Yad Vashem database has 54 Singers at Auschwitz:

https://yvng.yadvashem.org/index.html?language=en&s_id=&s_lastName=Singer&s_firstName=&s_place=oswiecim&s_dateOfBirth=&cluster=true

The JewishGen Yizkor Book Necrology database has 21 from the Krakow Yizkor book:

https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/yizkor/

The Oshpitzin Yizkor Database has 21:

https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/poland/oshpitsin.htm

Max Heffler
Houston, TX

--

Try e-mailing the NY Public Library. Click on  "Ask A Librarian".  The information you need may be in their City Directories.

:Linda Gordon Higgins
Spring, TX.

Join the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland for our next Zoom program on Wednesday, February 9, 7-8:30 pm ET - “The Cultural Phenomenon of Home DNA Testing” with Libby Copeland.

 

Program: Come explore the extraordinary cultural phenomenon of home DNA testing, which is redefining family history, with Libby Copeland. She will draw on years of research for her book The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are (Abrams, 2020.  With more than 37 million people having been tested, a tipping point has been reached. Virtually all Americans are affected whether they have been tested or not, and millions have been impacted by significant revelations in their immediate families.  The presentation will discuss the implications of home DNA testing for Jewish genealogy, as well as the unique challenges of genetic genealogy for Ashkenazim.

 

Speaker: Libby Copeland is an award-winning journalist and author who writes from New York about culture and science. As a freelance journalist, she writes for such media outlets as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic and Smithsonian Magazine. Her book, The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are, published by Abrams in 2020, explores the rapidly evolving phenomenon of home DNA testing, its implications for how we think about family and ourselves, and its ramifications for American culture broadly.

 

The Wall Street Journal says it’s “a fascinating account of lives dramatically affected by genetic sleuthing.” The New York Times writes, “Before You Spit in That Vial, Read This Book.” The Washington Post says The Lost Family “reads like an Agatha Christie mystery” and “wrestles with some of the biggest questions in life: Who are we? What is family? Are we defined by nature, nurture or both?” It was recently named to The Guardian’s list of The Best Books of 2020.

 

Registration: Required and free - Send an email to rsvp@... by 12 Noon EDT on February 9^th to receive a Zoom link.  If you are NOT a JGS Cleveland member, please include your name, email, and complete mailing address.

 

 

Go to jgscleveland.org for more program, speaker, and membership information.

 

 

 

Contact: Deborah A. Katz, JD, PhD

Vice President, Programming

JGS Cleveland
programming@...

The list provided by Josh Freeling is the most extensive list I’ve ever seen. First one to recognize the father of my cousin, Seymour Steinberg as a participant. I believe he was an instructor. Thanks Josh. 

Shelley Mitchell, NYC

I’m looking for relatives who immigrated to Venezuela soon after the 1956 Hungarian revolution--possibly one of my great-uncles, Sandor Braun, (b. ca. 1899) and his wife, Rezsko  (b. ca. 1893) or Dezső Braun and his wife, Iren.  Or possibly younger Braun relatives (I have a snapshot showing an unidentified relative --a young man, with a baby in a stroller, in Venezuela, looks like ca. 1950s/early 60s--that suggests the latter)

 Can anyone suggest resources to look for them, and their offspring—possibly Venezuelan sources?  I’m wondering also if there existed an organization(s) in Venezuela set up specifically to assist ‘56er refugees?  There were such in the U.S. and other countries.

