Tombstone Tuesday: Pesi bat Ze-eiv, Labun Cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

Here lies

an old innocent woman[1]

Pesi daughter of

Ze-eiv died

25 Adar

5675

May her soul be bound in eternal life

With the Jewish Calendar Conversion application from the Steve Morse One-Step website, the 25th day of the month Adar in the year 5675 would correlate with 11 March 1915 in our (Gregorian calendar) and 26 February 1915 in the Julian calendar, which was in effect at the time of Pesi's death.

Note:
1. Special thanks to an assortment of knowledgeable linguists and genealogists who rose to the occasion and answered my query on Tracing the Tribe FaceBook page. While I could tell that the first line on the main area of the epitaph showed אשה (isha), which means woman, I was unsure of the line immediately after that. Yakov Pytkowicz explained that the first letter, ת, is an abbreviated form of the word תמה (tama), meaning innocent. And the next word is וּזקנה (uzkena), which means old. So, the translation is "an old innocent woman." Zev Siberiano then pointed out that the word tama also connotes perfection and completeness, as well as innocence. Pesi must have been a lovely woman.

From Eastern Europe to the United States: Our Wandering Jewish Ancestors

Starting Tuesday afternoon, October 14, 2014, join me for “From Eastern Europe to the United States: Our Wandering Jewish Ancestors,” an Adult Jewish Learning opportunity sponsored by Arizona State University’s Center for Jewish Studies. The course will be held at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ. The six-week course will meet from 1-3 p.m. every Tuesday afternoon from October 14 through November 18.
 

I consider this course Jewish genealogy back-story. The classes provide context to understand our ancestors lives in the Old World: how they survived, why they may have emigrated, and their experiences during immigration to the United States. We’ll also delve into some records that may serve to document one’s ancestors’ lives: why those records were created and whether they may be deemed reliable sources of information about one’s family.

Course enrollment is now open. The course fee is $180, which includes the cost of course materials (i.e., Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy by Dan Rottenberg). Register online. For further information, see http://jewishstudies.clas.asu.edu/adult-ed .

Treasure Chest Thursday: Marriage of Abraham Zimmerman and Jean Morris

Jean Morris (sometimes known as Jeanette) was my paternal grandmother Dora's younger sister. She was the second child of Isidore and Sarah Myers Morris and was born in Labun, Russian Empire.

Bronx County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 3441 (18 May 1927), Abraham Zimmerman and Jean Morris, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

Items shown in red text are items I will be discuss further, below.

[1st page]
Groom: Abraham Zimmerman
Residence: 70 Hooper St.
Age: 27
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Occupation: Salesman
Birthplace: NYC
Father's Name: Morris
Mother's Maiden Name: Anna Fine
Number of Groom's Marriage: 1st

Bride: Jean Morris
Residence: 1311 Hoe Ave.
Age: 23
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Isadore
Mother's Maiden Name: Sarah Myers
Number of Bride's Marriage: 1st
 
I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at 14388 Prospect Ave Tefereth Israel Synagogue, in the borough of Bronx, City of New York, this 18th of May, 1927.

                                                        Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                                                   /s/ Rabbi Carl Stave
Witnesses         } Jacob L. Fingert     Official Station: 926 Simpson St.
to the Marriage } David Schlager         Residence: 955 Whitlow Ave

[2nd page]
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/Abraham Zimmerman  Groom
                              /s/Jean Morris  Bride  

Signed in the presence of  /s/ Jacob L. Fingert
and /s/ David Schlager

While Abraham Zimmerman used the name Abraham on all official documents, he was known to the family as Al Zimmerman. 

Jean probably made herself a bit younger than she actually was. The following table compares Morris sibling ages on their 1910 manifest, the 1915 New York State census and the 1920 U.S. census. 

	1910 Manifest [1]	1915 Census [2]	1920 Census [3]
Dora	13	19	[separate household]
Jean	10	16	20
Max	9	14	18
Murray	6	11	16
Esther	4	9	13
Saul	---	---	2

 
According to these records, she was born in 1899-1900. Yet, her age on the marriage certificate would indicate birth in 1903-1904. That would have made her younger than - or the same age as - her younger brother Murray.

