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BLUSTEIN / BLUSHTEIN #general

Udi Cain
 

Dear all.

On behalf of my good friend Meir Eshel (Vagshul).
His grandfather was Dr. Meir Blushtein >from Stopnitza, Poland, his mother
is Lea (Lola), she had few brothers, one of them was sent with her to
concentration camp and worked in "Hasag" ammunition factory.
Her brother, Leon Blushtein, was heart in his eye and was taken by the
Germans, in 1941 or 1942. Since then there was no connection or any sign.
A friend of Lola, who was with her in the same camp, Getsel Liss, later
from NY, was the last witness who also gave Leon a piece of bread before
he was taken.

Regards. Udi Cain.
Russian Congregation question #general

steven weiss <szome@...>
 

What was meant by the designation "rusische shul" or "Russian
Congregation"? Were the founders >from Russia itself and not >from the
"Pale of Settlement"? Or were the founders >from Ukraine which was often
considered part of Russia itself as opposed to those >from Lithuania and
Poland?

I am inquiring specifically about the rusische or Russian Congregation
Anshei Sfard in Brockton, Massachusetts. Did all "Russian Congregations"
follow Nusach Sfard?

Steven Weiss
Chicago
HURWITZ and SCHWARTZBERG >from Brockton, MA
Holocaust Memorial Day #general

IsraelP <zach4v6@...>
 

This Friday, fast of the tenth of Teveth was designated by the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel in the early days of the State as the day of general
kaddish for Holocaust victims. In practice, the custom is that people who
do not know when their family members were killed say kaddish on this day.

Israel Pickholtz
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen BLUSTEIN / BLUSHTEIN #general

Udi Cain
 

Dear all.

On behalf of my good friend Meir Eshel (Vagshul).
His grandfather was Dr. Meir Blushtein >from Stopnitza, Poland, his mother
is Lea (Lola), she had few brothers, one of them was sent with her to
concentration camp and worked in "Hasag" ammunition factory.
Her brother, Leon Blushtein, was heart in his eye and was taken by the
Germans, in 1941 or 1942. Since then there was no connection or any sign.
A friend of Lola, who was with her in the same camp, Getsel Liss, later
from NY, was the last witness who also gave Leon a piece of bread before
he was taken.

Regards. Udi Cain.
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen Russian Congregation question #general

steven weiss <szome@...>
 

What was meant by the designation "rusische shul" or "Russian
Congregation"? Were the founders >from Russia itself and not >from the
"Pale of Settlement"? Or were the founders >from Ukraine which was often
considered part of Russia itself as opposed to those >from Lithuania and
Poland?

I am inquiring specifically about the rusische or Russian Congregation
Anshei Sfard in Brockton, Massachusetts. Did all "Russian Congregations"
follow Nusach Sfard?

Steven Weiss
Chicago
HURWITZ and SCHWARTZBERG >from Brockton, MA
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen Holocaust Memorial Day #general

IsraelP <zach4v6@...>
 

This Friday, fast of the tenth of Teveth was designated by the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel in the early days of the State as the day of general
kaddish for Holocaust victims. In practice, the custom is that people who
do not know when their family members were killed say kaddish on this day.

Israel Pickholtz
Re: European Education #general

Judith Romney Wegner
 


I was telling a friend that another friend has traced their family back
to the 1500's. My friend told me that this was impossible because that
period of time was considered the Dark Ages and that written records were
not kept and that there was no possible way of this person or any person
going back that far in search for a Jewish family. She, being a teacher,
told me that the Jews back then did not write or read. I know that this
sounds ridiculous but I must check it out. I have searched my personal
library but unfortunately I cannot find any information on this. I really
need your help.
TIA,
Lois Friedman
The idea that Jews as a whole in 1500 were illiterate is indeed ridiculous,
as you say. As in other cultures (both then and now) some people could
read and some could not. Furthermore, if your teacher friend characterized
the 1500s as the Dark Ages, he or she is way out of line and should go
back to school on the other side of the desk! 1500 was not the Dark Ages,
even in the (then relatively backward) lands of Christendom -- and
certainly not in the lands of Islam for centuries prior to that -- a
flourishing and literate culture in which many Jews lived. The
expression "Dark Ages" is usually applied by Europeans to a much earlier
period, namely the early Middle Ages in Europe (say, between about 600-
1000 CE), and is in any case it is a very ethnocentric designation, as it
ignores the highly literate Islamic culture that flourished in those early
centuries (not to speak of others such as the Chinese).

