Harry Fischel: Pioneer of Jewish Philanthropy (KTAV Publishers, 2012), edited
by Rabbi Aaron I. Reichel, Esq.
Reviewed by
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein
Many of
Jerusalem’s hallowed streets bear the names of 20th century Jewry’s
most remarkable figures: Rechov Chafetz Chaim, Rechov HaRav Kook, Rechov Chaim
Ozer, Rechov Polanski, Rechov Brandeis, Rechov Straus, and Rechov Magnes. One
man's biography involves all of these esteemed personalities. It recalls the
life and times of an individual — Harry Fischel (1865–1948) — who laid the
foundations for Orthodox Judaism in America and in Israel. It is no wonder that
Mr. Fischel too was honored with a street bearing his name in the City of Gold.
I first came
across the name Harry Fischel when studying the work Tosafos HaShaleim,
which was published by Machon Harry Fischel. Little did I realize that Harry
Fischel is not just the name of a publisher, but the name of a visionary who
accomplished so much for the Jewish people.
Mr. Fischel came
to America as a penniless immigrant from Eastern Europe. He overcame many
trials and tribulations which sought to shake his devotion to Orthodox Judaism,
yet he always remained steadfast. This was quite a rarity in his time and
place. He used his skills as an engineer and builder to grow into one of the
most influential American Jews in his time, but his legacy goes well beyond
that. The goal that he set as a young man, together with his wife, was that as
soon as he “made it” financially he would dedicate a substantial percentage of
his income to philanthropy. Not only did he adhere to this youthful vow, but he
actually prioritized his philanthropy over his business interests, turning his
attention to business only in order to generate more income for his
philanthropic endeavors! At some points he left his business almost entirely in
the hands of capable managers, while he devoted himself full-time to volunteer
work such as managing schools.
Whenever he felt
that a situation needed rectification, Mr. Fischel took the initiative and
offered his services. He was an active board member of more institutions than
one might think humanly possible; and was honored with speaking at more engagements
than most people attend in their lifetime. He was a shrewd businessman who
turned his calculating mind to identifying Jewry’s most pressing needs and
raising the funds to address them. Those who in any way benefit from Jewish
non-profit organizations are indebted to Mr. Fischel for having introduced new
fundraising techniques to encourage others to give—alongside his own generous
gifts. For example, he was probably the first to introduce matching campaigns.
He, of course, was the one doing the matching.
Harry Fischel
helped establish and maintain multiple schools, hospitals, interest-free loan
societies, relief societies for immigrants and refugees, orphanages, and much
more across three continents. In his many philanthropic endeavors, Mr. Fischel
laid much of the groundwork and infrastructure for what would later become the
post-Holocaust bastions of Jewry in America and Israel. Additionally, in his
key role in the Joint, he was instrumental in procuring and distributing funds
to aid the Jewish communities in Europe which had been devastated by the First
World War.
His efforts
focused not only on saving bodies, but on saving souls. He impressed the necessity
to care for the needs of religious Jews in every organization with which he was
involved, even peripherally. He convinced one “interdenominational” Jewish
organization to make its annual luncheon kosher. How did he do it? Some guilt (along
the lines of “you call yourself Jewish, and you’re serving such treif
food?!”), plus an appeal for inclusiveness (in the spirit of: “let’s have a
luncheon which does not exclude the Orthodox”). This granted him permission to
oversee the next year’s luncheon. Mr. Fischel ensured that it was a strictly
kosher and highly gourmet experience. That won them over. If kosher food could
be so good — why not?
Unlike some
others, Mr. Fischel recognized the crucial role Jewish education plays in the
destiny of the Jewish People. As a result, he was intimately involved in many
educational institutions, procuring property for them, raising money for them,
and sometimes even helping set policies. To that effect, Mr. Fischel was
instrumental in facilitating the merger between Talmud Torah Etz Chaim and
Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan (RIETS), which eventually became Yeshiva
College and then grew into Yeshiva University. Most famously, Mr. Fischel
undertook a daring campaign to raise five million dollars to build Yeshiva
College's Amsterdam Avenue campus.
