JewishGen Blog: A Blog about Jewish Genealogy

Announcement: JGS, Inc. (NY)

2013-05-13T20:21:00.000-04:00

The Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc. (NY) presents

New York Family History Research: An Afternoon of Learning in memory of Steven Siegel.

Sunday, May 19th, 12:30 to 5:30
Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th St. New York

Program:
Rebecca Kobrin, Russell and Bettina Knapp Assistant Professor of American Jewish History, Columbia University.
--Destructive Creators: Jewish Immigrant "Bankers", the Business of Mass Migration, and New Sources for Family History

Anthony W. Robins, Architectural Historian.
--The Genealogy of Brick and Stone: Tracing the History of New York Buildings

Kirsten Fermaglich, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies, Michigan State University.
--From Sonnenshein to Sunshine: Jews and Name-Changing in NYC in the 20th Century

Robert J.Friedman, Avrum Geller and Joan Koster-Morales, Professional Genealogists and JGS members.
--Under the Radar: a Panel Discussion on Valuable Lesser-Known Records for Family History Research in NYC Libraries and Archive

Steven Siegel, who died in 2012, was a founding member and past president of JGS NY. He was active in many genealogical, historical and archival organizations.

Register on our website www.jgsny.org where you will find the complete program.

Harriet Mayer
JGS NY VP Communications

Update: KehilaLinks April 2013

2013-05-13T10:51:00.002-04:00

We are pleased to welcome the following webpages to JewishGen KehilaLinks We thank the owners and webmasters of these webpages for creating fitting memorials to these Kehilot (Jewish Communities) and for providing a valuable resource for future generations of their descendants.

Dubienka, Poland

Created by Sarah J Greenwald
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Dubienka/
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Novohrad-Volyns'kyy (Novograd Volynskiy, Zvhil) , Ukraine Created by Ron Doctor

Webmaster: Richard Baum
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Novohrad_Volynskyy/
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Ostropol (Ostropolia, Staryy Ostropil), Ukraine

Created by Dean Echenberg Webpage Design by KehilaLinks volunteer Gregory B. Meyer http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/ostropol/index.html

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Sil' (Soslak, Sola) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Sil/
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Sokolivka (Sokolovka), Ukraine

Created by Sarah J Greenwald
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Sokolivka/
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Sokyrnytsia (Szeklence, Sekernice) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Sokyrnytsia/

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Solotvyno (Aknaszlatina, Slatinske Doly) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Solotvyno/

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Stavne (Fenyvesvolgy, Stavna) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Stavne/

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Storozhnytsya (Ordarma, Jovra) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Storozhnytsya/

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Synevyr (Alsoszinever, Sinovir) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Synevyr/

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Tekovo (Tekehaza, Tekehaza) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Tekovo/

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Teresva (Tarackoz), (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Teresva/
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Tur'ya Bystraya (Turjasebes, Turi Bystry), (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Turya_Bystraya/

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Tyachiv (Tecso, Tacova) (S-C), Ukraine
Created by Marshall J. Katz
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Tyachiv/
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Uhlya (Uglya, Uhla) (S-C), Ukraine

Created by Marshall J. Katz
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Uhlya/
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Izyaslav (Zaslov), Ukraine

Created by Barry Sieger
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Izyaslav/
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Zofyuvka (Zofjowka), Ukraine

Created by Phyllis Grossman
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Zofyuvka/

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KehilaLinks webpages recently updated:

Bocki (Bodki)

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/bocki/Bocki.html
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Ivano Frankivsk (Stanislawow), Ukraine
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Ivano_Frankivsk/index.html
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Kalush (Kalusz, Kalish) (G)

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Kalush/
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Skala-Podol'skaya (Skala) (G)
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/SkalaPodol/

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Some of our KehilaLinks webpages were created by people who are no longer able to maintain them.
We thank them for their past efforts and wish them luck on their future endeavors.
The following webpages are "orphaned" and are available for adoption.

Briceni (Brichany, Britshan) (B)

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Brichany/brichany.htm
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Kolomea (Kolomyja) (G)
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Kolomea/kolomad.htm

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GOOD NEWS! The following webpage was adopted:
Barysaw (Borisov), Belarus
Adopted by Boris Libenson
http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/borisov/borisov.html
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If you wish to create a KehilaLinks webpage or adopt an exiting "orphaned"
webpage please contact us at: < bloch@mts.net>.

NEED TECHNICAL HELP CREATING A WEBPAGE?: We have a team of dedicated volunteers who will help you create a webpage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susana Leistner Bloch, VP, KehilaLinks, JewishGen, Inc.
Barbara Ellman, KehilaLinks Technical Coordinator

Announcement: JGS of Cleveland

2013-05-13T10:42:00.000-04:00

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland's next meeting will be

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

in the Miller Board Room
27100 Cedat Road, 2nd Floor
Beachwood, Ohio 44122

Our Featured Speaker will be

Dr. Deborah Abbott

addressing the issue of

The Importance of Staying Organized

Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D., is past president of the African-American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio (AAGS). She is a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio. She holds both the Bachelor of Science and Masters of Education degrees from Tuskegee University (Alabama) and the Ph.D. degree from Kent State University (Ohio). She is an adjunct faculty member at the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research at Samford University (Alabama). She has presented lectures at a variety of local genealogical societies, libraries, schools, and churches throughout northeast Ohio and the surrounding states. Even though Dr. Abbott specializes in African American genealogy, she enjoys teaching genealogy methodology. Her love for genealogy shows through her talks as she lectures on a wide variety of topics suited for all levels of genealogist. She is presently working on a genealogy project which will contain a newly discovered court document entitled "The Register of Free Negroes in Boyle County, Kentucky, 1852". Dr. Abbott is a member of te Association of Professional Genealogist (APG), the National Genealogical Society (NGS), Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS), the Genealogical Speakers Guild (GSG) and many local genealogical societies. She has been researching in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky since 1990.

Shalom the Beloved Country

2013-05-13T10:36:00.001-04:00

By Ann Rabinowitz

One of the amazing and beloved characters in South Africa is Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft who travels many thousands of miles each year to serve and provide succor to the dwindling number of 1,200 Jews in the small country communities throughout South Africa and other places like Mauritius and Zimbabwe.

Once amounting to approximately 40,000 Jews, the country communities are now mainly depleted of their Jews, who have moved away and/or died off. All that is left of their presence, very often, are the 230 cemeteries and 30,000 graves which the rabbi makes sure are maintained.

The site where his work is featured is: http://www.africanjewishcongress.com which lists the various places which are supported. In addition, his story is recounted in the book “The Traveling Rabbi, My African Tribe” as told to Suzanne Belling.

The following are the links to the five part program “Shalom the Beloved Country” produced by the SABC television network about the work of Rabbi Silberhaft:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8eyQySqPpU

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N50AfIWdGYQ

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8p9cIx-kxQ

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3LWZgszmw8

Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuE1TbC6NXM

A further talk by Rabbi Silberhaft about his work amongst the country communities can be seen at the following link when he appeared at the Annual General Meeting of the Telfed Netanya, Israel regional committee meeting on January 4, 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpjmc5j5Zkw

In addition to the Rabbi’s work, the South African Friends of Beth Hatefutsoth, have produced a number of volumes featuring various areas where the country communities are located. Included in these volumes are the names of the various families who lived in the country communities as well as photos and histories of them.

Many of these small places were not unlike the shtetlach that the South Africa Jews came from in mainly Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia and other such places. As an example of the small country communities which were mentioned in these volumes, I will use the place where my own family settled. It was a tiny place named Botrivier / Bot River or Butter River which was located in the Overberg Region of the Western Cape that I like to call a dorpie or a place smaller than a dorp, which is a small village.

