In the first quarter of the 20th century, a number of KELLERs came to
Toronto; David, Matthew, Caleb, Lejb, Fajga, Dwojra Ita, Hena Gitl, and
Max - maybe more - >from north of Plock (e.g., Rypin and Sierpc).

Except for Max, my ggg uncle, they all disappear >from Toronto
directories. I would like to hear >from anybody who knows where any of
them went. The original family name was KRUPIARZ.

David Colman
Toronto, Canada

In the first quarter of the 20th century, a number of KELLERs came to
Toronto; David, Matthew, Caleb, Lejb, Fajga, Dwojra Ita, Hena Gitl, and
Max - maybe more - >from north of Plock (e.g., Rypin and Sierpc).

Except for Max, my ggg uncle, they all disappear >from Toronto
directories. I would like to hear >from anybody who knows where any of
them went. The original family name was KRUPIARZ.

David Colman
Toronto, Canada

The Vilnius Great Synagogue was not destroyed by the Nazis.
I was informed by an eyewitness that whilst the Synagogue was heavily damaged by the fighting during the War it was the post war communist regime which had it bulldozed to the ground as well as razing the surrounding (Jewish) structures.

It was the same communist regime which destroyed the ancient Jewish cemetery so that a sports stadium could be built on the site.
The tomb of the Vilna Gaon and other Jewish scholars were also destroyed but the bones of the Gaon and some of his disciples were reinterred by Vilnius Jews in the Jewish cemetery in the Vilnius suburbs.

Alter Solomon

The Vilnius Great Synagogue was not destroyed by the Nazis.
I was informed by an eyewitness that whilst the Synagogue was heavily damaged by the fighting during the War it was the post war communist regime which had it bulldozed to the ground as well as razing the surrounding (Jewish) structures.

It was the same communist regime which destroyed the ancient Jewish cemetery so that a sports stadium could be built on the site.
The tomb of the Vilna Gaon and other Jewish scholars were also destroyed but the bones of the Gaon and some of his disciples were reinterred by Vilnius Jews in the Jewish cemetery in the Vilnius suburbs.

Alter Solomon

Once again I turn to you for assistance. I have numerous videos of Jewish
cemeteries throughout Hungary, Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia. Included in these videos are many still photos taken with a JVC digital video camera. The camera is a Cyber Cam GR-DVM1 and uses DV sized film. It is about two and a half years old. I purchased a program that I thought
would help me get the film into my computer and edit it so that the
information shown on the tombstones would be able to be
transcribed and submitted to 1. Jewishgen WW cemetery database 2. H-sig
website and 3. to the individuals who have requested copies of the
film/tape. I was not successful in this endeavor. Plan B is to purchase a
Sony VAIO computer with all the built in capabilities of video transferring
and editing. However, there is something called a "firewire" which one must
connect >from the camera to the computer to transmit the video. My video
camera has no port for this type of connection. I am told that the newer
model JVC video cameras have this connection capability. I can't use a Sony
camera since that is for 8mm film only, and I have the DV size film. Can
someone enlighten me about this? 1. Am I correct about the technical
specifications mentioned here? 2. If my only option is to purchase a newer
JVC camera does anyone have a suggestion for the best place to purchase such
a camera? Can it be rented - if so, where? 3. Are there alternatives
available to get the data on the film into the hands of the public? Can
Jewishgen do it, if I send them a video copy (which I can do)? Please
respond privately.

Louis Schonfeld
Lmagyar@en.com

P.S. Unrelated to this message, but important for some of you: A copy of
the original Pinkas Hevra Kadisha (burial registry) of Ungvar/Uzhgorod has
been sent to the Washington D.C. Holocaust Memorial Museum. As mentioned
in an earlier message I hope to go to Israel later this year and at that
time find out the progress of the transcribing project for this Pinkas. LS

Once again I turn to you for assistance. I have numerous videos of Jewish
cemeteries throughout Hungary, Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia. Included in these videos are many still photos taken with a JVC digital video camera. The camera is a Cyber Cam GR-DVM1 and uses DV sized film. It is about two and a half years old. I purchased a program that I thought
would help me get the film into my computer and edit it so that the
information shown on the tombstones would be able to be
transcribed and submitted to 1. Jewishgen WW cemetery database 2. H-sig
website and 3. to the individuals who have requested copies of the
film/tape. I was not successful in this endeavor. Plan B is to purchase a
Sony VAIO computer with all the built in capabilities of video transferring
and editing. However, there is something called a "firewire" which one must
connect >from the camera to the computer to transmit the video. My video
camera has no port for this type of connection. I am told that the newer
model JVC video cameras have this connection capability. I can't use a Sony
camera since that is for 8mm film only, and I have the DV size film. Can
someone enlighten me about this? 1. Am I correct about the technical
specifications mentioned here? 2. If my only option is to purchase a newer
JVC camera does anyone have a suggestion for the best place to purchase such
a camera? Can it be rented - if so, where? 3. Are there alternatives
available to get the data on the film into the hands of the public? Can
Jewishgen do it, if I send them a video copy (which I can do)? Please
respond privately.

Louis Schonfeld
Lmagyar@en.com

P.S. Unrelated to this message, but important for some of you: A copy of
the original Pinkas Hevra Kadisha (burial registry) of Ungvar/Uzhgorod has
been sent to the Washington D.C. Holocaust Memorial Museum. As mentioned
in an earlier message I hope to go to Israel later this year and at that
time find out the progress of the transcribing project for this Pinkas. LS

Hello all,
I am sending this query to the Ekaterinoslav Area Research Group as
well as this one, so I apologize if you subscribe to both and therefore
receive it twice.

