Abelson, Kassel

Description

In this interview, Rabbi Kassel Abelson speaks of his life, times, and views regarding Judaism. Abelson spent over forty years as senior Rabbi at Beth El synagogue in North Minneapolis and later Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, serving as a leader in the community and as a developer of national Judaic programs and policy. Abelson recalls his family background, his childhood in Brooklyn, his education culminating in the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in the 1940s (a focus of discussion), his chaplaincy, his arrival and experience at Beth El, relocating to Saint Louis Park from Minneapolis' North Side and actions in setting Judaic policy. The focus of the interview, in addition to Abelson's personal narrative, is on his vision of American Judaism and how it was enacted through various programs and organizations, such as the United Synagogue Youth, in addition to his social justice principles exemplified by his participation in organizations such as the Urban Coalition 1960s on Minneapolis' North Side. This interview was conducted by Dr. Linda Mack Schloff, former director of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, in effort to document the stories of Jewish immigration to and community leaders in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Record Contributed By

University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives