Yasha Beresiner proclaimed the New Blue Friar for 2009 in Alexandria, Virginia.

17.04.2009

Bro Yasha Beresiner of England was proclaimed the New Blue Friar for 2009 at the Order’s annual event held on Friday 13^th February in Alexandria, Virginia.

"The Society of Blue Friars" was formed in 1932, explicitly "to recognize Masonic Authors." It is the smallest, and certainly one of the oddest, concordant bodies in Masonry.

Since 1944 the Society has met once a year (except for 1945), in a session that is open to all Masonic Brethren. The event this year was held in Alexandria, Virginia under the guardianship of three officers: The Grand Abbot, S. Brent Morris, the Deputy Grand Abbot, Arturo de Hoyos and Secretary General, Dick Fletcher.

At this years annual meeting Yasha Beresiner, Past Master of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 (EC) was proclaimed the new Friar and delivered his research paper titled ‘Scottish Influence on Early English Freemasonry’. The full paper will be published in ‘HEREDOM’, the Transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society.  

Bro Beresiner was born in Turkey in 1940 and is a Law Graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has lived in England since 1969 where he was initiated in 1975 and invited to become a full member of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge No 2076 in 1992. He served as Master of this Premier Lodge of Masonic Research in 1998/9. He was appointed PGStB of the United Grand Lodge of England in April 2003. 

He is also a founder member and Past Master of the Montefiore Lodge of Installed Masters No 78 Grand Lodge of the State of Israel (appointed Honorary SGW October 2004) and a Past Master of the Chimera Lodge 150, Regular Grand Lodge of Italy (appointed PSGW June 2003). He is the current Grand Librarian of that jurisdiction.

He is the author of 4 Masonic books and several other books (Pub: Andre Deutsche/David & Charles etc) on collecting. His reference book 'British County Maps' won a British Library award in 1985. 

Of a total of 98 Blue Friars to date only seven English Brethren have previously been proclaimed into the Order. They are Brothers Arthur E. Waite (1857-1942); Fred Lomax Pick (1898–1966); Harry Carr (1900-1879); Bernard E. Jones (1879-1965); Frederick H. Smyth (1919- ); Roy A. Wells (1908–1990); John M. Hamill (1947-) and Cyril N. Batham (1909-1996).