It has been quite some time since I posted a general request so it seems
wise to repeat it now. On my mother’s side, my ggf was Moses Aaron
HORWITZ (b. 1859 in Smolevichi, Belarus; d. 1935, Washington, DC). He
had at least one brother, Gershon (1867-1941 d. Utica, NY; married
Maryasha RUBIN, 1867-1934) and one sister, Sura (1871-1949, d.
Rochester, NY; married Shlomo FRIEDLAND).

Moses Aaron and his siblings were the children of Shimon Gedalia HORWITZ
and Anya (?) GEZOFF.

Moses Aaron married Chaya Ruchl DRAZIN (b. 1862, Bobruisk, d. 1948,
Washington, DC). She was the daughter of Rabbi Eliezer Sender DRAZIN (d.
1904) and Hinde MOGILNER (d. 1915, buried, Mount of Olives). Eliezer
Sender may have been the son of Gershon. Chaya Ruchl had at least three
siblings: Genya (d. 1908; married Eliahu TEMCHIN), Zusman/Sam (d. 1948;
married Sarah SHNEIBERG) and Zvi.

Moses Aaron and Chaya Ruchl were married in 1880 on an estate named
Zitsin, property inherited by Rabbi Drazin >from Prince
Sayn-Wittgenstein, a general famous for his service to the czar.

According to a short biography of him published in 1930, MAH studied
under "the Learned and Righteous Rabbi Yeshaye ZUKHAWITZER and the
Learned Rabbi Jacob, who called himself Reb Yankele of Smolevitz, and
the Learned Rabbi Moshe PINNES, known as the Rabbad of Minsk, in-laws of
Rabbi Saul Chaim the Learned of Dubrovno, who died in Israel, and of his
nephew the Learned Rabbi Joseph Gershon HORWITZ, of Mea Shearim, known
as the Ram in Israel." He also studied at the Blumkes Synagogue in Minsk
and later with "the renowned scholar Rabbi Yekhiel RABINOWITZ."
He received his first smicha at the age of 21 >from Rabbi Moshe LEIB of
Minsk, the son-in-law of the Learned Rabbi David TEBEL.

Moses Aaron emigrated to the United States, leaving Hamburg on the
Deutschland and arriving in New York on June 21, 1906. He obtained a
second smicha before emigrating >from "the Learned Rabbi Samuel Moshe
SHPIRO of Bobruisk and >from the Learned, Righteous Rabbi Jacob MEYER of
Minsk and also >from the Rabbad of Minsk, Rabbi Isaac Pinnes and >from
others of Minsk." He eventually went to Washington, DC, becoming rabbi
of the
Talmud Torah Congregation in 1912 where he served until his death in 1935.

My great-grandparents had six children, most or all of whom were born in
Lapichi, Belarus:
Sol (1884-1950, d. Elmira, NY)
Shema (1886-1976, d. Utica, NY)
Gershon/Harry (1889-1970, d. Elmira, NY)
Peshe/Bessie (1894-1976, d. Washington, DC)
Sam (1895?-??, d. Denver, CO)
Abe (1897-1985, d. Elmira, NY)
Eliahu/Alec (1899-1978, d. Washington, DC)

If anything rings a bell, please write. Who knows? We might find family!

Thanks,
David Gordon
tiganeasca@... <mailto:tiganeasca@...>
Chicago, IL