Here is background of that I know:
My Gt.gt. grandfather, Nachum ben Nachman TALALAY, was born about 1856,
in Mogilev, Belarus.
He was married to Riva Ruchel bat Yosel (?), born about 1876, likely in
Mogilev, Belarus, also.
Their children were:
Yankel Moshe ben Nachum TALALAY, born Nov 1876, in Mogilev, Belarus (my
gt. grandfather);
Vishna bat Nachum TALALAY, born in 1882, in Mogilev, Belarus.

Nachum and Riva TALALAY died in a synogogue fire about 1886. After
this, the children (or perhaps only Yankel), went to live with Rabbi
Efraim DISKIN, also in Mogilev.

My problem (and thus will lead to the question) is that my
grandmother, Chiena TALALAY (born in 1914 in Mogilev, Belarus), has told
me that her father came >from Ekaterinoslav. We are trying to piece
together how she knew him to be >from Ekaterinoslav/Dnieperpetrovsk, when
we know >from the Mogilev Crown Rabbinate records that he was born in Mogilev.
We know there was some movement of Belarussian Jews to Ukraine in
this time period. They had made lands available there for settlers. That
possibly Yankel's parents went there after 1882, when their daughter was born.

So, the question:
Does anyone knows of any major pogroms about the time of 1886 when
Nachum and Riva TALALAY died? Perhaps, there is a record of a place or
a synagogue fire. I know most pogroms involved synagogue fires, but if
there are some in this time period in Ekaterinoslav/Dnieperpetrovsk,
then perhaps we can start looking there.

I will apreciate all help and / or suggestions.
Best Regards,
Alicia Jensen
Placentia, California, US
aliciajens@earthlink.net

Always searching for:
TALALAY(I) / TAYLOR, DISKIN -Belarus to Michigan, US
WOHL, BROTT, FORTGANG -Austria / Poland to US
POTTER, BARROW, NEWSHAM -in England and to Canada to US
MADER , NIMPHER, KNAPP -Germany to US

Hello all,
I am sending this query to the Ekaterinoslav Area Research Group as
well as this one, so I apologize if you subscribe to both and therefore
receive it twice.

Here is background of that I know:
My Gt.gt. grandfather, Nachum ben Nachman TALALAY, was born about 1856,
in Mogilev, Belarus.
He was married to Riva Ruchel bat Yosel (?), born about 1876, likely in
Mogilev, Belarus, also.
Their children were:
Yankel Moshe ben Nachum TALALAY, born Nov 1876, in Mogilev, Belarus (my
gt. grandfather);
Vishna bat Nachum TALALAY, born in 1882, in Mogilev, Belarus.

Nachum and Riva TALALAY died in a synogogue fire about 1886. After
this, the children (or perhaps only Yankel), went to live with Rabbi
Efraim DISKIN, also in Mogilev.

My problem (and thus will lead to the question) is that my
grandmother, Chiena TALALAY (born in 1914 in Mogilev, Belarus), has told
me that her father came >from Ekaterinoslav. We are trying to piece
together how she knew him to be >from Ekaterinoslav/Dnieperpetrovsk, when
we know >from the Mogilev Crown Rabbinate records that he was born in Mogilev.
We know there was some movement of Belarussian Jews to Ukraine in
this time period. They had made lands available there for settlers. That
possibly Yankel's parents went there after 1882, when their daughter was born.

So, the question:
Does anyone knows of any major pogroms about the time of 1886 when
Nachum and Riva TALALAY died? Perhaps, there is a record of a place or
a synagogue fire. I know most pogroms involved synagogue fires, but if
there are some in this time period in Ekaterinoslav/Dnieperpetrovsk,
then perhaps we can start looking there.

I will apreciate all help and / or suggestions.
Best Regards,
Alicia Jensen
Placentia, California, US
aliciajens@earthlink.net

Always searching for:
TALALAY(I) / TAYLOR, DISKIN -Belarus to Michigan, US
WOHL, BROTT, FORTGANG -Austria / Poland to US
POTTER, BARROW, NEWSHAM -in England and to Canada to US
MADER , NIMPHER, KNAPP -Germany to US

I have recently returned >from a trip to the Allen County Library in Ft.
Wayne, Indiana.

I found a series of books that gives indexes of immigrants to the USA. I
found my ancestors (>from Latvia) listed as coming >from the port of Hamburg,
so I will pass the information on. The indexes had almost everyone that I
was looking for (within the given time period) and some that I wasn't even
looking for. (I was just looking up my surname).

The book is called "Migration >from the Russian Empire.
Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York" (some say "at U.S.
Ports")

by Ira A. Glazier

Volume 1: January 1875-September 1882

Volume 2: October 1882-April 1886

Volume 3: May 1886-December 1887

Volume 4: January 1888-June 1889

Volume 5: June 1889-July 1890

Volume 6: August 1890-June 1891

I would recommend that people searching these time periods take the time to
search an index such as this. The index gives the ship, date of arrival, and
port of departure. With this information you can look up the actual ship
records on microfilm.

Has anyone had success with any other Indexes of this sort? I'm waiting for
something that will cover the rest of the 1890's.

I have almost completed my search for my family's immigration to the USA.

For the record, here is my family, >from Sassmacken (Valdemarpils), Latvia.

The family as I know it is as follows (4 columns separated by '/'):

Parents / Born / Died / Immigrated
Levin (or Louis or Lebe) Seeberg / 1829 / 1 January 1917 / 8 July 1890
Esther Gleke Seeberg / 1840 / 9 January 1929 / 8 July 1890

Children / Born / Died / Immigrated
Chave Seeberg / abt. 1857 / ? / ?
Kalman (Charles) Seeberg / 15 September 1859 / 20 September 1948 / 1877 ?
Sarah Seeberg / abt. 1860 / ? / ?
Israel (Jacob) Seeberg / 7 March 1862 / 4 May 1954 / 30 November 1886
Blume (Bertha) Seeberg / 17 May 1865 / 15 December 1954 / 24 November 1888
Hersh Seeberg / 8 November 1867 / 3 July 1870
Olga (Goldie) Seeberg / 8 August 1870 / ?/ 8 July 1890
Joshua (Selig) Seeberg / 25 July 1873 / ? / 24 November 1888
Hase (Clara) Seeberg / 15 January 1876 / 17 November 1916 / 8 July 1890
Isak Seeberg / 21 September 1878 / 6 May 1879

I have recently returned >from a trip to the Allen County Library in Ft.
Wayne, Indiana.

I found a series of books that gives indexes of immigrants to the USA. I
found my ancestors (>from Latvia) listed as coming >from the port of Hamburg,
so I will pass the information on. The indexes had almost everyone that I
was looking for (within the given time period) and some that I wasn't even
looking for. (I was just looking up my surname).

The book is called "Migration >from the Russian Empire.
Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York" (some say "at U.S.
Ports")

by Ira A. Glazier

Volume 1: January 1875-September 1882

Volume 2: October 1882-April 1886

Volume 3: May 1886-December 1887

Volume 4: January 1888-June 1889

Volume 5: June 1889-July 1890

Volume 6: August 1890-June 1891

I would recommend that people searching these time periods take the time to
search an index such as this. The index gives the ship, date of arrival, and
port of departure. With this information you can look up the actual ship
records on microfilm.

Has anyone had success with any other Indexes of this sort? I'm waiting for
something that will cover the rest of the 1890's.

I have almost completed my search for my family's immigration to the USA.

For the record, here is my family, >from Sassmacken (Valdemarpils), Latvia.

The family as I know it is as follows (4 columns separated by '/'):

Parents / Born / Died / Immigrated
Levin (or Louis or Lebe) Seeberg / 1829 / 1 January 1917 / 8 July 1890
Esther Gleke Seeberg / 1840 / 9 January 1929 / 8 July 1890

Children / Born / Died / Immigrated
Chave Seeberg / abt. 1857 / ? / ?
Kalman (Charles) Seeberg / 15 September 1859 / 20 September 1948 / 1877 ?
Sarah Seeberg / abt. 1860 / ? / ?
Israel (Jacob) Seeberg / 7 March 1862 / 4 May 1954 / 30 November 1886
Blume (Bertha) Seeberg / 17 May 1865 / 15 December 1954 / 24 November 1888
Hersh Seeberg / 8 November 1867 / 3 July 1870
Olga (Goldie) Seeberg / 8 August 1870 / ?/ 8 July 1890
Joshua (Selig) Seeberg / 25 July 1873 / ? / 24 November 1888
Hase (Clara) Seeberg / 15 January 1876 / 17 November 1916 / 8 July 1890
Isak Seeberg / 21 September 1878 / 6 May 1879

Would like to have someone check the Montreal Gazette for me for
obituaries of the Ditkowski family >from Montreal. Covers the period

from about 1940-1970. They were the owners of the Crescent Dairy there.

Dr. Neil Rosenstein.

Would like to have someone check the Montreal Gazette for me for
obituaries of the Ditkowski family >from Montreal. Covers the period

from about 1940-1970. They were the owners of the Crescent Dairy there.

Dr. Neil Rosenstein.

Dear Genners,
I have a passport application for a Rose Krane >from New York who
unfortunately is not mine. I obtained this copy of the passport
application >from the Russian Consular records. The address on the passport
application is 299 Mount Eden Avenue, NYC and there's a photo attached.
The passport was >from 1925 and she was 45 years old at the time. She was
born in Svislich (?), Grodno (the handwriting is not very clear). If you
think this record belongs to your family, please contact me personally and
I will mail it to you. The name of the witnesses on the passport
application were Moses Smolevitz and Abraham Gael (the writing isn't very
clear).
Regards,
Maria Krane, Pembroke Pines, Fl. USA
Maria Krane@aol.com

Dear Genners,
I have a passport application for a Rose Krane >from New York who
unfortunately is not mine. I obtained this copy of the passport
application >from the Russian Consular records. The address on the passport
application is 299 Mount Eden Avenue, NYC and there's a photo attached.
The passport was >from 1925 and she was 45 years old at the time. She was
born in Svislich (?), Grodno (the handwriting is not very clear). If you
think this record belongs to your family, please contact me personally and
I will mail it to you. The name of the witnesses on the passport
application were Moses Smolevitz and Abraham Gael (the writing isn't very
clear).
Regards,
Maria Krane, Pembroke Pines, Fl. USA
Maria Krane@aol.com

Hello,
I am trying to reach Natalie Masters who resides in England. We are
both searching the name SEGAL. I sent an e-mail to her but the address
bounced back to me. If anyone knows Natalie's email address please
forward it to me privately or send this message to her and she can reach
me at : Bubylu@aol.com
Thanks to all,
Lois SEGAL Friedman
Bubylu@aol.com
PS: Any SEGAL's or SEGALL's feel free to contact me

Hello,
I am trying to reach Natalie Masters who resides in England. We are
both searching the name SEGAL. I sent an e-mail to her but the address
bounced back to me. If anyone knows Natalie's email address please
forward it to me privately or send this message to her and she can reach
me at : Bubylu@aol.com
Thanks to all,
Lois SEGAL Friedman
Bubylu@aol.com
PS: Any SEGAL's or SEGALL's feel free to contact me

Maurine-

In northeastern Poland at least, official records are in Polish until
about 1868. >from that date forward, they are in Russian. At some point,
they switch back to Polish. I'm not sure when, as they don't let you
browse those records.