The Country Communities series, Volume III, includes the village. There were approximately twenty or less Jewish families, at any one time, which lived there. Many of them came from Kupiskis, Lithuania, and other nearby shtetlach in northwestern Lithuania. Some of these families were: Aarenson, Bedil/Rabinowitz, Cessel, Choritz, Cohen, Fig, Gafanowitz/Geffen, Gavendo, Jaffe, Kacev, Kaplan, Osrin, Sack, Silke, Singer, and Thal.

The photo below shows three of the interrelated families who lived in Botrivier including my great uncle, Mordechai Yehudah Leib Choritz, the elderly gentleman, who is sitting on the left.

The Choritz, Jaffe and Fig Families in Botrivier, South Africa

Due to the village’s rural character and seeming idyllic location in the hinterlands away from larger urban sites, many of the occupations of the Jewish families were focused on agriculture (onions, potatoes, grapes/wine, wheat, wild flowers) and on farms such as the historic Companje Drift (once the trading/bartering station of the Dutch East India Company); trade with the local farmers as general dealers in what amounted to country stores; and owning or leasing accommodations in small inns such as the Bot River and Hoew Hoek Hotels which assuaged the needs of people passing through or visiting.

All in all, the concept of the country communities is one of a fast-fading yet vibrant past kept alive by those such as Rabbi Silberhaft, who work directly with the remaining Jewish inhabitants, and with the diligent researchers, who document the history of these communities, one volume at a time.

23 Jews

2013-05-03T12:14:00.004-04:00

Jewish American Heritage Month

#1 – Only 23 Jews

By Ann Rabinowitz

Peter Stuyvesant and New Amsterdam at the Time of the Arrival of the Jews

From “Mapping Jewish History”

Harrie Teunissen, MSc, Map Curator, Historian

http://www.siger.org/mauritsstadnewamsterdam/

The Early American SIG Digest had an inquiry regarding the names of the twenty-three (23) Jews from Recife, Brazil, who first came to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam in 1654 which became the City of New York. Since May has been designated Jewish American Heritage Month, I thought it might be appropriate to start off the month by mentioning this historic group of early Jews.

Coming to New Amsterdam on the St. Catrine, 1654

An interesting link about the family names of those who arrived in 1654 is found at: http://nychistory.blogspot.com/2010/08/return-to-establishment-of-shearith.html.

The link also refers to a number of other resources which might be of interest too.

According to the information on the link which was extracted from Stephen Birmingham's book "The Grandees", the Sephardic family names were:

Asser Levy
Abraham Israel De Piza (or Dias)
David Israel Faro
Mose Lumbosco
Judith (or Judica) Mercado (or De Mercado or de Mereda)
Ricke (or Rachel) Nunes

There are numerous other references to this topic which can be found online and this is just one of them. As I find time during the month of May, I will mention other Jews who settled in America.

Honoring Our Volunteers

2013-05-02T17:08:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends,

On June 2, we will be honoring Karen Franklin, Gary Mokotoff, and Lance Ackerfeld, for their leadership and dedication to JewishGen.

After working with each of these individuals for years, it gives me great pleasure to see that they will get just a small measure of the recognition they deserve.

Please join me in honoring them and participate in JewishGen’s Spring Brunch, which be held in New York on June 2. We will also publish a tribute journal, and I invite you to place an ad.

You can easily register for the brunch and/or place an ad by calling 646-437-4326 or by visiting www.JewishGen.org/event.

Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.

Warren Blatt

Managing Director

Marian Smith United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Speaker at May 5 JGS Conejo Valley and Ventura County Meeting

2013-04-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV) will hold a general meeting, co-sponsored with and located at Temple Adat Elohim, on Sunday, May 5, 2013 1:30-3:30 p.m.at Temple Adat Elohim

2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA

The Program: Obscure Records of Citizenship and Immigration

Not all naturalization and citizenship documents can be found at the National Archives. This presentation will focus on lesser-known federal records of derived citizenship, repatriation, and correspondence covering a variety of citizenship-related problems and topics. While the records discussed were created after 1906 some involve events that occurred years or decades before. In addition to case studies and examples, the presentation will provide guidance for researching the records at either USCIS or the National Archives.

Speaker: Marian Smith is Chief of the Historical Research Branch within the USCIS in Washington. D.C. She is an Historian who first joined that organization in 1988 when it was the INS. For many years she was a regular speaker at national genealogy conferences and the author of genealogical journal articles about immigration and naturalization history and records. She now directs the agency’s History, Library, and fee-for-service Genealogy programs.

On March 1, 2003, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) assumed responsibility for the immigration service functions of the federal government. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was dismantled as a result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107–296, 116 Stat. 2135) which separated the agency into three components within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The USCIS Genealogy Program is a fee-for-service program that provides researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants.

Our schmoozing corner starts 20 minutes before the program (1:10 p.m.) facilitated by Hal Bookbinder, founding member of JGSCV and past president of the IAJGS and current member of the JewishGen Board of Governors. The schmoozing corner is to talk with a senior member about suggestions for breaking down your brick walls or obtaining suggestions on where to research for your family history.

We will have Categories A & B of our traveling library available beginning at 1:00 PM to shortly after the meeting. The list of books which are in the JGSCV library is located on our website http://www.jgscv.org under library-traveling.

There is no charge to attend the meeting and all are welcome to attend. Membership forms are available at the meeting, on the http://www.jgscv.org website. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family. Dues paid are good through December 2013.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County is dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history.

For more information, including directions please see the JGSCV website: http://www.jgscv.org

Jan Meisels Allen

President, JGSCV

Join the Monthly Donor Club!

2013-04-25T14:39:00.000-04:00

Please read this important message from Jay Sage.

Dear Friend,

I am writing to you on behalf of JewishGen.org, which has been responsible for my most important and exciting genealogical discoveries.

As you know, JewishGen does not charge for its services, which are utilized by thousands of people throughout the world on a daily basis. They rely on the support of their users—people like us—to continue their important work.

Without JewishGen, it is safe to say that I would not have been nearly as successful in discovering my family history and heritage. Because of this, my wife and I support JewishGen on a monthly basis (in fact, we increased our monthly contribution last year) with automatic donations.

Why monthly and why automatic?

First, JewishGen is focused on both current and future generations, and we wanted JewishGen to know that they can count on our long-term support. Second, our automatic donations allow JewishGen to count on predictable, stable funding—something not to be taken for granted in today’s economic environment. Finally, it makes it easy for us. JewishGen automatically deducts the funds from our credit card (you can also have it deducted from your bank account). It’s safe, easy, and secure.

Consider this: An automatic monthly donation will help support the

Family Finder (think Linked-In for Jewish Genealogy!)
Family Tree of the Jewish People (more than 5 million names and growing!)
Discussion Groups (moderated and archived!)
Databases (more than 1 million records per year since 2008!)
And more!

As you probably know, JewishGen grants “Value Added Services” as a special thank-you to anyone who contributes $100 or more per year. This means that for $9.25 per month, you can support JewishGen in a meaningful way while also receiving Value Added Services. This comes to less than 33¢ per day.

No matter the amount, your gift will be appreciated. JewishGen has some donors who contribute gifts as modest as $5 per month. Others give much more. Whatever your ability, JewishGen will greatly benefit from your support.

Please email info@JewishGen.org with your name and phone number, and someone from JewishGen (probably Warren or Avraham) will personally call you to get you started. The whole process will take less than three minutes, and you will have the satisfaction that your gift is being used to its maximum potential.

