Community Magazine January 2019

Remember i ng Ch i ef Rabb i , Hacham Shau l Kass i n, z t ” l Special Tribute 42 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE before they got married. Eddie Shamah encouraged the building of another mikveh at Kings Highway to accommodate the many people and views. Tolerance, Hacham Shaul believed, was key. The Edict Shortly after Rabbi Yaakov Kassin settled in America, it was still wartime, and he had a vision. He saw community men making mistakes, bringing brides from overseas, and trying to convert them. In an unprecedented move, he decided to create an edict to prevent this from happening. The edict has held strong for more than 80 years, and this tremendous foresight helped make our community one of the purest in the world. Because we have the lowest incident of intermarriage and divorce throughout the world, many believe this document is the shield and protection for our people for all time. The document was reenacted again in 2006, signed by massive numbers of Rabbis, synagogues, and schools. Hacham Shaul believed that if it was necessary then, it is even more necessary today. Both Hacham Yaakov and Hacham Shaul helped grow the many organizations in this community from seedlings, including our schools, synagogues, centers, and charitable organizations. Hacham Shaul also founded Magen Israel Society, a tax-exempt organization helping yeshivot in Eretz Yisrael that were not tax-exempt, enabling them to collect money. He and his wife worked tirelessly on a daily basis for this cause, and tens of millions of dollars passed through their hands. Hacham Shaul lived a simple, modest life, not partaking in the materialism of this world. He was so proud of the community’s growth, and encouraged every leader to take on wings and fly. The King’s Way Maimonides was known to always take the middle road; in Hebrew it is called “kav emtzaei.” Throughout the many years, complicated issues small and large came up, and Rabbi Shaul Kassin always related to them with wisdom, sincerity, and warmth. He would turn to the Torah for answers, first and foremost, but he would also turn to the people around him. His son Jakie explains, “Some people think, if it’s not my idea, it’s not a good idea. My father never held such notions. He respected and trusted people and often included others in his decision- making process, be it businessmen, Rabbis, or experts of certain fields.” Barbara reflects, “He was strict in his morals and in his guidance to the community, but he had a soft way in his delivery at the same time. His outlook for the community was guidance, but he was not afraid of the consequences of saying no. Most would heed his advice. Every leader has to make judgments. You are going to make some people happy, some people not. Often his tranquility was the gift that brought everyone together.” Zerizut Rabbi Joseph Dana explains, “Hacham Shaul walked quickly and with purpose. When I was a teenager, I once walked with Hacham Shaul to the ocean to recite Tashlich on Rosh Hashana. I couldn’t keep up with him! This was true ‘ zerizut ,’ lunging at the opportunity to do mitzvot . He had zeal in his eyes, even at the end. I saw it in other parts of his life, too. He gave visitors his ear, and his time. He never saw people according to their status. He had a constant smile on his face, and greeted everyone with a certain grace. When he’d pass the children playing, he’d give them a salute. Every holiday he’d go into each store to wish them a happy holiday. People complicate life. He tried to simplify it. It is about family, mitzvot, and Torah.” Hacham Shaul had one purpose in life, to lead his people, but first and foremost he was a husband, a father, a grandfather and a great grandfather. Back in Time… Hacham Shaul’s son, Isaac Kassin, recalls, “My father was the best father in the history of mankind. He gave us our middot , our knowledge, and our success. We owe him everything. I remember in the early days I was about nine years old and he would wake us up for Selihot at 4:30 in the morning. He would pick up Rabbi Halfon Safdieh and teach us what shul was. He was very particular to teach us to answer ‘ amen’ and even gave us three coins to give tzedaka. He wanted to show us every custom and how to do it. He would take us on outings and show us the greatness of all Hashem’s creations from the trees