Hope this helps!

Gary Maher
NJ / USA

On Tue, 17 Oct 2000 00:00:30 -0500 "JRI-Poland digest"
<jri-pl@lyris.jewishgen.org> writes:

My husband's father was born in Lutsk. At the time of his emigration,

Lutsk

was in Poland. By the time he applied for naturalization, Luts was a

part of

Russia. I'm not sure if Lutsk is part of the Ukraine or Russia itself.

Would his birth records be in Polish or Russian?

________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
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Maurine-

In northeastern Poland at least, official records are in Polish until
about 1868. >from that date forward, they are in Russian. At some point,
they switch back to Polish. I'm not sure when, as they don't let you
browse those records.

Hope this helps!

Gary Maher
NJ / USA

On Tue, 17 Oct 2000 00:00:30 -0500 "JRI-Poland digest"
<jri-pl@lyris.jewishgen.org> writes:

My husband's father was born in Lutsk. At the time of his emigration,

Lutsk

was in Poland. By the time he applied for naturalization, Luts was a

part of

Russia. I'm not sure if Lutsk is part of the Ukraine or Russia itself.

Would his birth records be in Polish or Russian?

________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

The following is a transcription of an oral report, in Slovak, given to
Marian Brown and Sylvia Wittman by Hanosovce museum director, Mgr. Agata
Krupova about the history of the Jews >from that town. The tape was
transcribed into English by Slvia Wittman of Prague, and therefore the

English may be a bit rough. However, it is very understandable as it is,

and no

editing has been done. Please see my comments at the end.LS

SLOVAKIA - SEPTEMBER, 2000

TRIP TO HANOSOVCE NAD TOPLOU, THE BIRTHPLACE OF MOSES HIRSCH HUEBSCHMAN,

MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER

TAPE #1, NUMBERS 398 - 427

Marian: We are in Hanosovce nad Toplou in a museum in a very lovely

chateau in a lovely office talking to the Director, Mgr. Agáta Krupová,

and she is

going to tell us a little about the history of this town where Moses

Huebschman was

born in either 1807 or 1809 -- my great, great grandfather.

Sylvie (translating the Director's words): This is a town and it was a
town. The city was Catholic and the Hungarian nobility was uprising.

In 1717

the Protestants had it and then it was given back to the Catholics. So in

the

period of Joseph II the Protestants build another church

TAPE #2, NUMBERS 1 - 227

Sylvie: We were saying that the city is based on agriculture, that the

city began in the 14th century, originally a Catholic city, then it was

Protestant in the times of uprising against the Hapsburg empire, then

it was Catholized

again by force in the period of Joseph II. In the period of the Edict

of

Tolerance, 1781-84, the city was again getting a new Protestant church.

Marian: Where did the Jews come from?

Sylvie: The book that the Director handed to me says that the Jews who

came to Hanusovce were namely running the Korcsma, Inns or pubs, and the

ones who

were doing handel which means the exchange business. They were also

carpenters, bakers, glass makers, and they worked with wires. They most

probably came

in the second half of the 18th century in the period of the enlightened

emperor Joseph II. As I said after the Edict of Tolerance.

Here is a picture in the book of a Jewish seal of the Jewish community

in

the second half of the 19th century in Hanusovce. We also know the

names of

the rabbis since 1786. Here is Rabbi Moishe Frankel and most probably it

was

he who started the local chevra kadisha meaning Society of Holiness that

was the

burial brotherhood. In 1888 there was a small Jewish religious

community of 338

members and in 1930 they had only 270 members. In the period of the

second World War in 1942, they deported all the Jews and also the rabbi,

Ergon

Adler.
The synagogue in Hanusovce was made out of wood and there are very few

of

these that survived. In the year 1850 the mayor of the Jewish

community was

Bertran ben Zion who built a new synagogue. The Hanusovce town de Juffe

donated a

piece of land and also 5,000 dehal and 50 florins (?). To build a

synagogue they

also need donations >from bigger Jewish community in Saros County. The

synagogue was demolished during the second World War but we know >from the

walls that

were surrounding the synagogue that it was 8.5 by 11 meters. It was

similar to

the synagogue in SarisskeLuky (Sebes Kellemes). It had a beautiful

facade 5-6

steps 3 meters long, etc.

In 1941 some crazy engineering student, seduced some workers to burn

down

the synagogue. Here there is also a Jewish synagogue 40 x 45 meters.

It had

a special wall entry and the new cemetery has a separate entry. Al the
stones are oriented to the east and the cemetery is right in the city.