Thank you for your consideration and for joining me in supporting JewishGen’s important work.

Sincerely,

Jay Sage, Newton, MA

JewishGenner since 1994

JewishGen supporter since 1996

Director, International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS)

Co-Chair, 33rd IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (Boston 2013)

Past President, Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston (JGSGB)

Announcement: JGS of Cleveland

2013-04-25T12:47:00.000-04:00

Reminder:

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland's next meeting will be

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

in the Miller Board Room
27100 Cedat Road, 2nd Floor
Beachwood, Ohio 44122

Our Featured Speaker will be

Cynthia Turk presenting Forensic Genealogy & Finding Your 21st Century Relatives

Family History Books

2013-04-23T14:47:00.001-04:00

By Ann Rabinowitz

One of the interesting additions to the Mormon Family Search site is the family history books which have been scanned. Going to the site, http://books.familysearch.org/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=0&pag=nxt&frbg=&scp.scps=scope%3A%28DCMS-FHD%29&tab=default_tab&dstmp=1362212339903&srt=rank&ct=Next+Page&mode=Basic&dum=true&indx=1&vl(1UIStartWith0)=contains&vl(freeText0)=jew&vid=FHD_PUBLIC&fn=search&fromLogin=true, one can plug in the search parameter of “Jew”. Approximately fifty-one items pop up and each one of these will give a description and then one can view the scanned item. However, despite being digitized, there are a few in this group which are limited to access at the Family History Library and a screen will pop up and let you know this.

A look at several of these family history books reveals a wide variety of unique topics and includes well-known works by Jewish genealogists such as Arthur Kurzweil as well as little known family historians and others.

Some of these books that can be found are as follows:

From Belarus to Cape Breton and beyond : my family, my roots by Lawrence Irving Gaum, 1938.

The book provides information on the Gaum family who came to Canada from Kozhanhorodok, Belarus. In addition, it discusses the Latucha/Goldstein and Marshal (Meisel) families.

The Hebrews in America, A Series of Historical and Biographical Sketches, by Isaac Markens, 1888.

Here, I found an interesting tidbit about the “demand for a new public place of amusement in the city of New York” which was met by the concomitant banning of the Yiddish Theater in Russia in 1883 causing professional Yiddish Theater troupes to flee to America. This meant that in 1884, there was formation of the Russian-Hebrew Opera Company featuring Moses Silberman, Manager, and Joseph Lateiner, Composer. The group, under the leadership of Moses Heine-Chaimovich, http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/yt/lex/H/heine-chaimovich-morris.htm leased Turner Hall on E. 4^th Street then took Folks Garden Hall on 113 and 113 ½ Street on the Bowery under a ten year lease which they renamed the Oriental Theater after the nearby Oriental Bank. The theater held seats for up to 1,000 patrons and cost $0.25 to $1.00. Their first performance was on May 23, 1884.

Members of the Russian-Hebrew Opera Company were such stars as Sonya Borodkin, Moshe Heine-Chaimovich, Abraham Schengold, Mrs. Moses Silberman, and Jacob Spivakovski, who came from such strongholds of the Yiddish Theater as Moscow, Odessa, Romania, and St. Petersburg.

“Township twenty-five : west of 2nd meridian, range 13, section 10” by Clara Schwartz Hoffer (1887-1975).

This tells the story of the 1905 homesteading experiences of, Clara Schwartz, a Jewish girl from Storozynetz, Bucovina (see JewishGen Yizkor Book link http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/bukowinabook/buk2_108b.html) , and her husband, Israel Hoffer, from Kossowicz, Galicia. They both left Europe on the same boat for Lipton, Saskatchewan, Canada, which was mainly in an unsettled remote rural area. Further information on Lipton and its foundation can be found at: http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/jewish_rural_settlements.html and also: http://www.jhcwc.org/friedgut%20lipton%20book%202009.pdf.

“Eight Generations” by D.C. Vickers.

This book which mainly deals with a non-Jewish family tree, has three interesting references to Jewish families as follows:

JANE SUSANNAH LAULHE, (a Portuguese name, to be pronounced 'Loyle-yeh'), a Sephardi Jewish lady, dau. of Jacob Laulhe, by a dau. of Solomon de Castro (or de Castres) (of Dublin and London, d. 1740, s. of David de Castro, who d. at Leghorn on his way back from India c. 1700) by Rachel (m. Bevis Marks Synagogue, London, Sept. 1710), dau. of Abraham Bravo, an Anglo-Jewish poet. Information about the Bravo and de Castro families will be found in 'The Jews of Ireland' by Louis Hyman (From Earliest Times to the year 1910), published by the Jewish Historical Society of England and Israel Universities Press in 1972 (See p.32).

DANIEL VICARS, of Ballyedmond, Queen's Co., Will dat. 13.4.1781, registered at Registry of Deeds, Dublin, July 1782, s. of Daniel Vicars of Castlegrogan and Ballyedmond (liv. 1753), who was nephew of John Mosse of Adnigall, Queen's Co. There is reason to believe that this Mosse family was of Ashkenazi Jewish Origin

SARAH BARKER, (m. Dec. 1736, d. 14-1-1775), dau. and co-heiress of Capt. George Barker, by Miss Switzer, of an Ashkenazi Jewish family connected with Braunsheim-in-Limburg, Germany.

“Austro-Hungarian Life in Town and Country” by Francis H.E. Palmer, 1903.

This book is one of a series of guides to various places in Europe. It covers in vivid detail life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was written at the turn of the century in a contemporary style which looks upon various ethnic groups in a picturesque manner very often using caricatures that were common at that time.

If one uses Shift F3 and plugs in “Jew”, all the relevant references to them will pop up. In addition to this book, one can find a number of other books by the same author including one about Russian life which has chapters on Jews: http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b323166#page/vi/mode/1up and others about Dutch, French and Swedish life as well.

“The Jews of Valencia and Tortosa and the Spanish Inquisition” by Betty G. Ventura, 2010.

The book covers the detailed archival research, particularly Inquisition records, conducted over a thirty year period regarding the Ventura family who lived during the 1300-1500 period in Spain and who later fled to Italy. The book is of interest as Valencia and Tortosa were prominent places of Jewish settlement and livelihood in pre-Inquisition Spain.

Looking at these examples of family history can give one ideas about how to write one’s own story or one can learn more about a particular family or place or something new altogether. For instance, I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Sephardic research which was undertaken in the Ventura book above. There is always so much more to learn apart from one’s own family!

Military Records Of The Austro-Hungarian Empire

2013-04-23T14:44:00.000-04:00

By Ann Rabinowitz

Jacob Drimmer in Austro-Hungarian Military Uniform

(born Drohobycz, Ukraine, January 10, 1904)

One of the first things I attempted to do when I was researching my mother’s family was to try and determine if the stories my mother told me about my grandfather were true and not just “bubbe meises”. My grandfather, Yehuda-Leib Fink, who was born in Drohobycz, Ukraine, arrived in Manchester, England, in 1899, and had served previously, according to my mother, in the Emperor Franz Joseph’s Imperial Army.

Before our home in Manchester, England, was destroyed by the German Blitz in World War II, there was a large picture of my grandfather in his military uniform astride a horse which hung in the entryway. My mother remembered it vividly and the fact that her father always hummed while he worked the military song composed by Johann Strauss in 1848, the “Radetzky March” [http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=raditzky+march%2Cyou+tube&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_lego_portal_home], was further confirmation that he had been a military conscript.

