Freemasonry in Israel
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Origins of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite for the State of Israel
Leon Zeldis, FPS, 33°
PSGC, Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite for the State of Israel
Honorary Adjunct Grand Master
The first Grand Lodge to be established in the Holy Land, the National Grand Lodge of Palestine, was constituted on 9.1.1932. This Masonic body, however, did not gather under its aegis all the private Lodges then operating in the country. The ideal of unity was finally achieved on 20.10.1953, with the consecration of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel.
The establishment of Israel's Grand Lodge made all the more evident the need to constitute a parallel sovereign body to develop and govern the Scottish Rite bodies in the State of Israel. Credit for the initiative, taking the first concrete steps to reach this goal, must be given to Ill. Bro. Isaac Grassiani, 33°, who had arrived in Israel only a few years earlier. Some details about Bro. Grassiani's life and Masonic career will be found on another page. His Masonic activities were many-sided, but his paramount desire was, from the very beginning, the creation of a Supreme Council for Israel.
To further this objective, Bro. Grassiani gathered around him a handful of Brethren who shared his enthusiasm for the Scottish Rite, including the very few who had already made progress abroad on the ladder of Scottish Rite degrees.
The first practical step taken was an application submitted to the Conference of European Grand Commanders held in The Hague on 1963. Let us quote the pertinent paragraph of the allocution (annual report) given one year later by Ill. Bro. George E. Bushnell, 33°, late Sovereign Grand Commander of the U.S.A., Northern Jurisdiction, at Detroit, Michigan, on September 29, 1964:1
Last year we reported that the Conference of European Grand Commanders meeting at The Hague in the Netherlands had considered and discussed the desire of Brethren in Israel to establish a Scottish Rite organization in that country. It was the feeling of the European Grand Commanders, concurred in by the Grand Commanders of the Southern and Northern Jurisdictions, U.S.A., that the first step should be the organization of a Lodge of Perfection in Israel under the auspices of a nearby European Supreme Council. The result was that the 1963 Conference decided to ask the Supreme Council for Turkey to undertake the assignment.
At the 1964 European Conference, conducted at Brussels, Belgium, Grand Commander Ill. Hazim Atif Kuyucak (Sovereign Grand Commander of Turkey) reported that the Supreme Council for Turkey regretfully had to withdraw from the proposed sponsorship inasmuch as its law, patterned after certain provisions of Turkish civil law, prohibited the Supreme Council from engaging in actual operations outside the boundaries of the Republic of Turkey.
In 1963, it had been pointed out that a number of the few Thirty-third Degree Masons now residing in Israel, had received their Scottish Rite degrees in Germany many years ago and that, for such reason, the Supreme Council for Germany was very desirous of assisting in the erection of the Rite in Israel. The 1964 Conference, following the receipt of Commander Kuyucak's explanation, has now requested the Supreme Council for Germany to take over the formation of an initial Lodge of Perfection in Israel."
As soon as the above resolution became known, on 9 November 1964, Grassiani and his small group of adherents sent an invitation to the Sovereign Grand Commander of Germany, Ill. Dr. Erich Schalscha, 33°, to come to Israel. The invitation was duly accepted and Dr. Schalscha arrived on 23 December of that year. At the time, Bro. Roger Nicolet occupied an important position in El-Al, Israel's national airline, which made it easier to accord the illustrious visitor the V.I.P. treatment he deserved.2
During his visit, Dr. Schalscha held meetings with Grassiani and other Israeli Brethren. He also attended the installation meeting of the Romanian Lodge, Hashachar, which took place on 28 December 1964.
On January 1, 1965, Sov. Grand Commander Schalscha was entertained at a luncheon given by the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel, Dr. Joseph Michael Lamm, and senior Grand Lodge officers. Thereafter, with the assistance of Ill. Bro. Isaac Grassiani, 33° and Ill. Bro. Dr. Jona Ron, 33°, he conferred the 32nd Degree on the Grand Master and on the Senior Grand Warden, Abraham Fellman.
On January 3, 1965, Dr. Schalscha consecrated the first two regular bodies of the Scottish Rite in Israel: Lodges of Perfection "Dan" (Hebrew-speaking) and "Tel-Aviv" (German-speaking), both in Tel-Aviv. He then carried out the ceremony of initiation into the Secret Master degree, which was conferred on 55 Brethren.
