Charlie was what I have heard people call “a war baby”; he would be 75 this year. Born in Germany right before the start of the war to his parents, Curtis (originally “Kurt”) and Cecilia Cassell, the family escaped to Britain in 1939 when Charlie was still a baby. Charlie’s original German first name, Elias (which means Elijah, the prophet, and is also his Hebrew name, Eliyahu), became his second name when the family came to Britain: Charles Elias Cassell.
Because of the turmoil of their refugee situation – and the fact that his father was away in the British Pioneer Corps for the entirety of the war – Charlie’s early years were difficult. For the first six years of his life, it was just he and his mother Cecilia and with whom he was very close. His younger brother, David, 8 years his junior, was born a couple years after the family reunited, and they moved first to Glasgow then to London, where Charlie attended Marylebone Grammar, and their father Curtis served as rabbi of communities there – as Second Minister of West London Synagogue.
When Charlie was almost 18, the family moved to Rhodesia, for another rabbinic placement for Curtis, and Charles not long after moved to Johannesburg, South Africa – where two very important aspects of his life were to begin: his marriage to his wife Georgina and his career in insurance.
After they were married, both missed England and home and saved up for a return to move back there, where Ann and then Jonathan were born, in London and Luton – after which Charlie’s job took the family here to Norwich, where Charlie lived the last 4 decades of his life. Charlie retired twenty years ago from his insurance position at Marsh. After several very hard years’ decline in her health –during which Charlie cared for her – Georgina passed away 19 years ago.
Charles gave back to his community in many ways: through his passion for the BBC and Radio Norfolk, his commitment to the Jewish community and Jewish faith, and through his charity work. His daughter Ann recalls him many a time manning the phone line for Children In Need’s annual fundraiser, and his love of radio was expressed in his fondest dream to be a radio presenter – to rival Terry Wogan!
Charlie was a committed member of both the Liberal community in Norwich and the NHC which was a wonderful cross communal gesture.
Rabbi Leah of the NLJC
