v. 2
Abe Kasle's Many Communal Services Recalled
as Jewry Pays Final Tribute to Noted Leader;
Hind Day School Project Honors His Memory
Abe Kasle's numerous communal , ship in the movement to give pri-
interests, his many gifts to major ority to Jewish educational needs,
Jewish and civic causes, his leader- j are being recalled as final tributes
are being paid to his memory.
Mr. Kasle died last Friday night
after a prolonged illness. Funeral
services were held at Kaufman
Chapel Sunday afternoon. Rabbi
Jacob Segal, who has just returned
from his sabbatical in Israel, con-
ducted the services. Associate Can-
tor Larry Vieder of Adas Shalom
chanted psalms and the El Molei
Rahamim.
Surviving the distinguished leader
are his wife, the former Pearl Sil-
verstein, to whom he was married
54 years; a daughter, Mrs. Ben
(Esther) Jones; sons, Leonard, Ben
and Robert; 10 grandchildren, four
great-grandchildren; three broth-
ers, Jacob, Joseph and Louis; and!
two sisters, Mrs. Joseph (Dorothy)
Pollens and Mrs. Herman (Blanche)
Abrams.
Honoring Mr. Kasle's major in-
terest in recent years, the Hillel
Day School, the family has asked
WSU Librarian Dr. G. Flint
Purdy was shown here, March
27, 1956, accepting a Judaica
gift from Abe Kasle.
that all memorial contributions
be made to this school and to its
building fund. It was due to Mr.
Kasle's efforts that the move-
ment was inaugurated for the
Ilillel Day School Building which
is scheduled to be ready for use
Fear for Remainino- Jews in Poland
Voiced by Refugee A gencies in Geneva
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
WASHINGTON — Refugee agen-
cies in Geneva are expressing con-
cern over the fate of the estimated
15,000 to 20,000 Jews in Poland who
were told by the Gomulka Com-
munist regime more than a year
ago they must emigrate and then
were told subsequently they can-
not leave after Sept. 1. the Wash-
ington Post reported Tuesday from
Geneva.
The report noted that the Nether-
lands diplomatic mission in War-
saw, handling Israeli interests on
a caretaker basis, had been em-
powered to grant-visas to Israel to
departing Polish Jews. The mis-
sion reportedly issued about 10,000
such visas, but only about 5,000
Polish Jews have left for Israel, i
raising the question about what
will happen to the other 5,000 since
most of them "cannot possibly
complete the bureaucratic exit
process' by Sept. 1, the Post re-
casionally confiscation, the Post
said.
When the process was completed
—a procedure of three to four
months—he was given a travel
document with orders to leave
within one month.
He then boarded a train leaving
Warsaw, which became known as
"The Chopin Express" to arrive
the next day in Vienna where Jew-
ish relief agency officials helped
him on his way to Israel or else-
where. The Post said that between
30 per cent and 60 per cent went
to Israel, and the rest joined rela-
tives in Western Europe or in
North and South America.
Since the recent Gomulka an-
nouncement banning further de-
partures as of Sept. 1, there has
been no clarification from the
Gomulka regime and no informa-
tion on what is happening to the
ported.
The Post said it was feared
that many of the other 10,000 to
20,000 who have not applied for
emigration will be stateless in Po-
The Post said no one in Geneva
knew why the cutoff had been
ordered, whether no more travel
permits will be issued after that
date or whether all departures
will end, even for the Jews who
They will be in the critical posi-
tion of being forbidden to leave,
while their presence is declared
objectionable.