On the same afternoon, he affiliated and obligated 18 Brethren from other jurisdictions into the Rose Croix Chapter and conferred on them the Eighteenth Degree. Dr. Schalscha then appointed Ill. Bro. Isaac Grassiani, 33°, as Grand Inspector General for Israel and Ill. Bro. Dr. Jona Ron, 33°, to serve as Secretary General of the Scottish Rite in Israel.3
Sov. Grand Commander Schalscha left Israel on January 6, and on 30 May 1965 he informed about all the steps he had taken to the 20th Conference of European Grand Commanders, held in Laussanne.
On 18 August 1965,4 three new Lodges of Perfection were consecrated in Haifa: "Galil" (Hebrew-speaking), "Haifa" (German-speaking) and "Veritas" (French-speaking). After the respective Office Bearers of the new Lodges had been installed and obligated, the Fourth Degree was conferred on 22 new candidates.
On December 7 of the same year, a sixth Lodge of Perfection was consecrated, this time in Israel's capital, under the name "Jerusalem" (Hebrew-speaking). Ten candidates were initiated into the Fourth Degree.
On October 24, 1965, the Supreme Council for Germany resolved to further the Scottish Rite in Israel and delegated Lieutenant Grand Commander Ill. Bro. Dr. Emil Selter, 33°, to proceed to Israel in order to constitute a Rose-Croix Chapter (18°) and a Council of Kadosh (30°).
Dr. Selter visited Israel between January 8 and 19 of 1966. On January 10, five Ill. Members of the Scottish Rite in Israel: Prof. Andor Fodor, 33°, Dr. Emanuel Propper, 33°, Isaac Grassiani, 33°, Dr. Jona Ron, 33° and Zoltan Harmat, 33° accompanied Ill. Bro. Dr. Emil Selter, 33° to the Jerusalem Masonic Temple and performed in ample form the ceremony conferring the 33° on four new members, namely: M.W.Bro. Joseph Michael Lamm (Imm. Past Grand Master), R.W.Bro. Abraham Fellman (Grand Senior Warden), M.W.Bro. Max Silverstone (Past Grand Master) and W.Bro. Ionel Branisteanu, thus bringing the number of Sovereign Grand Inspectors in Israel to nine.
On January 11th, Ill. Bro. Dr. Selter consecrated in Tel-Aviv the Rose-Croix Chapter "Shalom" (meaning "peace") and installed Ill. Bro. Abraham Fellman, 33° as its first Most Wise Master. Immediately thereafter, the Office Bearers were sworn-in and the 18° was conferred in Hebrew on 25 candidates.
The next day Ill. Bro. Dr. Selter consecrated a new Council of Kadosh (30°) by the name of Areopagus "Zohar", whose Hebrew name means "splendor", and refers to the well-known homonymous Cabalistic treatise. Ill. Dr. Jona Ron, 33°, was installed as Thrice Potent Grand Master of the Areopagus, and the Thirtieth degree was conferred on 26 Scottish Rite members.5
On May 20 of that year, Isaac Grassiani became seriously ill. He was taken to Hadassa Hospital in Tel-Aviv, and his condition gradually deteriorated, to the point that the attending physicians feared for his life. In these circumstances, Roger Nicolet addressed a personal call to Dr. Schalscha, begging him to come and visit Grassiani at his deathbed. In spite of his many occupations, the Sovereign Grand Commander of Germany accepted at once and flew to Israel forthwith. As he later explained to Roger Nicolet, he had been deeply moved by a gesture that Grassiani had had during his previous visit, when in the course of a trip, Grassiani stopped the car, went into a forester's hut and came back with two tree saplings, asking Dr. Schalscha to plant them in the soil of the Holy Land, one to honor his late wife, and the other in his own name.
Dr. Schalscha arrived in Israel on June 15. The next morning, he went to the hospital to see Grassiani, who recognized him but could not speak. At I I a.m. that same morning, Dr. Schalscha, standing at Grassiani's bedside, solemnly proclaimed him as the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for Israel.
We cannot know what effect this poignant declaration had on Grassiani's will to live. The fact is that his condition began to improve at once and, on June 18, shortly before the return of Dr. Schalscha to Germany, they could already manage a long conversation together.6
On October 12, 1966, by virtue of a Charter received from the Supreme Council for Germany, a Consistory named "Sanhedrin", working the 31° and 32° degrees, was consecrated in Tel-Aviv. Ill. Bro. Max Silverstone was installed as the first Commander-in-Chief, and the 32° was conferred on 14 members. The name "Sanhedrin" was chosen for this Consistory after the name of the highest judicial tribunal among the Jews in Jerusalem, some two thousand years ago.