In fact, when World War I was declared, he was taken away to an internment camp on the Isle of Man in England because he had served in the Austro-Hungarian military and was therefore considered an enemy alien. Unfortunately, none of his British records survived the Blitz during World War II.

Just recently, I received a message from a researcher in Israel, Dr. Eli Brauner, who inquired about how to locate his grandfather, Israel Leon Schrenzel’s military records in the Austro-Hungarian Army. His grandfather below was born in 1884 in Lemberg, Galicia (now Lviv, Ukraine) and lived at Peltewna 13, Lemberg.

Israel Leon Schrenzel

As I told this researcher, looking for Jewish records of recruits in the Austro-Hungarian Army is very difficult, especially prior to World War I and that it would involve knowing where his relative was inducted and/or when he served in the Army.

When I looked for my grandfather over twenty years ago, I had a military expert do the research for me in the Austrian and Polish military records, but that person has now long ago passed away. I was told by other official military experts that the records were supposedly returned to the place of origin (Ukraine) after the war, but that was not proven to me. In addition, I did not have access to anyone, at that time, who could locate records in the Ukraine, if indeed, they were there.

One of resources that have become available since the time I first looked for records is those which were microfilmed by the Mormons. A very handy research tool to use is the following link which discusses these records which the Mormons hold: http://feefhs.org/journal/9/blodgett.pdf

Several other helpful links are as follows:

As you can see when you peruse the information in this resource http://www.polishroots.com/Resources/austrian_recruit/tabid/204/Default.aspx , you really need to know the regiment the recruit served in and the year(s). In addition, if the individual was not an officer, it is difficult to find a record of them.

Another link of interest is: http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/loc1866.htm This link gives peacetime garrisons in 1866 and, Lemberg, for instance, is listed.

The Leo Baeck Institute appears to have a collection regarding a staff physician, Bernhard Bardach, from Lemberg who served in the Army which may be helpful: http://findingaids.cjh.org/?pID=481632

Some further links for locating military resources are the following:

http://austrohungarianlandforcesdiscussionforum.yuku.com/topic/1135/Finding-info-on-my-family?page=1

http://www.iabsi.com/gen/public/ahm.html

http://ahmilitary.blogspot.com/

http://www.cgsi.org/research/message-board/post/93331

One of the visual resources regarding the Jewish soldiers who served in the Austro-Hungarian forces is the following Centropa video and series of photographs:

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=austro-hungarian+army%2C+jews&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_lego_portal_home

As you go through these illustrations, you will get a vivid idea of the differences in the uniforms, persons and situations that the Jews were confronted with in the Empire’s armed forces.

The map below shows the Empire at the start of World War I.

Further, there are collections of holiday cards which were sent by the Jewish soldiers to their relatives during their service in World War I whilst in the Army which is discussed and portrayed in the following article: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4137314,00.html

There is even an article: http://www.gilzohar.ca/articles/israel/i2010-21.html which recounts the participation of troops from the Austro-Hungarian Army who served in Palestine during World War I, some of whom were Jews.

In addition, there were also Jews who fought on the side of the Turkish sultan during the war.

Austro-Hungarian Troops in Palestine During World War I

There were many Jewish soldiers who served during World War I and there were those who also perished. One of those was Zalman Berger who was killed during the definitive Battle of Lemberg in 1915. His grave is seen below as found in the YIVO archives:

Grave of Soldier Zalman Berger

(Died 1915, Lemberg, Galicia)

Another Jewish soldier who was killed was Israel Leon Schrenzel, the grandfather of Dr. Eli Brauner, who had contacted me. It is now going to be his chore to wade through all of the resources available to try and find a listing of his grandfather’s military records and his death.

After going through all of the available online materials as noted above, researchers should probably post an inquiry on JewishGen, Gesher Galicia or other similar digests which are in the area of what constituted the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so that individuals, who have done the most recent research, can assist you.

Another Auction Extravaganza

2013-04-19T12:36:00.001-04:00

By Ann Rabinowitz

Grain Bill Given to Nathan Spanier (1826-27)

As a follow up to my previous piece on the Blog on locating great finds at auction, I have another very helpful and informative find from Sotheby’s. As a result of a group of very rare documents put out to auction, Sotheby’s prepared a catalog describing the contents of these ninety-five items.

It is an amazing documentation of German Jewish economic life entitled: “Judaica, Court Jews, Bankers, and Scholars, Documents related to Jewish life in Germany and Europe (17^th to 20^th century)” which can be found at the following link in English:

http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/sothebys/PDFs/Lot-87-English-Descriptions.pdf . In addition, there is also a German version of the document by Dr. Ingo Fleisch that includes illustrations of the items which is quite fascinating: http://www.manuscryptum.de/downloads/judaica.pdf

To read through the catalog is to get a vivid impression of the extensive economic paperwork which must have existed and that was mainly destroyed completely by centuries of persecution and the latter day World Wars I and II. What interested me particularly was the economic circle around Gluckel of Hameln, the great female entrepreneur who was the first to write an autobiography of her life and times.

In that regard, I found reference to Nathan Moses Spanier (1575-1646), who was a prosperous businessman and the grandfather-in-law of Gluckel and a leader of the Jewish community in Altoona (now Hamburg), Germany. The Spanier family name was one I had been researching for some time to determine a connection to a possible descendant, Harry Spanier, who had been noted as the first Jew to be killed in the service of the Boers on December 11, 1899 during the Boer War in South Africa.

A sampling of some of the other names found in this auction group was the following:

Mendel Abenheimer

Marcus Nathan Adler
Samuel Friedrich Beer
Goldchen Behrens
Abraham Moses Bindar
Jacob Brandeis
D.N. Cahn
Jonas Cahn
Salomon Michael David
Elissen Brothers
Johann Ludwig Eskeles
Moses Friedlander
Sussman Gans
Wolf Goldsmit-Cassel
Jobst Goldschmidt
Moses Goldschmidt
Alexander Haindorf
Israel Jacob
Johanna Frankel Kley
Marcus Konigswarter
Marcus Levin Lazarus
Juda Esra Leibniczer
Abraham Levi
Simon Levi
Salomon Mandelkern
Marx Brothers (Isak, Anselm and Eduard)
Bonaventura Mayer
Franz Simon Meyer Meyer
Marx Model
Herz Nathan
Joel Beer Neckarsulmer
Joel Levi Neumann
Abraham Phillippson
Amschel Mayer Rothschild
Nathaniel Mayer Rothschild
David Samuel
Jacob Selig
Jonas Selig
Henle Ephraim Ullmann
Leopold Ullstein
Hermann Wessling
Adolph Zimmern
Adelheid Zunz

In addition to these individual names, there were the names of commercial enterprises such as banks and industrial concerns such as Gebruder Arons (Arons Brothers), L. Behrens, Dreyfuss & Kaufmann, M.S. Goldschmidt Sons, Halperin Fils, Jos. Jac. Hannover, Hirschfeld & Wolf, Lawaetz & Koch, Levinsohn & Co., Lindemann & Co., Loser Levin, F. Mart. Magnus, Gebruder Ochs (Ochs Brothers), Rosenstock & Son, Gebruder Veit (Veit Brothers), and Robert Warschauer & Co.

What gives value to these names and documents are the descriptions which tell of the importance of these individuals and corporations and their links to each other over a period of centuries. Many of these, the reader will not have heard of before, but will be amazed at the breadth and variety of their commercial dealings from banking, to silk, glass, sugar, tobacco, rice, candy, chocolate, colonial goods, silver and gold braid, jewelry, whalebone, and furs as well as sculptures, paintings and other artistic endeavors.

