Passed Away in Israel

[Page 306]

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[Page 307]

Aharon Grodnai
by S. Oron

Translated by David Ziants

It has been a year since his wonderful image disappeared from the landscape of Haifa and from among the city's workers.

From his youth, in his hometown of Bielsk Podlaski, near Bialystok, he showed a strong affinity for getting things done. He was a Hebrew teacher in Bialystok and Lithuania, founded schools and coordinated evening classes and high-profiled activities. When he was appointed principal of the Tel Hai School in Brisk [Brest], he quickly became involved with the public and was elected to the city council. Later he was elected national secretary of the Shulkolt educational network in Poland, where their language of instruction was Yiddish and they had a national-Zionist orientation. In 1934 he immigrated to pre-state Israel and settled in Haifa. Due to his health he left teaching and worked in a health clinic. Then he moved to the tax bureau where he coordinated the membership committee and was also a member of the management. For a while he was secretary of Mapai^[1] in Haifa. He devoted all his free time to social work. He was one of the initiators of “Mishan”^[2] and did much to establish summer day-camps for children, retirement homes for the elderly and clubs for pensioners. When he retired from his regular job, he headed “Mishan,” known to the people as the “Center of Troubles,” and ensured that loans and grants were given, especially for the rehabilitation of destroyed families. He established the institution “mayhaklal el hap'rat” [“From the Community to the Individual”]^[3] and thus helped establish ^[4] thousands of lives and became a symbol of devotion and welfare. In recognition of his actions, Mishan's management decided to name after him the Haifa Pensioners' Club and the Special Welfare Fund for the Elderly. In the hearts of many he will always be remembered.

Translator's footnotes:

“Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael” lit. “Workers' Party of the Land of Israel”. This was a Labor Zionist and democratic socialist political party in Israel. Return

This is a network of social institutions that were set-up in pre-state Israel and still exists today. See the article by Aryeh Nesher on page 308. Return

See the article by Aryeh Nesher on page 308. Return

Due to a printing error some letters in the original Hebrew document are illegible. This word is believed to express the intended meaning. Return

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