Erika Gottfried
Teaneck, New Jersey

Gottfried, Rosinger, Reinitz, Wasserman, Braun, Klein (Hungary)
Davidson (Tevelson), Grosberg (Grosbard) (Lithuania)
Maranofsky, Kirsch, Schwab (Courland, Latvia)

I have added a new post to my blog, entitled: 

From Casualty Lists to Hospital Records: How My "Polish" Ancestor Ended up in Records of the Austrian Military Archives

This post describes a unique World War I experience and the role of available Austrian Empire casualty lists to find relevant information. You can view the post here. Enjoy!
--

Michael Moritz

Director, Romania Research Division

JewishGen.org

 

Visit our new site at JewishGen.org/Romania

Join us on Facebook: Facebook.com/groups/JewishGenRomania

I’m trying to sort out the connections between my gg grandfather and several people who were either siblings or cousins (I know they must have been at least cousins because the next generation were known to be cousins) and I’m looking for advice from people who know more about Jewish naming than I do.  There are four individuals in question who came from Lithuania and moved to South Africa.

My gg grandfather Jacob Joffe died in 1919 and according to his gravestone inscription his father’s name was Israel Yechiel, and according to his marriage record at Jewish Gen he was from Akmene with his father’s name given as Sroel; death records for two of his children give a place of birth of Krup which I take to be Kruopiai which lies between Akmene and Zagare.  Bar Moses Joffe died in 1920 and according to his gravestone inscription his father’s name was also Israel Yechiel, and he was also from Akmene. Yetta Freyde Judes died in 1927 and her father’s name was Michael (from gravestone) Joffe (from death record). Abraham Joffe died in 1921. According to his South African Death Notice, Abraham was born in Krup (Kruopiai), Lithuania and the names of his parents were Michael and Hoda, but according to his gravestone inscription his father’s name was Israel Yechiel.  I also found various records at Jewish Gen for a Michael and Hoda Iofe living in Akmene, with a daughter Friede and later with sons reportedly in South Africa. 

My question is: is it a reasonable explanation that all four (Jacob, Bar Moses, Yetta Freyde and Abraham) were siblings and that their father’s name was Israel Yechiel Michael, Israel Yechiel being his Hebrew name and Michael being the kinnui for Yechiel, even though I’ve never found a record with all three names (Israel Yechiel Michael) together?  

--
Deborah Jaffey, La Mesa, CA

I am looking for living descendants of my great-grand (or great-great grand) aunt, Dobka Tevelson, in Buenos Aires.
Erika Gottfried
Teaneck, New Jersey

Gottfried, Rosinger, Reinitz, Wasserman, Braun, Klein (Hungary)
Davidson (Tevelson), Grosberg (Grosbard) (Lithuania)
Maranofsky, Kirsch, Schwab (Courland, Latvia)

Thank you all SO MUCH for your info. My background - I made a family tree 50 years ago when I was about 14.I have been trying to get info, particularly grandfather's birth certificate for over 7 years. The lack of info has been offputting. Basically no info from before arriving in the US. A wonderful person, who is an experienced researcher, has helped us and found some great clues. But nothing conclusive.
The main problem is we are not sure what the family's name was.Family lore is that the first to arrive bought a peddlers license and changed the name from Zass to Levinson. But we have clues that point to both names as possibilities. (My family tree lists relatives as Romm, and there are many listed in Zasliai, but no one, even 50 years ago, new the exact family connection.)
We found my grandfathers step-mother and step-siblings on a ship manifest from 1899. The name listed is Levinson and says they are from Zosle.
But looking at the data bases, not much else. The ZAS-1874-1875 family list has the possible Surnames, but the Given names are not a match. Same with the ZAS-1858-1899-Additional.
We have a US passport application that says the first to arrive Morris Levinson (possibly originally Israel) arrived around June 15, 1884. But I looked at the ship manifests  around that time on stevemorse, but do not see anything.
Familysearch shows Harry Levinson born Sept 27 1874, which  is probably from US census data.(parents were Hyman Joseph Levinson and Mariashe Velowitz
Any suggestions or lead would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU
Harlan Levinson

Zasliai is listed at the KehilaLinks section of the JewishGen. However the status of the web page of this community is "In progress". The contact person of this web page is Daniel Gurevich, email daniel@...
I suggest that you will try contacting him for additional information. 
See:
https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Lithuania.html 
Regards, 
Ilan Ganot
Co-webmaster, Mazheik Memorial Website (MMWS) 

https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Mazeikiai/introduction.html

Is anyone familiar with the SINGER or ZYNGIER family that lived in the town of Oświęcim (a/k/a Auschwitz or Oszpicin), Poland prior to World War II? They may have been connected to the Radomsker community in the town. If they are known to you, please contact me at the e-mail address below.

