PASSINGS : Israel Spira; Said to Be Oldest Hasidic Rabbi

Israel Spira, 99, said to be the oldest living Hasidic rabbi and the senior member of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel. Spira, who was descended from a line of rabbis, led congregations in several Polish towns and survived Nazi concentration camps in World War II, including Bergen-Belsen. He came to this country in 1946 and played an important role in the development of Agudath Israel of America, a broadly based Orthodox movement founded in 1922. Its chapters in the United States and Canada support child welfare and projects for the young here and overseas. In New York City on Tuesday.