In addition, there is a little known highlight of a bill of exchange document which gives an American focus as it mentions Benjamin Davidson, a cousin of the Rothschild family and founder of the Rothschild’s bank in San Francisco.

Bill of Exchange, January 19, 1858

Further information on the Rothschild family and their commercial dealings in America can be found in their archives at the following link: http://www.rothschildarchive.org/tools/forprint.asp?doc=%2Ftextguide%2Farticles%2Famerican

As can be seen once again, looking at things at auction can be quite worthwhile and enlightening. It very often provides a view of previously unknown resources and types of documentation unknown to family researchers. There is also the knowledge gained of the origins of resources such as this and where to locate them.

American Joint Distribution Committee Archives Post WWII Accessible Online

2013-04-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) placed their post-World War II New York 1945-1954 Collection online and its accessible for free. This collection chronicles the vital rescue, relief, and rehabilitation programs that JDC developed in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust and World War II. This collection contains over 2,800 files, including policy memos, telegrams, correspondence generated by JDC’s New York Headquarters, and compelling eyewitness reports from JDC field staff working in Displaced Persons and refugee camps in Germany, Austria and Italy. To read more about the archives see: http://tinyurl.com/cptxtgx Original url: http://archives.jdc.org/about-us/articles/jdc-records-from-the.html

To search the collection go to: http://archives.jdc.org/archives-search/?s=archivestopnav

To browse some of the collection highlights go to: http://tinyurl.com/c6lvgcd

Original url: http://search.archives.jdc.org/search.asp?lang=ENG&dlang=ENG&module=search&page=criteria&rsvr=2&param=%3Cuppernav%3Egeneralq%3C/%3E&param2=&site=ideaalm

Jan Meisels Allen

IAJGS Vice President

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

Congressional Bills Limit Access to the Social Security Death Index

2013-04-17T17:50:00.000-04:00

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is the commercial version of the Death Master File (DMF). The DMF is a computer database file made available by the United State Social Security Administration since 1980 The DMF is a subset of the Social Security Administration’s Numident database file, computerized in 1961, which contains information about all Social Security numbers issued since 1936.

Last Congressional Session ( 2011-2012) there were a number of bills introduced, some had Congressional hearings, but none were voted on and ll died when the session ended .

The current Congressional session (2013-2014) has already seen four bills introduced that would restrict access to the public, including genealogists to the Death master File and its commercial version the SSDI.

Below are the links to the current four bills:

HR 295 –Nugent (R-FL) see: : http://tinyurl.com/al3pb4y

Original url:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr295ih/pdf/BILLS-113hr295ih.pdf

The Secretary of Commerce is prohibited from disclosing any information contained in the DMF regarding any individual who died in the previous two calendar years unless the person is certified under a specific program where the person has a” legitimate fraud prevention interest” in accessing the information described in the DMF. There is no definition of what a “legitimate fraud prevention interest” is and any one violating this provision is subject to substantial monetary penalties.

HR 466 (Capuano (D-MA) see: http://tinyurl.com/bze6vdu

Original url:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr466ih/pdf/BILLS-113hr466ih.pdf

The Commissioner of Social Security is prohibited from publishing the death master file or any public database that includes the Social Security numbers of any deceased individual.

HR 531 (Castor D-FL) see: http://tinyurl.com/cbfad7n

Original url:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr531ih/pdf/BILLS-113hr531ih.pdf

Provisions are similar to HR 295 listed above

SB 676 Nelson(D-FL) Feinstein (D-CA) Schumer (D-NY) see: http://tinyurl.com/btf35vh

Original url:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113s676is/pdf/BILLS-113s676is.pdf

Title III of this bill includes the prohibition of any individual accessing the DMF in the year of death or the next two calendar years unless the person is certified under the program by the Secretary of Commerce. Persons who may be certified include those having a” legitimate interest” in preventing fraud or unauthorized financial transactions, applicable law, regulation, court order, or fiduciary duty, facilitate administration of an insurance policy and credit reporting. There are no provisions for genealogists to be certified. The bill also permits the Social Security Administration not to be required to provide information (FOIA) on Social Security information to those who are not certified under the bill.

We have been expecting the White House to weigh in on this issue and in the annual White House budget proposal the following is part of the DMF/SSDI discussion: “the Administration is proposing to restrict immediate access to the DMF to those users who legitimately need the information for fraud prevention purposes and to delay the release of the DMF to all other users".

See: http://tinyurl.com/cdo57rn]

Original url: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2014/assets/spec.pdf

see pages 153 and 206. The bill that they are proposing to address identity theft and reduce access to the DMF has not been introduced at the time of this posting.

Jan Meisels Allen

IAJGS Vice President

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

May Will Be Jewish American Heritage Month

2013-04-17T17:40:00.000-04:00

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

The month of May is Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). This recognition was started by President George W. Bush in 2006 as a result of the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish Community leaders resulting in congressional leaders urging then-President Bush to recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. The recognition of Jewish American Month has been continued by President Barack Obama. JAHM acknowledges the achievements of American Jews in fields ranging from sports and arts and entertainment to medicine, business, science, government, and military service.

This year’s theme: American Jews in Entertainment. The JAHM recently revised and updated their website to reflect this year’s theme. Go to: http://www.jahm.us. JAHM also included theme related resources which you may find of interest. See:

http://www.jahm.us/2013_resources.aspx. A new feature is “Speaking of American Jewish Heritage” helping you find speakers for community celebrations. http://www.jahm.us/speaking_jewish.aspx This may help you with ideas for future programming.

Included on the website is the “Only in America Hall of Fame”. It has categories from arts and entertainment, business and philanthropy, literature, politics, law and activism, sports and more . See: http://survey.nmajh.org/index.php?category=1

In the past, presidents made an annual presidential proclamation for JAHM. This usually occurs during the month of May and therefore any 2013 proclamation is not yet posted but will be available on the JAHM website when this year’s proclamation is available.

Jan Meisels Allen

IAJGS Vice President

End-of-Year Musings for the Jewish Genealogist :

2013-04-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

What Role in the Long-Term Preservation of Jewish Heritage & Memory

(Rohatyn as Example)

With the end of 2012, I find myself reflecting on the role of the Jewish genealogist when Jewish artifacts are discovered in the ancestal family town - when one finds herself face-to-face with larger issues of preservation but without the resources and the where-with-all on how to proceed.

In 2008 I made my first visit to Galician Rohatyn as a tourist. But it was not long after my next visit in 2011 that I was unexpectedly confronted with issues too large in scale for a single person – living reminders that the past still exists in the present, especially in this part of eastern Europe.

For Rohatyn, these issues – similar to those found today in hundreds if not thousands of cities, towns, and villages across western Ukraine and Poland - include :

• the presence in town of Jewish headstones and headstone fragments ripped during the War from Rohatyn's two large pre-War Jewish cemeteries ;

• scraps of Jewish papers from 1941-43 discovered in 2011 during the restoration of a former synagogue building located in the former Jewish ghetto;

• buildings of pre-War Jewish heritage still standing but in ruin or disrepair ;

• two former Jewish cemeteries largely devoid of headstones and two sites of mass executions, all facing deterioration and encroachment by development ;

• the bones of 12 humans discovered in 2012 in the underground crawl space of the Ukrainain Church adjacent to the former Jewish ghetto.

Since 2011, I have been back to Rohatyn (often overnight) a dozen times. Sometimes I have brought with me others from my Rohatyn descendants genealogy group ; once with a French reporter writing an article on Galician heritage tours ; always with a Ukrainian translator. This last November 2012 I spoke to 150 Rohatyn high school students and teachers about the town's former Jewish presence.

