Phillip Jaffe

Name: Philip Jaffe d. 3/19/1933

Family: Wife: Lottie Jaffe, children: Louis and Hyman.

Jaffe was born in Ponevezh, Lithuania. He moved with his wife, Lottie, and two sons to Durham around 1895. He had lived in South Boston, Va., and ran a soft-goods and clothing business in Durham and South Boston. In 1907, a weakening economy forced him to close the Durham clothing store. According to Jewish historian Leonard Rogoff, Jaffe had $6,000 in debts and assets of $2,500 at the time his store closed.

Louis, his son, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of the Norfolk The Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

In the early part of the 20th century, much of the Jewish community lived around Roxboro Street. According to Sam Margolis, the Jaffe home was the center of the community.