Asher Benson:Asher Benson, a prominent member of Dublin's Jewish community who has died aged 85, was born in the East End of London, the only child of Millie and David Bernstein, who were Jewish immigrants from Poland.
Growing up in the East End was tough, but Benson had a large circle of friends in the 120,000-plus Jewish community of the early 20th century. Early on, he joined the Zionist youth group, Habonim, and with his friends took part in the Battle Of Cable Street on October 4th, 1936, the day when the East End stopped Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts and dealt British fascism a blow from which it never fully recovered.
Benson was also a regular attendee at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park where he took up the fight, in words and humour, to defeat the fascist debaters.
After finishing his education, Benson joined the civil service and won an entrance to university. At this time he met the love of his life and future wife Ida (née Silverman) at a Habonim camp in London.
However, in 1939 he was called up and served in India and Burma for the duration of the second World War, which stopped his university education.
Upon his demobilisation from the British army, he came to live in Dublin and married Ida - who was born in Drogheda of Lithuanian-Romanian parents - in 1946. With a young family to support, he worked long hours in his new business and the family grew up in the Terenure suburb of south Dublin.
In the 1950s Benson set up Habonim in Dublin with a group of friends, and it flourished well, but closed down in the 1980s. He constantly talked about his "boys and girls" in Habonim who dispersed around the world but still kept in touch with him.
A new career opened up for him when he was appointed the Ireland correspondent of the London Jewish Chronicle in 1979, a post he held with great pride until he lost most of his sight in 1997.
Benson was the driving force behind the establishment of the Irish Jewish museum in Dublin. The museum was opened on June 20th, 1985 by the Irish-born president of Israel, Dr Chaim Herzog, during his state visit to Ireland. The museum contains a substantial collection of memorabilia relating to Jewish communities in Ireland.
After the death of his wife in 2004, he decided to write a book recording the history of the Dublin Jewish community, mainly in pictures. Although he was in his early 80s and nearly blind, he achieved his ambition and finished the manuscript just weeks before his death.
The book is entitled Jewish Dublin: Portraits of Life Beside the Liffey. With many pictures provided by families in Dublin and from around the world, it is a fascinating book, which will be of interest to all Dubliners irrespective of their faith. It is expected to be published in early 2007.
Benson was a fascinating man with a photographic memory to match. His favourite start to the day was doing The Irish Times crossword, which most days he fully completed. His later years were taken up with learning bridge, which he played several nights a week. It introduced him to a new group of friends who were fantastic in helping him enjoy this pastime, even though he could hardly see the cards.
Benson was also a survivor of Mabel's Table at the original Bewley's Oriental Cafe in Dublin. A group of friends used to meet daily and great banter ensued with Mabel, the waitress.
A great legacy was lost with Benson's passing for both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in Dublin. A warm, fun man who was fiercely independent, he enjoyed life to the full, but was happy to join his love Ida.
He is missed by his sons Alan and Gerry, daughters-in-law Susan and Glenna, and his 11-year-old grand-daughter Leah, as well as his extended family in London and his enormous group of friends worldwide.
Asher Benson: born May 28th, 1921; died November 24th, 2006