Thank you,

Yale J. Reisner
Warsaw, Poland
<yalereisner@...>

Helen,
You can request your father's VA record and his military service records under the Freedom of Information Act. If he ever submitted a claim for Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, there is a good chance that his VA file may include his military service records. To request a copy of his VA file, call the VA's call center at 1-800-827-1000. They will guide you through the process. You may also request his military service records from the National Archives, using form SF180 (google it up and download).  You will probably need to attach a copy of his death certificate to any of the requests.  Lets hope that the VA has his service records, since a 1973 fire at the National Archives destroyed many Army and Air Force veterans records from WWI and WWII, unless they were transferred to the VA previously. Make sure to also request his Service Treatment Records (STRs) which are his military medial records. All these records may shed light on his service, units, training and deployments and may also contain some information relevant to family history, especially if he was an immigrant.

Dan Efrat
Cherry Hill, NJ, USA (originally from Israel)
Researching: Israelit/Israelite (Belarus, Latvia), Rabinowitz (Zhetl/Dyatlovo, Belarus), Goldblatt (Belarus, Lithuania), Pruss and Koyfman/Kaufman (Ukraine)

Dan Gross, who calls himself a “Wannabe Ritchie Boy” has done extensive research and have compiled a list of known Ritchie Boys. Your Dad is indeed listed as one. 

You may want to contact him to see if he has any information on your Dad  

https://www.theritchieboys.com/d-f-surnamese

--

Josh Freeling
North Carolina

Hi Helen, The book is called "Sons and Soldiers" by Bruce Henderson. There is a list of Richie Boys in the book. The participants were sworn to secrecy. Your dad sounds like a hero! All the best~ Diane Berg, Long Island, New York

Jill, This is very helpful. I did not know about the University of Hull website and now have another clue to follow. It's also interesting that your ancestors came by sailing boat as it makes my family's story a little more credible. 

Hallie Metzger,  halmetz@...
SACHS (Kelme), TSIN(I)(a)MON, FREEDLAND, FRIEDLANDER, FREELAND, HOFFENBERG (GUFINBERG)

Hi everybody,

I am looking for the birth record of Khonon LEVINE (Хонон Левин) who was born in Ekaterinoslav on the 10th of February 1870 according to his naturalization file in France. I could not find it in the metric books that were scanned by Alex Krakovsky. I read that in 1870 they were around 8 synagogues in Ekaterinoslav. I would like to know if the scanned metric books are for one synagogue only or for all the synagogues of the town. If it is only for one synagogue, do you know if metric books exist for other synagogues in Ekaterinoslav ?

Jean-Pierre
Paris area, France
Searching for LEVINE and LEBEN (or LEIBIN) in Ekaterinoslav, TSIREL (or SCHINDLER) and PLANKE (or KAPLAN) in Kremenchuk

Do you think "below" the bridge means literally on the street underneath it, or the more general meaning of "below", that is, anywhere south of it?

I have no butchers for you either way, but for those that do, this might narrow it down?
 
==========
Robert Roth
Kingston, NY
rroth@...

I am no expert, but if he was in this somewhat secret enterprise, the engineering info might have been a cover. 

There was at least one book on the Ritchie Boys fairly recently, I imagine you have already gone there.
--

==========
Robert Roth
Kingston, NY
rroth@...

The two statements are not incompatible. The army might have wanted his translation and interrogation activities to be obvious. So they assigned him to the engineering company, but then detailed him to the work they had trained him for. I am guessing, of course, but it seems to me that this is at least plausible.

George Friedman
Champaign, IL, USA