My maternal grandmother was Rose Kaminsky.  I believe that she came to the US from Russia (possibly Vilna - per Census or possibly Ostrin, per Naturalization) around 1915.  Her parents were Isadore Kaminsky and "Lylly" Meyerson (per marriage certificate).  Rose had 3 sisters who also emigrated, but I don't know when they arrived in US - Sadie, Minnie and Lottie.  Those were the names I knew them by; not sure what their birth names were.  I'm interested in connecting with anyone who is connected to these Kaminsky's or can help me get more information about their journey from Russia to the US, and their lives in Russia. 
No London connections that I know of.
Thanks

Paul Shapiro

when I right click on my mouse, on a Mac,  there is a translate to English in the list.  I selected it and voila!


Barbara Hershey

hello everyone - apologies if the title of this post is too long.

i am researching my father's family on ancestry.com - the name is Slee, past few generations residing mainly in Wallasey/New Brighton area of Liverpool - and the Rhyl area of north wales. i am also researching the names Goddard and Jones (my paternal grandmothers maiden name is Goddard, paternal grandfather's mother's maiden name was Jones). but this question is about the Slee family.

i have found via ancestry documents showing a journey made by my great grandfather William Slee to Marseilles between the dates 15/4/1932 and 1/5/1932. according to the passenger records - he departed from Liverpool on ship Cheshire (Bibby line) and returned via a London port on ship Oxfordshire (Bitty Broba line). both of these ships were bound for/had travelled to Rampoon in Burma, Colombo, port Sudan, port Said (Egypt), Marseilles (France) and Gibraltar (Spain). the trip he made seems unusual as he made the journey just 3 years before he died & he did not take any family members with him, according to the records. I'm wondering if anybody knows anything about these ships, their path of travel, or why he may have made this journey.

i am yet to establish any Jewish ancestry in the Slee, Goddard or Jones family lines. i am having a lot of trouble with census material - different names seem to have been used on many of the censuses. usually slightly altered (eg. Rose instead of Rosa). birth and death dates, and locations, also seem to vary across different documents. in the case of John Godfrey Jones (my great great grandfather) his wife has been listed as having two different maiden names on different censuses - wainwright and harrison. her married name was jones. their children (and relevant birth dates) are listed as the same on these censuses. 

when using ancestry.com i have found links between my tree & the trees of users with the surnames Amos & Frankel. i haven't contacted the owners of these trees yet - there has been simply too much information to process & digest. i have felt like i will never be able to get through this quest unassisted.. i desperately want help!

working out the records is very difficult - i would also like identify why my great grandfather might have made this trip to Marseilles. the evidence of this trip is more conclusive than much of the information i have found.

any help, even the vaguest piece of information or clues would be greatly appreciated. my dad isn't religious & as far as i know my grandparents weren't religious either. i have asked him directly if there is any jewish heritage. he said he didn't know - i'm not sure if this is true or not. his sister married a man of sephardic jewish origin & according to my dad she had to convert to do so. my dad also says my grandad told him they were descended from "smugglers and horse thieves" down in cornwall/devon area. other than this my dad doesn't have much information to share so far. he has little interest in ancestry.

if anyone can help at all please get in touch. thanks so much,

liz ferris

Thank you but ... Sorry - how do I translate to English? Is there a particular place to click and see "Translate to English?"

Susan J Gordon
New York
ZBARAZH, SKALAT, LVOV 

Could they check for Satz, Spilkes, and Treibich?  Many thanks! Jeanne Swack
Madison, Wisconsin

My cousin has made a family tree on My Heritage.  He sent the gedcom to me but my computer says that I need an app to display the Tree.  I  need help!
Please respond privately.
Rosalind Finkelstein
Framingham,MA
hairgone@...

Shmiel,

Anything for a Levin Family in Vinnitsa would be appreciated. 

L’Shana Tovah
Gary Levin

I've posted a tombstone inscription in Russian for which I need a translation. It is on Viewmate at the following address...
https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM86453
Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page.
Thank you very much.
Jeannette Tsoulos

What the critics are saying about On a Clear April Morning, a Ukranian-Brazilian Jewish Journey, that I translated from the Portuguese.  Merrie Blocker, Silver Spring, Maryland

 " Marcos Iolovitch's "On a Clear April Morning" is an especially exotic version of the Jewish immigrant experience....[It] can be described as a Brazilian version of Abraham Cahan’s “The Rise of David Levinsky,”  I was reminded of the characters who appear so often in the stories Isaac Bashevis Singer, earnest young men who are tormented by the temptations of the flesh and seek consolation in literature and philosophy. And the book is considerably enriched by the foreword, preface and afterword that appear in Blocker’s translation.  [And],  Marcos Iolovitch is ... a writer who wins us over completely."  Jewish Journal.

"The poetic language of Iolovich in this novel is very readable and well worth the time.....[And] The prefaces by Scliar and Blocker, and an extensive afterword by Blocker, inform the reader in fascinating detail of attempts to settle Jewish immigrants on farms in South America and trace Iolovich’s connection to the larger outside philosophical world, his literary development, and fame." Reform Judaism:

"the book is beautifully translated as Blocker manages to transmit the Portuguese into an English that flows naturally even through paragraph-length sentences, successfully keeping the translation as close as possible to the original phrasing without losing the musicality of Iolovitch’s writing.”  Asymptote 

"On a Clear April Morning is a surprising unique jewel. Written in a beautiful, almost poetic style, it sheds light on the struggle of so many Jews that escaped Russia in the hope of building a better future in Latin America. Narrated in first person, this autobiography is an incredible testament of the odyssey so many Jews went through at the beginning of the twentieth century. I also found the translator's notes very helpful in understanding the historical context."  Amazon reviewer

 

Thank you, Marian and Jan for your additional help.  Yesterday, I applied for a search for my great grandfather's USCIS file number.  When (If) I get that I will send for the C-file (whatever the cost).  Depending on what's in the C-file, I may send for my grandfathers' C-files.  Again, thanks to all who have helped.

Robert Hanna
NYC

Hi all.  From my own experience, the link already mentioned
 http://wga-datenbank.de/search.php?s=1#
indeed is searchable.    Takes a little working out, but I found it a very useful primary source.  

I went to the Landesarchiv, consulted some of the files there from my family, and then asked for copies, which were sent to me. 

I was also told by a kind archivist there, that another archive is available in Berlin. 
This is the "LABO", which (apparently) in the provincial archive for specific categories of reparation requests. 
These concern (as far as I have ascertained) claims concerning - 
- health
- imprisonment
- education issues. 
I have heard that these often contain detailed and personal "stories". 

I know that there are several files there on my own family. 
These cannot be copied , but can be photographed on site.  They need to be ordered in advance, and then studied on site. 

Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO)   
Abt. I - Entschädigungsbehörde   
Opfer des Nationalsozialismus   
Sachbearbeitung   
I A 45   
   
Fehrbelliner Platz 1   
10707 Berlin   
Telefon: +49 30 90269 5145   
   
Fax: +49 30 90269 5100   
E-Mail: andrea.pahlke@...  

Good luck
Best David SELIG

I found some more information about United Restitution Organization files.  The records of several individual offices are at the Central Archive for the History of the Jewish People: London (administration & personal files), Frankfurt (administration & personal files), Berlin (personal files), Munich (personal files), Cologne (personal files), Tel Aviv (administration and personal files) and Jerusalem (personal files.)

Personal files are closed to the public for privacy reasons but there is no information about access for family members in the CAJHP catalog record http://cahjp.nli.org.il/content/united-restitution-organization-uro.  You will need to follow up with them for more information.

Megan Lewis, USHMM

At least one child born at sea is listed on the passenger list page.

Eva Golda FISCHER was born at sea aboard the SS Carmania in 1928. The 1930 census lists her as Evelyn Carmania FISHER.  Birthplace "at sea"

David Rosen
Boston, MA

Dear Shmiel,
I would really want to know if my Lekhovitzer family is In the census there name had some variations such as Likhevser or Lycihvitzer. Yes Alex probably will scan these sometime in the future.

Happy high holidays, Elani Joseph
VA Beach, Virginia