The remnant of the prewar
conditions of life for the trap-
ped Polish Jews "must be as
dangerous as they are cruel."
land, stripped of their citizenship.
have gone through the separa-
tions process. Refugee officials
were quoted as believing that
In another development, the
Gomulka regime announced Mon-
day a pardon that could benefit
munist government, many of student demonstrators who were
them becoming ardent Commu- convicted last year, some of whom
nists and rising to high positions were identified at the time as
Jews. The pardon was announced
in the Wladyslaw Gomulka gov-
at the start of the regime's 25th
ernment. After the Six-Day War,
anniversary celebration. It pro-
when Poland severed relations
vides for full remission of prison
with Israel, Gomulka declared
sentences of up to two years and
ip a speech that "Zionists"—a
up to half of the sentences of up
euphemism for Polish Jews who
had adhered to their Jewish ties to 15 years. Nine Warsaw Univer-
sity students and three teachers
—were no longer wanted in Po-
land, and he said they could were given terms of 18 months to
31/2
years for participation in the
leave, if they went to Israel.
Jews who had risen in the Com- March 1968 demonstrations.
munist hierarchy were imme-
diately ousted from office, as were Date Palms at Dead Sea
economists, university professors
EIN GEDI—An avenue of date
and other professionals. After a palms has been planted by the
Polish Jew obtained the Dutch Jewish National Fund at the Neve
visas, he had to negotiate depar- Zohar camping site on the Dead
ture payment with Polish officials, Sea shore. The 40 palms are irri-
"voluntarily" renouncing his Polish gated by the "drip" system,
citizenship and submitting posses- through underground plastic pipes
sions he hoped to take with him which feed water to the trees'
to government inspection - and oc- r oots.
3.000,000 Polish Jews remaining
after the Nazi holocaust coped
as best they could with the Com-
6—Friday, holy 25, 1969
THE DETROIT IEWISH NEWS
Yirmiyahu Haggai, Editor, Unionist,
Dead in Israel; Son of Late Teacher
Yirmiyahu Haggai, who left De-
troit in 1936 as a young pioneer and
rose to become a prominent Israeli
labor unionist. kibutz founder and
editor, died last
Saturday at age
56.
Mr. Haggai, son
of Rebecca Hag-
gai of Coyle Ave.
and the late Jos-
eph Haggai, well-
known Hebrew
educator, was a
member of Ein
Haggai
Hashofet and in
recent years 'maintained a home
there and in Tel Aviv. At the time
of his death, he was serving with
the international affairs depart-
ment of Histadrut. He was taken
ill while conducting a seminar tour
of trade union leaders.
Besides his mother, Mr. Haggai -
is survived by a sister Tikva, who
for the opening of the September also lives here. His wife "Syd"
school term.
(the former Sarah Zelner of New
Special projects at Hillel Day York) and three sons, Aviram,
School and an exerted effort to Hosea and Gad, and three grand-
assure completion of the school children reside in Israel. Both Avi-
building are projected as major ram, who is a reservist on active
memorials to the deceased leader. duty, and Hosea are serving with
While his interests were many the paratroopers in the Israel
and varied. it was to Jewish educa- Army. The youngest, Gad, is a
tion that Mr. Kasle gave his chief flutist with the Israel Army orches-
concern and as president of the tra.
United Hebrew Schools for 15 years
Mr. Haggai. a native Detroiter,
he raised the standards of local ' visited in 1963 for the unveiling
educational efforts and secured pri-
of a monument to his late father.
ority treatment for educational en-
It was the first visit since he emi-
deavors by the Allied Jewish grated as a young leader of Has-
Campaign and the Jewish Welfare homer Hatzair.
Federation.
A graduate of the United Hebrew
Born in Russia, March 18. 1895. Schools, he was a master of the
Mr. Kasle came to this country in Hebrew language, and he put his
1909, settled in Monore, Mich., then knowledge to use in Israel. For
went to Toledo and from 1923 had many years. be was editor of the
resided in Detroit.