While it is certainly true that most individuals in most cultures could not
read or write in 1500 (or for that matter even in 1800) this was probably
less true of the Jews, at least for males, many of whom were taught to read
Hebrew in order to recite lengthy daily prayers (the earliest written
Hebrew prayer book goes back to the 10th century) and the mitzvah of Torah
study. But in any case, people who were illiterate could seek the services
of scribes when they needed to record important information.

However, this much said, it is difficult (except for famous dynasties,
which among the Jews means the leading rabbinic dynasties) to trace
families back that far in almost any culture, because official record
keeping hardly existed back then, except for the church and the nobility.
One notable exception is Holland, where I have learned that general b/d/m
records do in fact go back to the 1500s.

Judith Romney Wegner
Eurocheck #general

David Gottdenker <davidg5@...>
 

After writing them, I received a notice >from the Osterriechisches
Staatsarchiv that there are assets in an account of an ancestor. To
provide details of the assets, they are requesting payment via
Eurocheck. How do I go about obtaining a Eurocheck in the U.S.?

Thanks!
Teacher and Dark Ages #general

Ma <sneezi@...>
 

Hi Lisa:

In rereading your email, I realized the teacher was a friend of a friend
so that could had been a misunderstanding. I should had been more
careful, just like your friend.

Sincerely,
Edna McDonald
help! the name Zaltzah??? #general

Lancy
 

I would bet on Zelda. I have seen many handwritings in which the
dalet is drawn like a tzaddi. I never heard the name Zaltzah. By
the way Zaltz is "salt" in Yiddish.

Lancy Spalter
Kfar Tavor, Israel

Searching: PRESSER & ZIMMERMAN - Galicia, Ukraine
SPALTER & GRUNHUT - Galicia, Poland
GUTMAN - Opatow, Poland
KANAREK - Sandomierz, Poland
GULIAK - Dubossary, Moldova

Genners,
I have a picture of an individual who I believe is a
woman - surprisingly, it is really had to determine the
gender. On the back is the name (in Yiddish) that I read
out to be Zaltzah. >from first letter to last, it is spelled:
zion, ayin, lamed, tzaddik, ayin.

The tzaddik looks exactly like "3". (If it were a daled, I
would read it as Zalda - perhaps Zelda).. But lets say it
IS a tzaddik and the name is Zaltzah....
Would anyone be able to tell me about this name
Re: help! the name Zaltzah??? #general

Judith Romney Wegner
 

I have a picture of an individual who I believe is a woman -
surprisingly, it is really had to determine the gender. On the back is the
name (in Yiddish) that I read out to be Zaltzah.
from first letter to last, it is spelled: zion, ayin, lamed, tzaddik, ayin.
The tzaddik looks exactly like "3". (If it were a daled, I would read it
as Zalda - perhaps Zelda).. But lets say it IS a tzaddik and the name is
Zaltzah...
Howie

Many people (including myself) write a dalet that looks quite similar to
the number 3 in cursive script (the script normally used in writing
Yiddish) so I don't think you should dismiss your own thought that it
might actually be Zelda after all, Unless of course, her name was Elka
Zaltzah.... (:-)

JRW
One story behind the age changes #general

papa-nana@...
 

I have seen many messages telling of Jewish women who
lowered their ages and men who increased their ages, or
vice versa. First of all, one must remember that few
Jews ever had their births and deaths recorded with
authorities, especially in Eastern Europe. The Russians
and Poles probably didn't care.

Most Jews, being Orthodox, followed the Hebrew (Jewish)
calendar. Thus, my mother would tell me that he
birthday was sometime around Purim. The year was the
year of the "great snow". Over time, her birth date
varied >from the 1st of March to the 30th of April. The
year fluctuated >from 1898 to 1901. When she died, we
had to arbitrarily pick one of the public records,
Social Security, as the "official" date.

