OCaml is "sort of like Rust, but with a GC." It could serve as a good introduction to functional programming, but without having to worry about the borrow checker.
(I know that's not quite what you're saying -- it sounds like you're asking for a "Rust--", which is Rust with some complicated stuff turned off. But it's a start.)
Thanks. I think I read in wkp that Rust itself was originally written in OCaml.
To slightly clarify my earlier comment: I am learning rust and plan to use it, but in the long run it seems it could save time for the world overall, if there were something to recommend to others, say, members of a team who want or need something easier, but is easily transitioned to full rust, with as much shared knowledge between the two as possible.
(I know that's not quite what you're saying -- it sounds like you're asking for a "Rust--", which is Rust with some complicated stuff turned off. But it's a start.)