It is not

destroyed at all. The old people >from Hanusovce remember the Yeshiva

where the

bochar were studying to be the rabbis. So here is a word calling the

Synagogue

Buzsna. Buzsna is a Polish or Ruthenian word. It means that the Jews

had

to come either >from Poland or >from the area of the Ruthenians because

it is

not a Slovak expression, no a Jewish expression. The Director is saying
something very interesting. The local dialect has a lot of words coming

from

Ruthenian, Polish, German and even, English. Certain food dishes they

call

"dinnerAmerica" and this comes >from dinner because they had a lot of

people who emigrated

to American, made money and came back to buy a piece of land. They mixed

the

English they learned with local dialect.

The book says that as the Jewish community was growing they had their
shochet (kosher butcher). So they had a Yeshiva, kosher butcher and a

mikva.

So now I have in my hands a private book that a local man wrote about

the

history of Hanusovce and his memories of the city. He was not Jewish

and

he was not any big friend of the Jews. His name was Andre Skrinak and his

book

is called The Truth of Hanusovce, a History of a City, written in 1995,

the

time of the 50th anniversary of the end of the second World War. There

is a

section about the Jews which I will translate for you. H says that all

the shops

were in the hands of the Jews who pushed out all the others >from the

shops,

even the Hungarianized Christians. According to the census of the 14th

century,

there were two Jewish families living in Hanusovce. But the new

Czechoslovak

Republic was such a tolerant place, much better than the surrounding

countries,

that many Jews moved there. Hanusovce had a very strong Jewish center

with a rabbi,

synagogue, and a Yeshiva high school. The shops were divided in such a

way

that they wouldn't compete one with another. Not only the businesses

but also

the life of our ancestors (meaning the Christians) they had in their

hands!

This we can easily prove >from the information about their occupations:

Lefkovich, Maximilian Notary
Dr. Greenstein Voiteck Medical doctor
Altman, Mark Apothecary
Unitan, Alvin Rabbi
Bloomfield, Jacov Textile business
Friedman, Nathaniel Mixed goods shop
Friedman, David Educational tools
Friedman, Yoshe Agent
Gottesman, Samuel Agent
Ziebler, Moricz Mixed goods shop
Licht, Elgan Furs
Wall, Alexander Curing herbs
Wall, Adar (called Schmuel) Inn/Restaurant
Miller, Salamon Iron
Neuman, Izaak Butcher
Schachner, William Eggs
Schonfeld, Leopold Greens
Gutman, Ladislav Mixed goods
Zipser, Frankiczech Restaurant (the pub still exists)
Zerholtz, Alexander Real estate
Hindeman, Ladislav Cows and cutlery
Cohn, Ludwig Goldsmith

The poor Jews were apprentices but none of them ever worked in the

fields.

Rosenwasser Alexander was involved in the fields but to such a great

extent that he could be called a "great" farmer or someone who is running

a lot

of agricultural businesses. Bieder and Neuman were tailors. Chaim

(unfortunately I don't know his second name) was fixing shoes. Ladomer

had 16 children

and he was just schlepping around with a buggy behind his very skinny and

poor

horse. He was buying old clothing. I can't put the entire list of the

Jews in the period of the First

Republic of Masaryk. But at this time there were at least 20 person who

were Jewish

living in Hanusovce. They were not the poorest ones, however some of

the local

Christians looked down on them. According to the Masaryk First

Republic,

everyone had to go to school. That was the law. First four years and

then the Ministry decided six years which was the elementary education.

In the 19th century Hanusovce somehow was no longer considered to be a

city; it was considered to be a village. Their economy was based on

agriculture.

But they had one big plus and it was the Notary because the Notary was

working

for 40 villages and that is almost like a county. The Notary had power

in the

19th century. He made sure that your signature was your signature,

that

papers were original papers, He was recording all the marriages, the

metrics, and

practically all the census. He was the one who had to stamp and seal

every civil record, as well as all synagogue records.

Marian: Another thing I am thinking about is about my Huebschman

ancestors

and where they lived after they were married. My great, great

grandfather,

Moses Huebschman, born in Hanusovce, married Rachel Friedman >from Circ

and he

moved to that town with the wife's family. And again, his son, Marcus,

married

Marie Glueck, and he moved around a lot before he emigrated to Cleveland,

but he

also moved to the towns of his wife's family which at that point was

Sarisske

Luky.

Sylvie: This is a typical classic thing because every Jewish boy has to
study. He has to learn. When he marries, he typically goes to the house
of her parents and the parents support the two young people, either

because

he has to study or else he will inherit the business of the wife's father.

So

most of the men moved to the family of the bride.

Marian: Another question. How did people travel? By boat on the

rivers?

By horse?

Sylvie: The Director is telling me that Hanusovce is actually on the
crossroad of four passes and the main business roads are the road going

north to

Poland and the road going to the Ukraine. This is why . >from Presov it

is about

25 km and that is the distance a horse can travel without being

terribly

exhausted. After about 25 km you have to feed and water them and let

them sleep so

where would they go? To an inn. This is why the Jews had the inns like

your

ancestors. The horses were taken care of and the travelers slept and

ate

at the inn.