Ages were also conveniently "moved around" to
accommodate a "shidach" (arranged marriage). If the
bride needed to be younger, so be it. Or, if the groom
needed to be younger or older, that was O.K. too. The
only thing that they had to be careful of was that the
bride and groom were not first cousins. Even this
became a problem, because people were driven
from "shtetel to shtetle" as the Czar or Cossacks went
on rampages (Pogroms), or anti-semitism became so
threatening, as in Poland, and especially Galicia, that
flight was imperative. Thus, family ties were lost, and
later it was found that indeed first cousins did marry,
albeit unknowingly. This may well explain some of the
genetic diseases common to Jews of Eastern
European "origin".

I hope this doesn't add "fuel" to the "problem". I had
intended to enlighten people on the subject.

Bernie Auerbach
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen Re: European Education #general

Judith Romney Wegner
 


I was telling a friend that another friend has traced their family back
to the 1500's. My friend told me that this was impossible because that
period of time was considered the Dark Ages and that written records were
not kept and that there was no possible way of this person or any person
going back that far in search for a Jewish family. She, being a teacher,
told me that the Jews back then did not write or read. I know that this
sounds ridiculous but I must check it out. I have searched my personal
library but unfortunately I cannot find any information on this. I really
need your help.
TIA,
Lois Friedman
The idea that Jews as a whole in 1500 were illiterate is indeed ridiculous,
as you say. As in other cultures (both then and now) some people could
read and some could not. Furthermore, if your teacher friend characterized
the 1500s as the Dark Ages, he or she is way out of line and should go
back to school on the other side of the desk! 1500 was not the Dark Ages,
even in the (then relatively backward) lands of Christendom -- and
certainly not in the lands of Islam for centuries prior to that -- a
flourishing and literate culture in which many Jews lived. The
expression "Dark Ages" is usually applied by Europeans to a much earlier
period, namely the early Middle Ages in Europe (say, between about 600-
1000 CE), and is in any case it is a very ethnocentric designation, as it
ignores the highly literate Islamic culture that flourished in those early
centuries (not to speak of others such as the Chinese).

While it is certainly true that most individuals in most cultures could not
read or write in 1500 (or for that matter even in 1800) this was probably
less true of the Jews, at least for males, many of whom were taught to read
Hebrew in order to recite lengthy daily prayers (the earliest written
Hebrew prayer book goes back to the 10th century) and the mitzvah of Torah
study. But in any case, people who were illiterate could seek the services
of scribes when they needed to record important information.

However, this much said, it is difficult (except for famous dynasties,
which among the Jews means the leading rabbinic dynasties) to trace
families back that far in almost any culture, because official record
keeping hardly existed back then, except for the church and the nobility.
One notable exception is Holland, where I have learned that general b/d/m
records do in fact go back to the 1500s.

Judith Romney Wegner
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen Eurocheck #general

David Gottdenker <davidg5@...>
 

After writing them, I received a notice >from the Osterriechisches
Staatsarchiv that there are assets in an account of an ancestor. To
provide details of the assets, they are requesting payment via
Eurocheck. How do I go about obtaining a Eurocheck in the U.S.?

Thanks!
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen Teacher and Dark Ages #general

Ma <sneezi@...>
 

Hi Lisa:

In rereading your email, I realized the teacher was a friend of a friend
so that could had been a misunderstanding. I should had been more
careful, just like your friend.

Sincerely,
Edna McDonald
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen help! the name Zaltzah??? #general

Lancy
 

I would bet on Zelda. I have seen many handwritings in which the
dalet is drawn like a tzaddi. I never heard the name Zaltzah. By
the way Zaltz is "salt" in Yiddish.

Lancy Spalter
Kfar Tavor, Israel

Searching: PRESSER & ZIMMERMAN - Galicia, Ukraine
SPALTER & GRUNHUT - Galicia, Poland
GUTMAN - Opatow, Poland
KANAREK - Sandomierz, Poland
GULIAK - Dubossary, Moldova

Genners,
I have a picture of an individual who I believe is a
woman - surprisingly, it is really had to determine the
gender. On the back is the name (in Yiddish) that I read
out to be Zaltzah. >from first letter to last, it is spelled:
zion, ayin, lamed, tzaddik, ayin.

