Burial services for Sidney G. Kusworm Sr., who for 49 years was a national B’nai B’rith leader, will be held Tuesday at Temple Israel here. He died Saturday in Miami at the age of 84.
Mr. Kusworm, a lawyer, had served as a member of B’nai B’rith’s board of governors since 1921 and in 1926 was elected treasurer, a post he held for the next 42 years, A B’nai B’rith constitutional revision adopted in 1959, which placed a two-term (six year) limitation on tenure of office, specifically exempted him.
Dr. William A. Wexler of Savannah, Ga., international president, said that Mr. Kusworm’s death marked “the passing of an era in Jewish life. He was unique in the longevity of his leadership and in the B’nai B’rith accomplishments he pioneered.” An official delegation, headed by Maurice Bisgyer of Washington, retired executive vice president, who had worked closely with Mr. Kusworm for 30 years, will attend the funeral. A special memorial service will also be held in the B’nai B’rith headquarters in Washington.
Mr. Kusworm was instrumental in establishing his organization’s Commission on citizenship and civic affairs. He became its first chairman in 1921 and held that post concurrently with his other offices until 1962. In the 1920s he initiated a program of B’nai B’rith naturalization classes for immigrations and he organized legal aid committees for immigrants in more than 350 communities.
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.
