Being more than 100 years old does not mean that a man’s usefulness to society is over is the belief of Israel Shafer, who has just celebrated his 101st birthday here.
More than 200 relatives and 100 friends associated with the centenarian in his work as an officer of the Ezras Israel Synagogue for the last thirty-five years, gathered at the Galician Synagogue in his honor. Each one paid for the banquet and the proceeds will be used by Mr. Shafer to distribute to charity as he sees fit.
Mr. Shafer, who was born in Latvia, has spent most of his time since arriving here fifty years ago in religious and charitable work at the Azras Israel Synagogue. Of his fourteen children, five sons still are living, the oldest being 75 years old and the youngest 58 years old. There are twenty-nine grandchildren, twenty-one great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