Today I think I can confidently say that I have made connections and even « friends » in the town :

Mr. Vorobets, the 78-year old retired teacher and historian who has for more than 20 years single-handedly and without renumeration assumed the rôle of caretaker of the two cemeteries and mass grave sites, as well as the collection and transportation of Jewish headstones found in town back to one of these cemeteries for safekeeping.

Daria, the 62-year old resident whose mother hid a Jewish girl in the basement of the family home during the War thereby saving her life, and who notifies Mr. Vorbets whenever she learns of a Jewish headstone during her routine morning walks.

The current Rohatyn Mayor and administration who contacts Mr. Vorobets whenever Jewish headstones are uncovered during City road and sewer works and who has offered to stream-line the permit process when residents discover Jewish headstones during a home remodeling project.

The Priest of the Ukrainian Church who alerted Mr. Vorobets when the bones were discoverd below the Church and now wishes to give them a proper and dignified burial, whether or not they are Jewish.

These are big issues. Issues too big for a single individual or even a small research group of Rohatyn descendants. These are issues that require ressources, experts, and funding if they are to be properly addressed with a longterm perspective.

And these are emotional issues.

Through my genealogical research (online and in archives) I know that at least 75 members of my HORN family of Rohatyn were killed in the War, their bodies most certainly today in one of Rohatyn's two mass graves on the edge of town.

Have I found any material of genealogical significance during my visits to Rohatyn specific to my family ? Yes, some :

I have identified a couple of buildings that were once HORN-owned businesses on the rynek, plus a few residences nearby;

Mr. Vorobets created a list of Jewish students who attended Rohatyn's pre-War Polish and Ukrainian schools : two of my HORN daughters appear on that list ;

I found in the box of Jewish papers a scrap of business stationary with the surname « LIEBLING » (a HORN married daughter) imprinted at the top.

A few of these visits have also produced some genealogical information for members of my Rohatyn descendants group:

95-year old Rohatyn resident Mrs. Reiss (introduced to us by Mr. Vorobets) remembered the surnames of some of the Jews she saw killed during the first Aktion in March 1942 ;

2 pink granite headstones still standing behind the trees in the « new » Jewish cemetery have legible surnames : TEICHMAN and KATZ ;

SCHUMER is still legible on a large headstone lying flat at the far end of the « old » Jewish cemetery ;

The handwritten signature of Jacob LICHGARN was spotted at the bottom of one of the moldy Jewish paper scraps found in the renovated synagogue building – his granddaughter is in my group.

Most Jewish genealogists eventually become obsessed with the idea of traveling to their family shtetl to « walk the streets » of their ancestors. I did. That's exactly why I went for the first time in 2008. When I returned in 2011 it was for the same reason, except I was better prepared. I arrived in town « armed » with records, maps, photos, stories, and a Ukrainian translator. And that's how I viewed this follow-up visit to Rohatyn: a « battle » – me versus « them ». I felt no particular connection to the town, only to what it might have for me and my research. After all, how could I feel connected to these people? No Jews living there anymore ; most of the town's current residents « relocated » there after the War from points east ; Soviet occupation ; the heart of Ukrainian Nationalism today.

It should not be surprising then that this second visit turned out to be much like the first visit. I came as tourist : I shot a lot of photos ; I walked the rynek ; I visited the mass grave sites I had not found in 2008. My genealogical aspirations were disappointed but I felt chances might be improved if only I could spend more time in the town. So we rented an apartment in nearby Lviv for five months.

It was on my third visit to Rohatyn in May 2011 that I met Mr. Vorobets. Suddenly I was « involved » - whether I wanted to be or not. I could no longer remain a mere tourist.

People in town – non-Jewish people living today in Rohatyn – were now eagerly and anxiously looking to me for :

Answers - what is the « plan » for the Jewish headstones returned to the Jewish cemetery? ;

Guidance - who will take possession of the Jewish paper scraps found in the renovation ? Should the box stay in Rohatyn or be donated elsewhere ? Can someone translate the pages handwritten in Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, and German?

Decisions – are the bones found below the Church the bones of Jews? Where should they be buried? Who should conduct the service ?

I did not (and do not) have answers. I cannot offer guidance .

But knowing what I know, I also cannot turn and walk away.

A genealogist friend of mine here in Paris recently visited his father's shtetl in Poland. A farmer walked him into a barn. Underneath a protective cloth cover was a large Jewish headstone – fully intact and readable - of my friend's grandfather. The farmer said: « what took you so long – I have been waiting ».

I relate this story because there is truth in the farmer's statement : in many of our ancestral cities, especially in the smaller towns and villages, there are people who have been waiting for « us » - the decedants of the Jewish families that once lived there - to return. They are waiting for us and they are looking to us to make decisions, to answer questions, to give guidance, to get involved, to assume an active (maybe even primary) rôle in the preservation and maintenance of our Jewish heritage, what little remains.

In Rohatyn, these are people like :

Mr. Vorobets, the non-Jew, the Ukrainian, an elderly man. Who will inherit his role when he is gone ?

The director of the school who placed hundreds of brittle and moldy pieces of paper with Hebrew script and Polish handwriting into a box. Why ? Because he thought they might be important. Someone might someday come for them.

The 40-year old attorney Bohdan Schrobach who has written a book about Rohatyn's 1000-year history, and more recenty, a pamphlet devoted excluslively to Rohatyn's pre-War Jewish families.. He had not been aware that Jews once made up one-third of the town's population until he began researching for his book.

Daria who invited us into her home to show us the letters and photos her mother continued to receive for 40 years after the War from the Jewish girl the family had hidden. The Jewish girl who had survived the War, emigrated to Israel, and then returned to Rohatyn in1998 along with the other survivors to erect the memorials.

Each year, a growing nunber of American, Israeli, and European Jews make an emotional « pilgrimage » to big cities and little towns across Poland and western Ukraine to « walk the streets » of their grandparents and great-grandparents. For most of them, one trip is enough. It will forever remain a unique, emotional, and unforgettable « journey », but not one they intend to repeat. When they return home still glowing from the excitement of their exotic foreign trip with a genealogical purpose, they may join a descendants group ; or they may donate money to a Jewishgen shtetl group or region-specific research group. They may even write an article for a local newspaper or Jewish journal.

They may do all these things – post-trip - and all are admirable, necessary, and important to Jewish genealogical research.

But what for Jewish heritage preservation ?

What for the long-term maintenance of Jewish cultural artifacts ?

Here I am - a Jewish genealogist - and I ponder at year's end:

Are we merely tourists when we visit our ancestral towns and villages ?

Or, do we as Jewish genealogists bear unique responsibilities not only to our ancestral towns and their current communities – many of which have been safeguarding our heritage in our absence - but also to the perpetuation of Jewish memory ?

If we decide to get involved and NOT look the other way when a Jewish headstone is found under a lightpost in town or in a wall of a parking lot or below a vegetables garden – what are the implications and responsibilities we assume by our involvement?

To be continued.....for years to come.