Notes:

1."New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 11 January 2012), manifest, Vaderland, Antwerp to New York, arriving 7 June 1910, p. 1, Sure Morris family; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715.
2. 1915 New York State Census, New York County, New York, Enumeration of inhabitants, Block 3, ED 2, AD 28, Page 125, Line 38, Isidor and Sarah Morris family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 7 June 2012); New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
3. 1920 U.S. Census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Enumeration District 1262, sheet 6B (lines 97-100) and sheet 7A (lines 1-3), dwelling 14, family 134, Isadore and Sarah Morris family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 February 2008); NARA Microfilm Series T625, roll 1219.

L'shana Tovah - Happy New Year!

Tombstone Tuesday: Sarah Malkah bat Yosef, Labun Cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

Here lies

An old and modest woman

Sarah Malkah daughter of

Yosef died 13

Iyar 5672

May her soul be bound in eternal life 

With the Jewish Calendar Conversion application from the Steve Morse One-Step website, the 13th day of the month Iyar in the year 5672 would correlate with 30 April 1912 in our (Gregorian calendar) and 17 April 1912 in the Julian calendar, which was in effect at the time of Sarah Malkah's death. 

Treasure Chest Thursday: Marriage of Jerry Liebross and Sydelle (Sadie) Kramer

Weddings always offer such joy and hope for the future. But, in genealogy, when we know the future, the look back can sometimes be difficult. Joseph Jerome Liebross was the seventh child of Louis and Bertha Liebross.

Kings County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 16749 (29 November 1927), Jerome J. Liebross and Sydelle Kramer, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

Items shown in red text are items I will be discuss further, below.

[1st page]
Groom: Jerome J. Liebross
Residence: 291 Stuyvesant Ave
Age: 30
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Occupation: Dentist
Birthplace: Bklyn
Father's Name: Louis
Mother's Maiden Name: Bertha Weingart
Number of Groom's Marriage: First

Bride: Sydelle Kramer
Residence: 921 Montgomery St.
Age: 22
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Man. Boro. [i.e., Manhattan Borough]
Father's Name: Leo
Mother's Maiden Name: Esther Liss
Number of Bride's Marriage: First
I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at Park Manor - E. P Kings & Rogers Ave, in the borough of Bklyn, City of New York, this 29 of Nov, 1927.

                                                        Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                                                   /s/ Israel Leventhal
Witnesses         } David J. Stallmark, DDS     Official Station: Rabbi
to the Marriage } Jacob H. Cohn                    Residence: 576 E. P. Kings

[2nd page]
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/Joseph Jerome Liebross  Groom
                              /s/Sydelle Kramer  Bride  

Signed in the presence of  /s/ David J. Stollmark, DDS
and /s/ Jacob H. Cohn


I did not realize until I started my family history research that my great uncle Jerry's first name was actually Joseph. To my mother, who always spoke of him with great affection, he was Uncle Jerry - and a complete cut-up.

Jerry was not born in Brooklyn. He arrived in New York Harbor with his family in 1898. He was 3 years old and born likely in Radautz (aka Radowitz), Bukovina.

Sydelle is a pretty fancy name. She was usually called Sadie.

I believe the E.P. is an abbreviation for Eastern Parkway. In fact, 576 Eastern Parkway (the Rabbi's address) is 1-1/2 blocks from the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Rogers Avenue in Brooklyn.

I could not make out the name of the Rabbi from his signature on this certificate. However, I was able to take his address (576 Eastern Parkway) and, using Steve Morse "Unified Census ED Finder" tool, determine the enumeration district of the address in the 1930 enumeration. After scrolling though nearly all of the 39 pages, I was able to find Rabbi Israel Leventhal at that address.[1]

Witness Jacob H. Cohn was the eldest son of Louis and Sarah Ett Cohn and Jerry's first cousin once removed.

