Abraham Simon Kay (February 15, 1899 – July 10, 1963) was an American real estate developer and

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

activist. He was a founder and longtime member of the Kay Construction Company in the District of Columbia and Maryland area, and a philanthropic contributor to the Jewish community.

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, Kay moved to the United States from

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

at the age of 10. At the age of 12 he dropped out of Washington Elementary School on July 4, 1909 and began working at a grocery store due to a tough financial situation at home. A few years later, he managed to save up enough money to purchase his own grocery store. After returning home from being a sergeant in World War I, Kay married his wife, Minnie, and founded the District Grocery Society renamed District Grocery Stores (DGS) in 1928. Thanks to the money made from the grocery organization, in the 1930s Kay bought land in the Silver Spring area in Maryland, thus leading the way to forming the Kay Construction Company in 1936. For the first time, he made it possible for Jews to join the Indian Spring Golf and Country Club in 1939, though

African-Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

and other non-white minorities were still excluded from membership until the mid-1960s. Prior to the passage of the

1968 Fair Housing Act The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a landmark law in the United States signed into law by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles II through VII comprise the Indian Civil Rights Act, which applie ...

and before his death in 1963, Kay used racially restrictive covenants to exclude

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

and other racial minorities from neighborhoods he helped develop. Kay has earned much recognition for being involved in other groups such as being chairman for the team that purchased . This was the ship that tried to bring Jewish immigrants to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

in 1947. He also supported a rehabilitation center at

Nahariya Nahariya () is the northernmost coastal city in Israel. As of , the city had a population of . The city was founded in 1935 by Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Etymology Nahariya takes its name from the stream of Ga'aton River, Ga'aton (riv ...

for disabled Israeli military veterans. It is funded by the Abe S. Kay Foundation, Inc. which he was president of. Just a month before he died, Kay donated 350,000 dollars to the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

to build the Kay Spiritual Life Center, forming the first interfaith chapel on its campus. In 1963, Kay died of a heart attack at

Washington Hospital Center MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C. A member of MedStar Health, the not-for-profit Hospital Center is licensed for 926 beds. Health services in primary, secondary and tertiary care are offer ...

while living in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

. He and his wife Minnie had two children, Jack Kay and Sylvia Kay Greenberg.

Organizations and achievements

* General chairman of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Washington * Honorary chairman of the Washington Committee for

Israel bonds Israel Bonds, the commonly known name of Development Corporation for Israel (DCI), is the U.S. underwriter of debt securities issued by the State of Israel. DCI is headquartered in New York City and is a broker-dealer and member of the Financial ...

* Helped with the revamping of the Israel Embassy in Washington * Honored in 1956 by the Washington Jewish community as "Man of the Year." * High tribute was paid by Israel Premier Ben-Gurion and Ambassador

Abba Eban Abba Solomon Meir Eban (; ; born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; 2 February 1915 – 17 November 2002) was a History of the Jews in South Africa, South African-born Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. D ...

* Served as president of the Abe S. Kay Foundation, Inc.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Abraham S. 1899 births 1963 deaths Activists from Maryland Activists from Washington, D.C. American grocers American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American businesspeople in real estate Aliyah Bet activists American segregationists American Zionists Businesspeople from Maryland Businesspeople from Washington, D.C. History of racism in Maryland Jews and Judaism in Montgomery County, Maryland Opposition to antisemitism in the United States 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews Real estate and property developers from Maryland Real estate and property developers from Washington, D.C.