The tzaddik looks exactly like "3". (If it were a daled, I
would read it as Zalda - perhaps Zelda).. But lets say it
IS a tzaddik and the name is Zaltzah....
Would anyone be able to tell me about this name
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen Re: help! the name Zaltzah??? #general

Judith Romney Wegner
 

I have a picture of an individual who I believe is a woman -
surprisingly, it is really had to determine the gender. On the back is the
name (in Yiddish) that I read out to be Zaltzah.
from first letter to last, it is spelled: zion, ayin, lamed, tzaddik, ayin.
The tzaddik looks exactly like "3". (If it were a daled, I would read it
as Zalda - perhaps Zelda).. But lets say it IS a tzaddik and the name is
Zaltzah...
Howie

Many people (including myself) write a dalet that looks quite similar to
the number 3 in cursive script (the script normally used in writing
Yiddish) so I don't think you should dismiss your own thought that it
might actually be Zelda after all, Unless of course, her name was Elka
Zaltzah.... (:-)

JRW
JewishGen Discussion Group #JewishGen One story behind the age changes #general

papa-nana@...
 

I have seen many messages telling of Jewish women who
lowered their ages and men who increased their ages, or
vice versa. First of all, one must remember that few
Jews ever had their births and deaths recorded with
authorities, especially in Eastern Europe. The Russians
and Poles probably didn't care.

Most Jews, being Orthodox, followed the Hebrew (Jewish)
calendar. Thus, my mother would tell me that he
birthday was sometime around Purim. The year was the
year of the "great snow". Over time, her birth date
varied >from the 1st of March to the 30th of April. The
year fluctuated >from 1898 to 1901. When she died, we
had to arbitrarily pick one of the public records,
Social Security, as the "official" date.

Ages were also conveniently "moved around" to
accommodate a "shidach" (arranged marriage). If the
bride needed to be younger, so be it. Or, if the groom
needed to be younger or older, that was O.K. too. The
only thing that they had to be careful of was that the
bride and groom were not first cousins. Even this
became a problem, because people were driven
from "shtetel to shtetle" as the Czar or Cossacks went
on rampages (Pogroms), or anti-semitism became so
threatening, as in Poland, and especially Galicia, that
flight was imperative. Thus, family ties were lost, and
later it was found that indeed first cousins did marry,
albeit unknowingly. This may well explain some of the
genetic diseases common to Jews of Eastern
European "origin".

I hope this doesn't add "fuel" to the "problem". I had
intended to enlighten people on the subject.

Bernie Auerbach
Plashet Cemetery, London #general

Miriam Margolyes <75342.3217@...>
 

A huge Jewish cemetery in the East End of London is
Plashet Cemetery, covering families who died in
Ilford, East Ham, Whitechapel, Dulwich, etc.
Actually, I think it's technically in the county of Essex.

It's not "manned" but the details are kept by
United Synagogue Ilford Burial Society,
+44 208 518 2868.

There is also a FAX: +44 208 451 0478.

The lady I spoke to was extremely pleasant:
to get information, someone has to visit the
Cemetery: it's open M-F & Sunday: 9-4pm.

Closes an hour earlier in the Winter.

I don't know if the Index of graves is on-line, but
that would be a terrifically useful undertaking for
those of us with UK family.

Miriam MARGOLYES
Santa Monica
e-mail: 75342.3217@compuserve.com
Weissmark/Waismark Family/Argentina #general

Joelle van den Berg-Lewkowicz <joellevandenberg@...>
 

Happy New Year to all!!

Is there anyone living in the Buenos Aires, Argentina area who can help
me locate a relative?

I am trying to contact a cousin in Argentina. Her name in Hebrew is
Chana.

We think it is Juanita in Spanish. Her unmarried name was Weissmark or
Waismark. Her married name is Manosevitz. That could also be Manosewitz
or Manosevicz or another small variation of the same name. She is an
attorney-at-law and as far as we know lives in the Buenos Aires area.
Anything, an address, a phone number or email address would be helpful.

Thank you for your help.

Joelle Lewkowicz van den Berg
kring van Dorth, Netherlands

(if you find her tell her my grandmother Lea was her father Nathan's
sister)

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