Harry Fischel
was a man of the means and connections to make big changes from the top. But in
all of his larger-than-life efforts to save the Jewish world, he didn’t forget
the little guys and their needs. In fact, he maintained office hours for the
express purpose of making himself accessible to his downtrodden brethren.
Anybody down-and-out, or in need of some money to tide him through Passover,
could simply walk in and ask for help. Furthermore, when Mr. Fischel moved into
an upper-class neighborhood and realized that his regular working-class
petitioners could not conveniently come to him, he came to them and set up an
office in their locale!
Another item on
the long list of Mr. Fischel’s accomplishments was ensuring that there was
kosher food available at Ellis Island. At first blush this seems nice but not
crucial, until it is understood that Jewish immigrants arrived after a long and
grueling journey by boat in very poor conditions. Those who adhered to the
rules of kosher made due with highly inadequate fare over the course of this
journey. The United States only admitted the healthy and able-bodied. Is it any
wonder that many a religious Jew, who washed up on America’s shores seasick and
malnourished, were refused entry and sent right back from whence they came? Mr.
Fischel gained permission from no less than the President himself to set up a
kosher kitchen and allow the hapless refugees a recovery period with wholesome
kosher food before being evaluated for admittance.
The Land of
Israel held a special place in Mr. Fischel's heart, and he exerted much effort
to visit that enchanted place multiple times throughout his life. This was at a
time when airplanes were for the military, and kosher cruises were but a
pipedream. He wanted to see the local conditions with his own eyes, so as to
best judge how to help its people. And indeed, Mr. Fischel did much to advance
the Jewish settlement of the Holy Land both physically and spiritually.
The early Jewish
colonists in what was then Palestine grappled with many of the same issues that
contemporary Israelis do when dealing with Arabs. Instead of simply ignoring
the Arabs and allow their festering anger to bubble up at a later time, Mr.
Fischel's efforts in the Holy Land included them. When Mr. Fischel arranged for
Jewish colonists to receive free loans to help them finance buying their homes,
this offer was extended to the Holy Land's Arab residents as well. This showed
both pragmatism and sensitivity to others that has few counterparts.
As is
well-known, Mr. Fischel was personally responsible for financing the building
of a special home befitting the Chief Rabbi of Palestine, HaRav Kook. Rav Kook
was later placed at the head of Mr. Fischel’s kollel, or Talmudic
research institute, known as Machon Harry Fischel—a school with which the
leading scholars of the time (including Rav Herzog, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer,
and R. Dr. Shaul Lieberman) were affiliated.
Mr. Fischel
allowed himself to receive broad media coverage in order to publicize his
various public efforts and encourage others to join him. Yet, all of his fame
and fortune did not “go to his head.” He remained a humble do-gooder who never
turned down an opportunity to help those less fortunate.
Many of the
facts mentioned in this book can be corroborated by conferring with the work Otzar
Zichronotai (New York, 1929), an autobiography written by Rabbi J.D.
Eisenstein (1854–1956). For example, Rabbi Eisenstein mentions that the first
Jewish theatre—the "Grand Theatre" on Grand Street—was built by Harry
Fischel in 1912 (page 124), Harry Fischel presided over the laying of the
cornerstone ceremony of Yeshiva College in 1927 (page 185), and more factoids
about Mr. Fischel's life and work (page 195).
Forty Years
of Struggle for a Principle was written by Mr.
Fischel's esteemed son-in-law Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein (1890–1970) and was originally
published in 1928. The latest edition of this work was supplemented and edited
by Rabbi Aaron I. Reichel (a great-grandson of Mr. Fischel) under the title Harry
Fischel: Pioneer of Jewish Philanthropy. This edition includes additional
chapters written by Mr. Fischel himself appended to the earlier work, plus
supplementary information written by those affiliated with the various causes
funded by the Harry and Jane Fischel Foundation. For a book that was first
published almost a century ago to continue to generate interest is quite
remarkable. And indeed, its subject was quite a remarkable person.