Jerry and Sadie had their only child Stanford Liebross in 1929. Stanford told me that his mother was from a well-to-do family. Sometime after his birth, Sadie was committed to Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg, Rockland County, New York. Shortly after (I heard this from Stan and cannot prove it), Sadie's family kidnapped Stan with the intention of raising him. His father got him back and Stan was brought up by his father Jerry with ample help from aunts and uncles.

On 29 May 1948 Jerry died. Stan was only 19. His mother Sadie remained in the hospital in Rockland County, for the rest of her life. She died on 15 September 1987 at the age of 82.[1]

Notes: 
1. 1930 U.S. Census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn, Enumeration District (ED) 24-140, sheet 19B, dwelling not listed, family 24, Israel Leventhal; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 September 2014).
2. U.S. Social Security Administration, Social Security Death Index, entry for Sadie Liebross, account no. 090-50-3433, death 15 September 1987; database, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 March 2013).
 

Tombstone Tuesday: Etta bat Shemaya, Labun Cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

A woman tender in years*

Etta daughter of

Shemaya Died

14 Nisan 5673

May her soul be bound in everlasting life

Some of the letters are worn off by the elements. I suspect a Hebrew speaker may be able to determine the last word on the second line: "bish?m." [*I initially thought that the phase included the word rabah רבﬣ (great). In comments (below) Lara Diamond and Israel Pickholtz provided the next word bashanim. And Israel noted that the word that Lara and I both thought was rabah is actually racca רכﬣ (meaning tender). The letter in the middle of the word is caf (ﬤ) rather than bet (ב). This, of course, completely changes the message on the tombstone from a woman of great age to a woman of tender years. Sheesh! I have changed the translation, above.]

With the Jewish Calendar Conversion application from the Steve Morse One-Step website, the 14th day of the month Nisan in the year 5673 would correlate with 21 April 1913 in our (Gregorian calendar) and 8 April 1913 in the Julian calendar, which was in effect at the time of Etta's death.

Treasure Chest Thusday: Aaron (Eddie) Garber & Esther Haber Marriage

Eddie Garber (aka Aaron) was the youngest son of Avrum and Chana Garber and the last of their children to arrive in the United States. Eddie (whose ship's manifest lists him as Aron Garber) landed in New York Harbor on 2 April 1922.[1]

New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 16389 (15 June 1927), Aaron Garber and Esther Haber, Municipal Archives, New York.

Items shown in red text are items I will be discussing further below.

[1st page]
Groom: Aaron Garber
Residence: 1336 61st St., New York
Age: 26
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Occupation: Glasser [glazier]
Birthplace: Labin
Father's Name: Abraham
Mother's Maiden Name: Resnik
Number of Groom's Marriage: First

Bride: Esther Haber
Residence: 1336 61st St., New York
Age: 20
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Eltshe, Poland
Father's Name: Abe
Mother's Maiden Name: Newman
Number of Bride's Marriage: First
I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at Rutgers St, in the borough of Manhatten, City of New York, this 15 of June, 1927.

                                                        Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                                                   /s/ Rabbi Yaer Lerner, 298 Madison St.
Witnesses         } Rabbi Charles Kahane       Official Station: 198 Penn St., Bklyn
to the Marriage } Fred Ribolow                       Residence: 11366 38 St, Bklyn

[2nd page]
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/Aaron Garber Groom
                              /s/Esther Haber Bride  

Signed in the presence of  /s/Rabbi Charles Kahane
and [blank]

Aaron's town of origin is mispelled as Labin actually Labun (or, Lubin, as it was called in Yiddish).

Resnik, identified as Aaron's mother's maiden name is  interesting in light of my recent foray into DNA and family lore. Aaron's mother's maiden name was actually Mazewitsky. His uncle, Isidore Morris (Aaron's mother's brother) changed the name to Morris after arrival in New York City. Reznik is one of the four names indicated in the family story about the family surname changing from Utchenik to Garber, Reznik and Lehman (or, perhaps, Liderman).

Rabbi Yaer Lerner was Rabbi in Labun and continued ministering to some in his congregation in New York City. He also performed the wedding for Aaron's sister, Fanny, eight months earlier.

