all the time. It’s an enormous loss.”
Rabbi Yitzchok Merkin, headmaster at Yeshiva of Greater Washington, described Savir as “incredibly professional and upbeat” adding that Savir possessed a strong and unique dedication to the school and his students.
“He was tireless in his work ethic and he’d do anything necessary to get something done,” Merkin said. “He was a great educator and had an incredible concern for his kids and a strong commitment to excellence in education.”
Savir was also a first-class father to five children and devoted husband to wife Stephanie Savir.
“He was imaginative and adventurous and was a great father to his kids,” said Mika Savir, Savir’s older sister. “I’ll really miss seeing him with his family.”
A funeral service for Savir was held on Monday, July 22 at Young Israel Shomrai Emunah in Silver Spring with Rabbi Dovid Rosenbaum officiating. Savir is buried at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery and is survived by parents David and Elizabeth Savir of Boston, wife Stephanie Savir, children Mason, Stephanie, Yitzchak Shlomo, Pinchus Yosef and Shoshana Savir, older sister Mika Savir of Montgomery Village and younger brother Raphael Savir of Lexington, Mass.
The Yeshiva of Greater Washington held a memorial service to mark the shloshim of Mr. Savir on Tuesday of this week.