Mapam Party newspaper Al Ha-
He had a phenomenal rise in in- mishmar, and currently he was
dustry. He was the founder, in 1935, editing the monthly Histadrut jour-
of the Kasle Steel and Aluminum nal "Labor in Israel," for English-
Corporation, and its president since speaking countries.
then, and he climbed the ladder of
A number of his essays on Israel
success as a skillful organizer of a appeared in The Jewish News; he
large business venture. He began was editor of a 12-volume work of
as a "scrap slugger" who worked history, which he translated into
for $1 a day, then became a broker English; and shortly before his
of scrap iron to steel mills, until he death, he translated from the He-
established his own steel and alum- brew into English "Essays on Yid-
inum service in a modest 12,000 dish Poetry and Prose Writers
square foot building which had of the 20th Century" by Israel
He left Detroit as a senior at
Wayne State University, worked on
kibutzim in Palestine—notably Ein
Hashofet, of which he was a foun-
der—and in 1942 joined the Pales-
tine Brigade, fighting under the
British forces in Egypt.
In an article appearing in The
Jewish News, Sept. 4, 1942, were
portions of a letter from Mr.
Haggai to his parents, informing
them of his enlistment in the
"Palestine Buffs:"
"'My conscience gave me no
rest,' Yirmiyahu wrote . . . He ex-
plained at length that when the
United States became involved in
the war he saw constantly flashing
before his mind's eye groups of
Detroiters, friends and acquaint-
ances, in the uniforms of Uncle
Sam, ready for battle against the
Axis, and he knew that he would
have to leave his wife and child for
active service."
(See Commentary, Page 2)
Teller Quits Histadrut
for Post in Bnai Brith
Dr. Judd. L. Teller, promin-
ent writer and lecturer on Jewish
themes, has been named to Bnai
Brith's International Council staff.
Dr. Teller resigned as executive
vice-chairman of the American
Histadrut Cultural Exchange Insti-
since grown into one of the largest Biletzky. Uncompleted at the time 1 tote, a program he initiated in
distribution centers in the midwest. of his death was a work on kibutz 1964, to become coordinator of
Kasle Steel Corp. now has process- life.
Bnai Brith international programs.
ing plants and warehouses in De-
As a guiding light of Hashomer He is the author of a number of
troit, Chicago and Cleveland.
Hatzair in this country, Mr. Haggai critically acclaimed volumes on
Mr. Kasle rose to a national formed a strong Zionist youth group contemporary Jewish affairs, and
chairmanship of the United Jew- here and helped direct national ac- formerly held executive posts with
ish Appeal. He was chairman of tivities from New York. He also the Jewish Agency for Israel and
Detroit's Jewish Campaign in served as an editor of the move- Conference on Jewish Material
1951 and 1952 and in 1957 and 1958 ment's magazine. 'Claims Against Germany.
he chaired the Israel Bond Com-
mittee here.
During his presidency of the I
United Hebrew Schools, he estab-
lished the Midrasha — College of
Jewish Studies.
Among his most constructive gifts
in the past decade was a special
fund to encourage Hebrew and
Jewish history studies by Univer-
sity of Michigan students. He helped
finance the Midrasha section at the
U. of M. and its progress in the
past year was a special source of
pride to him.
He established the Kasle Judaica
Section at Wayne State University
Library and his civic interests in-
cluded participation in the work of
the Detroit Round Table, member-
ship on the advisory committee of
Wayne State University Press, as-
sistance to United Negro College
Fund and projects of the University
of Detroit.'
He was a dedicated Zionist,
and the Jewish National Fund
honored him four years ago with
the planting of the Abe and Pearl
Kasle Forest in Israel.
He was active in the Zionist Or-
ganization, was devoted to the
American Jewish Congress as a re-
sult of his friendship with the late
Dr. Stephen S. Wise and was deep-
ly interested in congregational
affairs, being an active member of
Cong. Adas Shalom and the syna-
gogue's board of directors.
abiL XaA.62,
In His Life We Were Blessed. In His
Death We, of The Hillel Day School,
Stand Bereaved. May the Blessing of His
Memory Serve to Guide and Strengthen
Us.
Melvin Weisz, President
.n