On November 2, 1966, six additional new members were coronated into the Thirty-third Degree, thus bringing the number of Ill. Brethren in Israel to fifteen.
On November 2, 1966, the 15 members of the 33rd Degree in Israel met at Freemason's Hall, Tel-Aviv, and constituted themselves into a Supreme Council for the State of Israel. They approved the Book of Constitutions, nominated Ill. Bro. Isaac Grassiani as the first Sovereign Grand Commander, and elected the first Office Bearers. Thereafter, it was resolved to request the Supreme Council for Germany to consecrate officially the new Supreme Council.
The ceremony of Consecration and Constitution of the Supreme Council for the State of Israel took place on November 17, 1966, at the Fremason's Hall, Tel-Aviv, in the presence of 23 Illustrious Brethren of the 33rd Degree, and over 250 other Brethren of the Scottish Rite.
The ceremony was performed by Ill. Bro. Erich Schalscha, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander of Germany, assisted by:
Ill. Bro. Lazzaro Emilio Franco, 33°, of the Supreme Council for Turkey and Special Representative of the Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. Bro. Hazim A. Kuyucak, 33°;
Ill. Bro. Willem Hofman, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Netherlands;
Ill. Bro. Rudolf Bohlman, 33°, Lieut. Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for Germany;
Ill. Bro. Otto Bachman, 33°, Active Member of the Supreme Council for Switzerland, and Special Representative of the Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill. Bro. Alfred Siza, 33°.
Ill. Brethren Alfred Buss, 33° and Adolf Reul, 33°, Active Members of the Supreme Council for Germany;
Ill. Bro. Morizio Milgrom, 33°, from Brazil, and the fifteeen Active Members of the new Supreme Council for the State of Israel.
Grand Commander Schalscha, 33°, related the sequence of events from the 1964 Conference of European Grand Commanders to the present. He expressed his pleasure at being able to consecrate the new Supreme Council, declaring that the Supreme Council for Germany released from that moment all Subordinate Bodies in Israel and their Members from their allegiance and obedience to the Supreme Council for Germany, to be transferred to the Supreme Council for the State of Israel.
The Charter declaring the,Supreme Council for the State of Israel duly constituted and established in accordance with ancient custom and in conformity with the Grand Constitutions of 1786 was now read out. Dr. Schalscha then formally invested Ill. Bro. Isaac Grassiani, 33°, as the first Sovereign Grand Commander. Ill. Bro. Dr. Jona Ron, 33°, the Lieut. Grand Commander, administered the oath to the new Grand Office Bearers.
Sovereign Grand Commander Grassiani then conferred the rank of Honorary Past Grand Commander on Ill. Brethren Dr. Erich Schalscha, 33°, Prof. Andor Fodor, 33°, and Dr. Emanuel Propper, 33°, presenting them with special Medals.
Honorary membership of the Supreme Council for the State of Israel was conferred on Ill. Brethren Luther Smith, Sovereign Grand Commander for the Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A.; George A. Newbury, Sovereign Grand Commander for the Northertn Jurisdiction, U.S.A.; Willem Hofman, Sovereign Grand Commander for the Netherlands; Hazim A. Kuyucak, Sovereign Grand Commander for Turkey, and Alfred Siza, Sovereign Grand Commander for Switzerland.
After Ill. Bro. Willem Hofman and the representatives from Turkey, Switzerland, Germany and Brasil had delivered addresses, Ill. Bro. Jacob Segal, 33°, M.W. Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel, addressed the assembly, and emphasized the good relations existing between the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel and the Scottish Rite, expressing the hope that these fraternal relations would last forever.
Greetings were received from the Supreme Councils of Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Scotland, Switzerland, Turkey, U.S.A. Northern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. Southern Jurisdiction and Venezuela. Also, letters and cables were recived from distinguished Scottish Rite Brethren throughout the world.7
Isaac Grassiani, First Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for Israel8
Isaac Grassiani was born in Silistra, Bulgaria, on March 7, 1886. His early years were spent wandering with his father and family in search of a livelihood. The Grassiani family moved from Bulgaria to Romania, then Bavaria and Austria. In the course of these wanderings, Isaac acquired his elementary and secondary education and studied languages.
In 1904, he completed a three-year course at the High School of Commerce in Vienna and returned to Bulgaria to serve as Sales Manager of a grain company. From that time he commenced his activity in the Zionist Youth Organization. As secretary of that body, he met Dr. Theodor Herzl during his visit to Bulgaria, and he was one of those who accompanied the Zionist leader on his journey to Sophia.
