Dr. Moses Cyrus Weiler, founder of Progressive Judaism in South Africa, who gave up the largest pulpit in that country to settle in a kibbutz in Israel, arrived here at the invitation of the United Jewish Appeal to address a number of Jewish communities in the United States on Israel’s needs and the role of the UJA in helping the settling of newcomers in Israel. He will remain in this country for about two months.
Prior to his departure from Israel, Dr. Weiler was honored by Kibbutz Usha for his generosity in providing a youth club house for the kibbutz children. The club house was contributed by Dr. and Mrs. Weiler to the settlement where the family resided during the first two years of their residence in the country, before moving to Haifa. Construction of the center was financed by a farewell purse of 10,000 Israeli pounds which had been presented by members of the congregation in Johannesburg to the Weilers upon their departure from South Africa, and which they turned over to the kibbutz.
Mrs. Hannah Weiler, mother of Dr, Weiler, cut the ribbon to the club house which bears her name. Erected by members of the kibbutz, the club house contains a library, reading room, rest rooms, cloakroom, kitchenette, and milk and coffee bars. Speakers at the dedication ceremonies indicated that it will serve as the cultural and social center for the kibbutz youth and many adults.
Dr. Weiler, who is a graduate of the Hebrew Union College, is the third member of his family to start life a new in Israel. At the turn of the century, his grandfather emigrated to Palestine at the age of 81. Later his father, also a rabbi, settled in pre-state Israel and became one of the first industrialists in the Yishuv.
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.