So how did they travel? With horse and buggy or on horses. And they

also

traveled in the Post trucks. In the 19th century, there was a big

wooden

truck, four horses, and one section would be for people to travel and

another

section would be for the postal letters and packages. Like in America,

stagecoaches which was the post also. Again about the inns, or Korcsma,

the count owns

it and rents it to a Jew. The Jews is running production of the

alcohol, the

production of soda water (a very old thing). He doesn't have it only as

a

restaurant but also as an inn with rooms, stables for the horses - a

total

cavaransari like in Turkey. He serves food and is very independent from

the Jewish community. He is not viewed by the leaders of the Jewish

community

as a "righteous Jew" because he was often open on Saturday because he

deals all

the time with gentiles, etc. >from this inn, later it converts to the

post

office which has horses and also an inn and a restaurant. And then the

same

building converts to the post office exclusively.

mod. - There are many forms of anti-Semitism. After all, the concept, if

not the term, has been around for several thousand years. Andre Skrinak in

his

book called The Truth of Hanusovce, a History of a City, written in 1995,

exhibits an overt form of verbal

anti-Semitism (see above). There are more subtle forms of anti-Semitism. I

would like to point out two statements made

WITHOUT MALICE that INADVERTENTLY exhibit this more genteel form of

anti-Semitism. However, before I do, I would like to

state that just as it is possible to witness expressions of

anti-Semitism

without Jews (as Poland is often time accused), it is also possible to
express anti-Semitic statements without being an anti-Semite. This can
happen when the culture in which one lives has absorbed anti-Semitic
stereotypes, information and falsehoods. For example: 1. "In the period

of

the second World War in 1942, they deported all the Jews and also the

rabbi, Ergon Adler." In 1942 it was possible for

those who were there to state that the Jews were deported. By 1945, the

war

was over and the Jews didn't return; they knew, by then, that they had

been murdered, not just deported. I

have heard >from people in various parts of Eastern Europe, in responding

to the probing question of what ultimately happened to the deported Jews,

the

chilling response that they all left for America and Israel. That is one

way to avoid culpability in the matter of the murder of the Jewish

population

of Hanusovce, not to mention, a satisfactory method of legitimizing the

theft

of all their property.

Disconcerting statement number 2: "The synagogue was demolished during

the

second World War." Followed by the statement: "In 1941 some crazy
engineering student, seduced some workers to burn down the synagogue."

I

can accept the latter sentence, even though all societies try to blame
aberrant behavior within their midst by defining the offending person as
insane, how does a crazy student seduce workers to burn down the

synagogue? The answer is simple - lawlessness against Jews and their

institutions

were permitted by the authorities. And what is worse, the other residents

of

Hanuscovce who were not crazy and were not workers allowed them

to do it. There is no record of the populace trying to stop them or even

to attemt to douse the flames once the fire started. More startling are

the

words of the preceding sentence, "The synagogue was demolished during the

second

World War". Why was it demolished? Was it in the way of a proposed
superhighway? Did the authorities try to move the building first, prior

to

demolishing? Did the Jewish population object? No, they were already

gone

or confined. Did the non-Jewish residents object? There is no record of

such

a protest. LS
--

--
Marian Brown
Cincinnati, Ohio

Searching SLOVAKIA: GLUECK, Hazlin/Kohanovce/Kurima/Bardejov/Sarisske Luky

Cleveland, OH 1879; HUEBSCHMAN, Circ/Hanusovce nad Toplou/Presov,Sarisske
Luky >
Cleveland, OH 1879; HEIMOWITZ, Lemesany > Cleveland, OH 1873; HOLSTEIN,
Kosice/Rozhanovce > New York, NY 1887; LISSAUER, Budulov, Janok, Peder,
Kosice >
Oklahoma/Texas 1883; NEWMAN, Bohdanovce, Licartovce, Presov > Cleveland, OH
1873; PAUKER/PARKER, Dravce/Spisska Nova Ves; TURK, Turna nad Bodvou,
Bodrogkeresztur, Sarospatak, Satoraljaujhely > Oklahoma 1879; ZINNER,
Huncovce,
Dravce, Spisska Nova Ves > New York City & Oklahoma 1895

The following is a transcription of an oral report, in Slovak, given to
Marian Brown and Sylvia Wittman by Hanosovce museum director, Mgr. Agata
Krupova about the history of the Jews >from that town. The tape was
transcribed into English by Slvia Wittman of Prague, and therefore the

English may be a bit rough. However, it is very understandable as it is,

and no

editing has been done. Please see my comments at the end.LS

SLOVAKIA - SEPTEMBER, 2000

TRIP TO HANOSOVCE NAD TOPLOU, THE BIRTHPLACE OF MOSES HIRSCH HUEBSCHMAN,

MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER

TAPE #1, NUMBERS 398 - 427

Marian: We are in Hanosovce nad Toplou in a museum in a very lovely

chateau in a lovely office talking to the Director, Mgr. Agáta Krupová,

and she is

going to tell us a little about the history of this town where Moses

Huebschman was

born in either 1807 or 1809 -- my great, great grandfather.

Sylvie (translating the Director's words): This is a town and it was a
town. The city was Catholic and the Hungarian nobility was uprising.

In 1717

the Protestants had it and then it was given back to the Catholics. So in

the

period of Joseph II the Protestants build another church

TAPE #2, NUMBERS 1 - 227

Sylvie: We were saying that the city is based on agriculture, that the

city began in the 14th century, originally a Catholic city, then it was

Protestant in the times of uprising against the Hapsburg empire, then

it was Catholized

again by force in the period of Joseph II. In the period of the Edict

of

Tolerance, 1781-84, the city was again getting a new Protestant church.

Marian: Where did the Jews come from?