Marla Raucher Osborn

December 30, 2012

Paris, France

Director on the Board of Gesher Galicia, Inc. And member of the

Rohatyn Shtetl Research Group (RSRG) founded in 2009 by Dr. Alex Feller

Links to photos from the 2011 and 2012 trips to Rohatyn :

http://www.pbase.com/nuthatch/ua_2011_rohatyn_f

http://www.pbase.com/nuthatch/ua_2012_rohatyn_f

Update: KehilaLinks

2013-04-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

Bohorodchany (Bradshin) (G), Ukraine Created by Suzanne Scheraga

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Bohorodchany/
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Brest (Brisk), Belarus Created by Eli Rabinowitz
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/brest/Home.html
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Luts'k (Luck,Lutzk), Ukraine Created by Ukraine SIG / Ron Doctor

Webmaster: Richard Baum
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/lutsk/
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Mir, Belarus Created by Eli Rabinowitz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Mir/Home.html
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Navahrudak (Novogrudok, Navaredok), Belarus Created by Eli Rabinowitz http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/navahrudak/Home.html

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Uzhok (Uzsok, Uzok), (S-C), Ukraine Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Uzhok/
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Vari (Mezovari, Vari), (S-C), Ukraine Created by Marshall J. Katz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Vari/
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Velyka Kopanya (Felsoveresmart, Velka Kopana), (S-C), Ukraine Created by Marshall J. Katz http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Velyka_Kopanya/

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Verkhniy Studenyy (Felsohidegpatak, Vysny Studeny),(S-C), Ukraine Created by Marshall J. Katz http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Verkhniy_Studenyy/

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http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/vysokaye/Home.html
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Locating Family Materials at Auction

2013-04-15T16:14:00.000-04:00

By Ann Rabinowitz

Association of Rabbis in Lithuania, Kaunas, 6th of Iyar 1926

(Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch, Rabbi Avraham Dovber Shapiro, Rabbi Zelig Reuven Bengis, Rabbi Baruch Horowitz and additional rabbis)

The above photograph was taken from an online auction of Kedem Auction House, Ltd., in Israel: http://kedem-auctions.com/en/home. It is only one of many wonderful items which can be seen and obtained from auctions.

This particular auction house has many items of a Jewish religious nature and one of the items I found was related to Rabbi Dov Ber (Bernard) Abramowitz, grandfather of Rabbi Dr. Abram Sachar, which I was able to send a copy of to his descendants:

Letter by Rabbi Dov Ber Abramowitz, to Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Rabbi of Jerusalem. New York, Elul 1900

What a wonderful momento of their ancestor who was known for his erudition as well as being one of the founders of the U.S. Rabbis Association which was attested to by the letter at the auction.

Upon providing the letter to the Sachar family, I received the following photo back from them of Rabbi Abramowitz which is quite historical in itself:

I also found on the Kedem site that there were numerous other references to individuals who served in St. Louis, Missouri, in rabbinical capacities such as Rabbi Abramowitz had. Amongst these were: Rabbi Menachem Tzvi Eichenstein, Rabbi Ya-akov Ha-Cohen Flakser, Rabbi Chaim Herschenson, Rabbi Zechariah Yosef Rosenfeld, Ga’on Rabbi Binjamin Trachtman and Rabbi Shalom Elchanan Yaffe.

Many of these references contained photographs and descriptions. These had mentions of others in the community which would be of interest to family researchers of the town.

Another great photo on the auction site was one taken of the Lithuanian and Libyan contingents who made up part of the 1,350 total participants in 18 sports at the opening ceremonies of the Second Maccabiah, Tel Aviv, April, 1935. In this case, the photo was even signed by the photographer Ephraim Erde (1905-1987).

Second Maccabiah, Tel Aviv, April, 1935

Previously, I had written about the 1935 Maccabiah Games here on the JewishGen Blog, http://jewishgen.blogspot.com/2011/06/1935-maccabiah-sports-highlight.html, so it was nice to find another photo and especially of the Lithuanian contingent which was of interest to me and also the Libyan one who had been participating for the first time in the games.

Not only are photographs and documents available online, but artistic works are also shown such as a collection of works by well-known Lithuanian-born artist Shmuel Rozin, who was born 1926, in Kaunas, and was a graduate of the Leningrad Art Academy.

Included is the piece above which features one of the artist’s works about the war and reflects his wonderful talents in the woodcut genre.

The Kedem site is just one of many online auction portals which are a rich source of materials for items of a Jewish nature. It is helpful to every once in a while to check out these sites to see what is being put on offer. It may lead you to a family document or photograph or possibly information about the town they came from.

Announcments : JGS of Cleveland

2013-04-15T14:26:00.002-04:00

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland's next meeting will be

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

in the Miller Board Room
27100 Cedat Road, 2nd Floor
Beachwood, Ohio 44122

Our Featured Speaker will be

Cynthia Turk presenting Forensic Genealogy & Finding Your 21st Century Relatives

Bernie Kouchel, a'h

2013-04-11T12:41:00.002-04:00

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Bernard Israelite Kouchel, who died on April 9, in Plantation, Broward County, Florida at the age of 85.

Bernie was one of the pioneers of Jewish genealogy on the internet. As a member of the original JewishGen Board, he has left his indelible footprints on the pages of JewishGen. As stated in a proclamation declaring the month of December, 2001 to be Bernard Israelite Kouchel Month, the award read: "Such honor bestowed upon our friend and loyal member of the JewishGen Board for his illustrious service rendered over a long and productive tenure and his accomplishments both outstanding and unforgettable to this virtual community." http://www.jewishgen.org/jewishgen/pr/KouchelProclamation.html

More recently, in 2012, he was beyond thrilled to be the recipient of the "Outstanding Program or Project Award" from International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies" (IAJGS) for the conception of the popular ViewMate Project. http://www.iajgs.org/awards/awards-2012.html

Among his other accomplishments, he chaired the Broward County Research Committee for "MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida", an important project which is now a part of the Jewish Museum in Miami.

A retired contractor in the Fort Lauderdale area, Bernie authored a book entitled "Book of Israelite Family History". From his mother, he inherited the candlesticks his grandmother, Sarah Israelite, brought with her from Novogrudok, Belarus in 1902, arriving in Brooklyn with three children to join her husband, Michl. "I envision Shabbat candle lighting rituals with Bubba waving her hands over the lit candles - it endures in my memory," he wrote.

He now joins them all, and he will certainly endure in our memories, having well-earned his rest on earth. We extend our condolences to his beloved wife, Elaine and family.

Update: Yizkor Book Necrology Database

2013-04-11T12:37:00.001-04:00

The JewishGen Yizkor Book Necrology Database has been updated with additional entries. In the past year, more than 50,000 entries from 55 Yizkor Books have been added, including:

* Belarus: Ashmyany (1,854 entries), Luninyets (784), Mir (618), and Smarhon (733 entries).

* Estonia: "Holocaust of Estonian Jews, 1941" (includes Kuressaare, Narva, Nomme, Parnu, Rakvere, Tallinn, Tartu, Valga and Viljandi) (1,113 entries).

* Germany: Oberhausen (83), and Schwaben (Swabia, 739 entries).

* Greece: Dhidhimotikhon and Orestias (325), and Thessaloniki (1,401 entries).

* Hungary: Bonyhad (1,076 entries), Csenger (409), Debrecen (4,545), Gyor (2,219), Hajduboszormeny (525), Hodmezovasarhely (405), Karcag (327), Kisvarda (1,277), Mateszalka (1,254), Nagykallo (716), Rakospalota (667), Sarvar (875), and Szolnok (646 entries).

* Lithuania: "MiMaamakim": Yeshivas of Vilijampole-Slobodka, Telsiai,

Panevezys, and Kelme (768 entries).

* Moldova: Bender (91 entries), Capresti (329), and Lipcani (713 entries).

* Netherlands: Zutphen (396 entries).