In 1918, Isaac married and moved to Bucharest, Romania, where he opened a Travel Agency and acted as agent of "Nord Deutscher Lloyd" for Eastern Europe.
In the year 1950, Isaac and his wife came to settle in Israel, arriving in Tel-Aviv with only one suitcase of personal effects. He joined the Eastern Carmen Travel Office, in which he was active until his last day.
Bro. Grassiani was an outstanding personality in Romanian Freemasonry. He had been initiated on March 22, 1922, in the "Steava Danubi" (Danube Star) Lodge in Bucharest, being elected W. Master of the Lodge in 1924. He served as Grand Treasurer in the Grand Lodge of Romania, during 1924-25.
In those years, Freemasonry flourished in Romania and its influence extended to the Royal Family. In 1925, the Freemasons consecrated a chamber in the Royal Palace as a Masonic Temple, with miniature Masonic furniture, and King Carol II was initiated there by seven Grand Lodge officers, one of whom was Bro. Grassiani. King Carol proved himself an active Mason, he participated in the Lodge meetings and attended Masonic functions. This fact helped the Masons to extend their influence in high circles. Several members of the Royal Family and many government officials joined the Order.
In 1938, Bro. Grassiani was received into the Scottish Rite and advanced in the Higher Degrees. In 1946 he was coronated 33° and thereafter he was made an Active Member of the Supreme Council for Romania.
During the Nazi occupation of the country (1940-1944), Freemasonry was outlawed in Romania. Nevertheless, Freemasons continued acting undergound. Bro. Grassiani and his Brethren initiated new members, at great risk to their lives. A number of those initiated later came to Israel and became active members of "Hashahar" Lodge.
In 1944, when a Communist-led Romanian People's Government was formed, Freemasonry again became legal. Mrs. Anna Pauker, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, had great sympathy for the Freemasons, who had suffered grievously at the hands of the Nazis, and assisted them to reorganize their Lodges. Freemasonry flourished again.
This period of calm, however, was short-lived. In 1948, when the order had reached its pinnacle (with 6 Blue Lodges, 2 Lodges of Perfection, Rose-Croix Chapter, Consistory and Supreme Council), Bro. Grassiani was urgently called to Mrs. Pauker, who revealed to him that the Government, under the pressure of the had resolved to liquidate Freemasonry, confiscate their property and arrest all members of the Craft in the country. On receipt of this timely warning, the Freemasons quickly removed all their important documents out of the country and were able to disperse.
In 1950, as stated, Bro. Grassiani arrived in Israel and joined the local Fraternity. Only a few members here knew of his past Masonic activities, and he was handicapped by a weak knowledge of Hebrew.
Within a year, however, he had gathered round him a number of Brethren with a view to set up a Romanian-speaking Lodge. Thus, "Hashahar" Lodge was established in 1951, under his Mastership. He was reelected, serving as Worshipful Master until 1954.
Subsequently, he was elected Grand Chaplain in the Grand Lodge of Israel. When he attained his 80th birthday, as a mark of appreciation, Grand Lodge conferred on him Honorary Membership and appointed him Grand Chaplain ad vitam.
On November 17. 1966, Bro. Grassiani was solemnly installed as the first Sovereign Grand Commander of the newly-consecrated Supreme Council for Israel. He held this position until the end of 1968.
At that time, he was taken ill, and on 12 May 1969, Isaac Grassiani surrendered his soul to his Creator, at the age of 83.
REFERENCES
1 Quoted by Abraham Fellman, 33°, in The Supreme Council ... for Israel, a booklet printed by the Supreme Council for Israel, Tel-Aviv, January, 1967, p. 15.
2 Roger Nicolet, Historique de la Consécration du Conseil Suprême en Israel, private edition, Tel-Aviv, 1990. Nicolet gives a very detailed account of the events surrounding Schalscha's visit to Israel and further developments up to the constitution of the Supreme Council.
3 Fellman, op. cit., p. 16.
4 Fellman (op. cit., p. 17) gives the date as August 19, but this is obviously a slip of the pen, because August 18 is recorded as the foundation date by Lodge of Perfection "Veritas" itself.
5 Ibid., pp. 18-19.
6 Roger Nicolet, op. cit.
7 Fellman, op. cit. pp. 20-22.
8 Sources: Abraham Fellman, (a) Supreme Council ..., Tel-Aviv, January 1967, p. 30. (b) "Ill. Isaac Grassiani," 33°, The Scottish Rite, April-September 1969, pp. 38-41.