Sylvie: The book that the Director handed to me says that the Jews who

came to Hanusovce were namely running the Korcsma, Inns or pubs, and the

ones who

were doing handel which means the exchange business. They were also

carpenters, bakers, glass makers, and they worked with wires. They most

probably came

in the second half of the 18th century in the period of the enlightened

emperor Joseph II. As I said after the Edict of Tolerance.

Here is a picture in the book of a Jewish seal of the Jewish community

in

the second half of the 19th century in Hanusovce. We also know the

names of

the rabbis since 1786. Here is Rabbi Moishe Frankel and most probably it

was

he who started the local chevra kadisha meaning Society of Holiness that

was the

burial brotherhood. In 1888 there was a small Jewish religious

community of 338

members and in 1930 they had only 270 members. In the period of the

second World War in 1942, they deported all the Jews and also the rabbi,

Ergon

Adler.
The synagogue in Hanusovce was made out of wood and there are very few

of

these that survived. In the year 1850 the mayor of the Jewish

community was

Bertran ben Zion who built a new synagogue. The Hanusovce town de Juffe

donated a

piece of land and also 5,000 dehal and 50 florins (?). To build a

synagogue they

also need donations >from bigger Jewish community in Saros County. The

synagogue was demolished during the second World War but we know >from the

walls that

were surrounding the synagogue that it was 8.5 by 11 meters. It was

similar to

the synagogue in SarisskeLuky (Sebes Kellemes). It had a beautiful

facade 5-6

steps 3 meters long, etc.

In 1941 some crazy engineering student, seduced some workers to burn

down

the synagogue. Here there is also a Jewish synagogue 40 x 45 meters.

It had

a special wall entry and the new cemetery has a separate entry. Al the
stones are oriented to the east and the cemetery is right in the city.

It is not

destroyed at all. The old people >from Hanusovce remember the Yeshiva

where the

bochar were studying to be the rabbis. So here is a word calling the

Synagogue

Buzsna. Buzsna is a Polish or Ruthenian word. It means that the Jews

had

to come either >from Poland or >from the area of the Ruthenians because

it is

not a Slovak expression, no a Jewish expression. The Director is saying
something very interesting. The local dialect has a lot of words coming

from

Ruthenian, Polish, German and even, English. Certain food dishes they

call

"dinnerAmerica" and this comes >from dinner because they had a lot of

people who emigrated

to American, made money and came back to buy a piece of land. They mixed

the

English they learned with local dialect.

The book says that as the Jewish community was growing they had their
shochet (kosher butcher). So they had a Yeshiva, kosher butcher and a

mikva.

So now I have in my hands a private book that a local man wrote about

the

history of Hanusovce and his memories of the city. He was not Jewish

and

he was not any big friend of the Jews. His name was Andre Skrinak and his

book

is called The Truth of Hanusovce, a History of a City, written in 1995,

the

time of the 50th anniversary of the end of the second World War. There

is a

section about the Jews which I will translate for you. H says that all

the shops

were in the hands of the Jews who pushed out all the others >from the

shops,

even the Hungarianized Christians. According to the census of the 14th

century,

there were two Jewish families living in Hanusovce. But the new

Czechoslovak

Republic was such a tolerant place, much better than the surrounding

countries,

that many Jews moved there. Hanusovce had a very strong Jewish center

with a rabbi,

synagogue, and a Yeshiva high school. The shops were divided in such a

way

that they wouldn't compete one with another. Not only the businesses

but also

the life of our ancestors (meaning the Christians) they had in their

hands!

This we can easily prove >from the information about their occupations:

Lefkovich, Maximilian Notary
Dr. Greenstein Voiteck Medical doctor
Altman, Mark Apothecary
Unitan, Alvin Rabbi
Bloomfield, Jacov Textile business
Friedman, Nathaniel Mixed goods shop
Friedman, David Educational tools
Friedman, Yoshe Agent
Gottesman, Samuel Agent
Ziebler, Moricz Mixed goods shop
Licht, Elgan Furs
Wall, Alexander Curing herbs
Wall, Adar (called Schmuel) Inn/Restaurant
Miller, Salamon Iron
Neuman, Izaak Butcher
Schachner, William Eggs
Schonfeld, Leopold Greens
Gutman, Ladislav Mixed goods
Zipser, Frankiczech Restaurant (the pub still exists)
Zerholtz, Alexander Real estate
Hindeman, Ladislav Cows and cutlery
Cohn, Ludwig Goldsmith

The poor Jews were apprentices but none of them ever worked in the

fields.

Rosenwasser Alexander was involved in the fields but to such a great

extent that he could be called a "great" farmer or someone who is running

a lot

of agricultural businesses. Bieder and Neuman were tailors. Chaim

(unfortunately I don't know his second name) was fixing shoes. Ladomer

had 16 children

and he was just schlepping around with a buggy behind his very skinny and

poor

horse. He was buying old clothing. I can't put the entire list of the

Jews in the period of the First

Republic of Masaryk. But at this time there were at least 20 person who

were Jewish

living in Hanusovce. They were not the poorest ones, however some of

the local

Christians looked down on them. According to the Masaryk First

Republic,

everyone had to go to school. That was the law. First four years and

then the Ministry decided six years which was the elementary education.

In the 19th century Hanusovce somehow was no longer considered to be a

city; it was considered to be a village. Their economy was based on

agriculture.

But they had one big plus and it was the Notary because the Notary was

working

for 40 villages and that is almost like a county. The Notary had power

in the

19th century. He made sure that your signature was your signature,

that

papers were original papers, He was recording all the marriages, the

metrics, and

practically all the census. He was the one who had to stamp and seal

every civil record, as well as all synagogue records.