Rabbi Charles Kahane, one of the witnesses, was a well-respected scholar and rabbi of the orthodox congregation at Avenue U Education Center (2066 9th Street), the synagogue my family attended once they migrated to Brooklyn from Manhattan. He was also, as it turns out, the father of one of the most well-known Jewish radicals of the second half of the 20th Century: Rabbi Meir Kahane. My family recalled little Martin as a child running around the synagogue. 

Notes: 
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Lapland, Antwerp to New York, arriving 2 April 1922, list 7, line 5, Aron Garber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 3096.

 

Tombstone Tuesday: Rachel, Labun Cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

Here lies

A pleasant woman

Yachna Rachel 

daughter of Moshe

Died 5 Tammuz

5671  May her soul be bound in eternal life

A tree had grown around this tombstone and I am actually amazed that as much of it was still readable.

The adjective modifying "woman" on the first full line is cut off by the break in the stone. I am guessing that the full word may have been the Hebrew word chamida, which means "pleasant."

I am do not know what the word before Rachel may be. I am open to suggestions. [Thank you, Israel P, for the suggestion of the name Yachna].

With the Jewish Calendar Conversion application the 5th day of the month Tammuz in the year 5671 would correlate with 1 July 1911 in our (Gregorian calendar) and 18 June 1911 in the Julian calendar, which was in effect at the time of Rachel's death.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Feiga Garber and Max Buchman Marriage Certificate

Feiga or Feigela (as Fannie was lovingly called within the family) was my grandfather Jack's youngest sister. And, because the Garbers did not have many family get-togethers, Feigela, who in later life resided with her eldest daughter Anita not very far from where my family lived, was the only sibling of my grandfather with whom I was familiar. She and her brother Eddie were the youngest of my grandfather's siblings and the last to immigrate from Labun. 

New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 26716 (10 October 1926), Max Buchman and Fannie Garber, Municipal Archives, New York.

Items shown in red text are items I will be discussing further below.

[1st page]
Groom: Max Buchman
Residence: 1419 Daly Ave., Bronx
Age: 24
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Occupation: Furrier
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Abraham
Mother's Maiden Name: Anna Rosen
Number of Groom's Marriage: first

Bride: Fannie Garber
Residence: 232 Madison St., NYC
Age: 23
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Abraham
Mother's Maiden Name: Anna Morris
Number of Bride's Marriage: First
I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at 23 Montgomery St, in the borough of New York, City of New York, this 10 of Oktober, 1926.

                                                        Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                                                   /s/ Rabbi Yaer Lerner
Witnesses         } Max Sepenfeld [?]             Official Station: 236 Madison St.
to the Marriage } Louis Myers                       Residence: 1950 Andrews Ave, NYC

[2nd page]
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/Max Buchman Groom
                              /s/Fannie Garber Bride  

Signed in the presence of  /s/Max Sepenfeld
and /s/Louis Myers

Feiga's mother Chane Mazewitsky Garber died in Labun and never set foot in the United States. As often happens, however, Feiga in this record, gave her late mother the Americanized surname that had been adopted by her mother's brother, Isidore Morris.

Rabbi Yaer Lerner had been Rabbi in Labun. He continued ministering to some of his congregation once he immigrated.

Witness Louis Myers was a relation by Isidore Morris' marriage. He was Isidore's brother-in-law (Isidore's wife Sarah's brother). He was actually not related to Feiga, but was also from Labun.

Tombstone Tuesday: Reisel, Labun Cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and several ancestral family communities. Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community was my principal goal. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

An esteemed and modest woman

Mrs. Reisel daughter of

Yehoshuah Avraham

Died 6 Shevet

Sabbath, in the year 5673

May her soul be bound in everlasting life

In using Steve Morse's Hebrew calendar conversion tool, we find that Reisel died on 14 January 1913 (in today's Gregorian calendar), or in 1 January 1913 in the Julian calendar (which was in effect in the Russian Empire, where she died, until 1918).