* Poland: Bialystok (365 entries), Falenica (828), Goworowo (789), Jadow (910), Jozefow (863), Kock (1,468), Mogelnica and Bledow (1,631), Ostrow Lubelski (201), Siedlce (506), Skarzysko-Kamienna (393), Tomaszow Lubelski (1,145), and Wojslawice (306 entries).

* Romania: Huedin (836 entries), Satu Mare (1,517), Targu-Mures (4,755),

and Tirgu Lapus (251 entries).

* Serbia: Sombor (916 entries).

* Slovakia: Bytca (265 entries), Michalovce (694), Secovce (494), and Topolcany (1,214 entries).

* Ukraine: Korets (1,612 entries), Kostopol (754), Lokachi (918), Ostroh (2,472), Rafalovka (354), Skala Podolskaya (1,539), and Torhovytsia (247 entries).

Another new feature is "informational windows" into the Yizkor Book Bibliographic Database. When you move your mouse over the name of a town -- in either the introduction's inventory, or in the database's search results pages -- a small window will appear, containing the full bibliographic citation of that Yizkor Book: original title, translated title, author(s), publisher, publication place and date, number of pages, and languages. If you click on the town name, you'll go to a page with further information about that Yizkor Book, including a link to its translation on the JewishGen Yizkor Book Project's web site.

The Necrology Database may be searched at:

< http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Yizkor >.

The JewishGen Yizkor Book Necrology Database indexes the names of persons in the necrologies -- the lists of Holocaust martyrs -- published in the Yizkor Books appearing on the Yizkor Book Project site at < http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/translations.html >.

This database is only an index of names; it directs researchers back to the Yizkor Book itself, where more complete information may be available.

This database currently contains over 320,000 entries from the necrologies of 376 different Yizkor Books.

Thanks to Max Heffler, Lance Ackerfeld, and all of our Yizkor Book donors and translators.

As always, we could use additional volunteers to continue the project. If you have HTML or experience with text parsing, or would like to help transliterate necrologies into English, please contact me.

The JewishGen Yizkor Book Necrology Database can be found at:

< http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Yizkor >.

Warren

Warren Blatt

Managing Director, JewishGen

<wblatt@jewishgen.org>

Café Oshpitzin

2013-04-10T20:00:00.000-04:00

Please watch this video from our sister institution, The Auschwitz Jewish Center.

VICTORIAN TRADITIONS OF MOURNING – MOURNING BROOCHES

2013-04-08T11:22:00.001-04:00

By Ann Rabinowitz

Upon reading a posting on the JewishGen Digest by Michael Weigel regarding his great grandmother’s brooch which originated around 1870-1928 in the Roos Bakker family from Terschilling in the Netherlands, I decided to investigate its origins. The brooch was further posted on the JewishGen View Mate Site and is seen above.

Apparently, the brooch is a rare example of a mourning brooch which was found throughout Europe as early as the 16^th Century, but which reached its height of popularity or fashion after the death of Britain’s Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert in 1861 and lasted until she passed away in 1901 and into the Edwardian era. It was during this time that formalized visual expressions of one’s remembrance of a loved one were found in jewelry and other wearable items for both men and women.

The brooches were made from various materials which were dependent on either the wealth or creativity of the purchaser as well as the materials at hand locally or that could be imported. Very often jet was the material of choice or some form of black glass or enamel. The variety of materials they were made from was astounding and can be found discussed on the following site: http://cemeteryexplorers.blogspot.com/2010/01/victorian-mourning-traditions-fashions.html

In addition to the materials the brooches were made from, very often, they included a lock or braided piece of hair and, in many cases, a painting or tintype photo of the deceased was included in the brooch. The Star of David was not unusual as a decorative design on the brooch and could have been utilized by a Jewish mourner as well as a non-Jewish one. The following site gives an indication of the enormous selection of designs available to Victorians for these types of brooches: http://www.morninggloryantiques.com/JewelChatVictJwl.html

On Yom HaShoah, Israel remembers 6 million Shoah victims

2013-04-08T08:56:00.000-04:00

From YNET...

Israel is marking Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday with ceremonies and events throughout the country and around the world.

At 10 am Israel came to a standstill for two mournful minutes as sirens pierced the air to remember the 6 million Jews systematically murdered by German Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust in WWII.

Israelis stopped what they were doing and stood in silence as sirens wailed nationwide. People stood with heads bowed in reflection. Traffic froze as drivers stopped their cars and stepped outside in respect for the solemn day.

Israelis in moment of Silence (Photo: Yaron Brener)

The moments of silence were followed by an official memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem's monument for the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.

President Shimon Peres , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Supreme Court President Asher Grunis are among the dignitaries present at the main memorial ceremony.

At 11 am the Knesset will hold its annual "Every person has a name,' ceremony during which the names of Holocaust victims are read out by Knesset Members.

In Poland, the March of the Living will kick off at 2:30 pm and three hours later a ceremony will be held at the Birkenau death camp. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz will lead the march.

The Remembrance Day ceremonies will come to a close with a ceremony at Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot (Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz) at 7:45 pm.

Holocaust survivors attend ceremonies (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

"The Holocaust will not sink in history's gaping hole. It is here with us, blazing and real. It echoes as we step on the ghettos' stone floors," President Shimon Peres said at a ceremony on the eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day. Six torches were lit during the ceremony at Yad Vashem.

Peres said, "The Holocaust does not permit us as a Jewish people to shut our eyes and must serve as a constant warning sign to all of humanity. The map of Europe still contains anti-Semitic stains. To our shame there are still those who have learned nothing.

"There are still Holocaust deniers. Crises are again being exploited to establish ridiculous but dangerous Nazi parties. Sickening anti-Semitic cartoons are still being published. The quest for justice and freedom has not ended."

The president continued, "The enlightened world must ask itself how is it that so soon after the crematoriums' fire was extinguished, after the terrible cost the Allied Forces paid to subdue the Nazi devil, there can still be an Iranian leadership that denies the Holocaust and threatens a with another Holocaust.
"Whoever ignores a threat of Holocaust directed at one people must know that such a threat at another is the same as a threat against all peoples."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke at the ceremony. "Lately we have witnessed shocking manifestations of violence against the elderly, including Holocaust survivors. There is nothing that contradicts the Jewish heritage and basic human morals more. We shall not tolerate it."

He further added, "Holocaust survivors are the symbol of revival. They deserve to live the rest of their days in peace, security and dignity. "

Addressing the Iranian threat, he said: "There are those who wish to extinguish our light. Iran openly declares its intent to destroy Israel and is pursuing all means to achieve that goal." Netanyahu quoted Iranian clerics as saying that "Zionists are microbes and bacteria. The Jews are filthy people who spread disease."

"It was not said only then, it is being said today. Iran's ruler today says that 'Israel is a cancerous tumor that must be removed from the Middle East.' The murderous hatred that follows our people's history has not vanished but replaced by a hatred against the Jewish state. What has changed since the Holocaust is our determination and ability to defend ourselves."

"We appreciate the international community's efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program but at no point will we place our fate in the hands of others, not even in the hands of our greatest friends."

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is marked worldwide on Jan. 27, the date of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Israel's annual Holocaust memorial day coincides with the Hebrew date of the Warsaw ghetto uprising.

Click here to read the entire article from YNET.

Announcement: JGS of Cleveland

2013-04-05T10:32:00.001-04:00

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland's next meeting will be

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

in the Miller Board Room of Menorah Park (2nd floor)

Our Featured Speaker will be

Kenneth Bravo, Immediate Past President
speaking about "Finding Frida"

Ken will explain how using Yad Vashem records, the Internet
and a lot of good luck, helped him find his mother's cousin who
survived the Holocaust.