Marian: Another thing I am thinking about is about my Huebschman

ancestors

and where they lived after they were married. My great, great

grandfather,

Moses Huebschman, born in Hanusovce, married Rachel Friedman >from Circ

and he

moved to that town with the wife's family. And again, his son, Marcus,

married

Marie Glueck, and he moved around a lot before he emigrated to Cleveland,

but he

also moved to the towns of his wife's family which at that point was

Sarisske

Luky.

Sylvie: This is a typical classic thing because every Jewish boy has to
study. He has to learn. When he marries, he typically goes to the house
of her parents and the parents support the two young people, either

because

he has to study or else he will inherit the business of the wife's father.

So

most of the men moved to the family of the bride.

Marian: Another question. How did people travel? By boat on the

rivers?

By horse?

Sylvie: The Director is telling me that Hanusovce is actually on the
crossroad of four passes and the main business roads are the road going

north to

Poland and the road going to the Ukraine. This is why . >from Presov it

is about

25 km and that is the distance a horse can travel without being

terribly

exhausted. After about 25 km you have to feed and water them and let

them sleep so

where would they go? To an inn. This is why the Jews had the inns like

your

ancestors. The horses were taken care of and the travelers slept and

ate

at the inn.

So how did they travel? With horse and buggy or on horses. And they

also

traveled in the Post trucks. In the 19th century, there was a big

wooden

truck, four horses, and one section would be for people to travel and

another

section would be for the postal letters and packages. Like in America,

stagecoaches which was the post also. Again about the inns, or Korcsma,

the count owns

it and rents it to a Jew. The Jews is running production of the

alcohol, the

production of soda water (a very old thing). He doesn't have it only as

a

restaurant but also as an inn with rooms, stables for the horses - a

total

cavaransari like in Turkey. He serves food and is very independent from

the Jewish community. He is not viewed by the leaders of the Jewish

community

as a "righteous Jew" because he was often open on Saturday because he

deals all

the time with gentiles, etc. >from this inn, later it converts to the

post

office which has horses and also an inn and a restaurant. And then the

same

building converts to the post office exclusively.

mod. - There are many forms of anti-Semitism. After all, the concept, if

not the term, has been around for several thousand years. Andre Skrinak in

his

book called The Truth of Hanusovce, a History of a City, written in 1995,

exhibits an overt form of verbal

anti-Semitism (see above). There are more subtle forms of anti-Semitism. I

would like to point out two statements made

WITHOUT MALICE that INADVERTENTLY exhibit this more genteel form of

anti-Semitism. However, before I do, I would like to

state that just as it is possible to witness expressions of

anti-Semitism

without Jews (as Poland is often time accused), it is also possible to
express anti-Semitic statements without being an anti-Semite. This can
happen when the culture in which one lives has absorbed anti-Semitic
stereotypes, information and falsehoods. For example: 1. "In the period

of

the second World War in 1942, they deported all the Jews and also the

rabbi, Ergon Adler." In 1942 it was possible for

those who were there to state that the Jews were deported. By 1945, the

war

was over and the Jews didn't return; they knew, by then, that they had

been murdered, not just deported. I

have heard >from people in various parts of Eastern Europe, in responding

to the probing question of what ultimately happened to the deported Jews,

the

chilling response that they all left for America and Israel. That is one

way to avoid culpability in the matter of the murder of the Jewish

population

of Hanusovce, not to mention, a satisfactory method of legitimizing the

theft

of all their property.

Disconcerting statement number 2: "The synagogue was demolished during

the

second World War." Followed by the statement: "In 1941 some crazy
engineering student, seduced some workers to burn down the synagogue."

I

can accept the latter sentence, even though all societies try to blame
aberrant behavior within their midst by defining the offending person as
insane, how does a crazy student seduce workers to burn down the

synagogue? The answer is simple - lawlessness against Jews and their

institutions

were permitted by the authorities. And what is worse, the other residents

of

Hanuscovce who were not crazy and were not workers allowed them

to do it. There is no record of the populace trying to stop them or even

to attemt to douse the flames once the fire started. More startling are

the

words of the preceding sentence, "The synagogue was demolished during the

second

World War". Why was it demolished? Was it in the way of a proposed
superhighway? Did the authorities try to move the building first, prior

to

demolishing? Did the Jewish population object? No, they were already

gone

or confined. Did the non-Jewish residents object? There is no record of

such

a protest. LS
--

--
Marian Brown
Cincinnati, Ohio

Searching SLOVAKIA: GLUECK, Hazlin/Kohanovce/Kurima/Bardejov/Sarisske Luky

Cleveland, OH 1879; HUEBSCHMAN, Circ/Hanusovce nad Toplou/Presov,Sarisske
Luky >
Cleveland, OH 1879; HEIMOWITZ, Lemesany > Cleveland, OH 1873; HOLSTEIN,
Kosice/Rozhanovce > New York, NY 1887; LISSAUER, Budulov, Janok, Peder,
Kosice >
Oklahoma/Texas 1883; NEWMAN, Bohdanovce, Licartovce, Presov > Cleveland, OH
1873; PAUKER/PARKER, Dravce/Spisska Nova Ves; TURK, Turna nad Bodvou,
Bodrogkeresztur, Sarospatak, Satoraljaujhely > Oklahoma 1879; ZINNER,
Huncovce,
Dravce, Spisska Nova Ves > New York City & Oklahoma 1895