Treasure Chest Thursday: Photo of FLPBA members, 40th anniversary publication

For the last months I have been posting portions of the 25th and 40th anniversary publications of the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association. This landsmanshaft (community association) was founded in 1911 New York City for people associated with the community called Lubin (in Yiddish) and known as Labun in the Russian Empire. Among their other charitable activities, the group purchased three burial plots: two in Montefiore Cemetery, Queens and one in Beth Moses Cemetery, Pinelawn, NY.

The following photo is the last page that I have acquired and shows leadership of the FLPBA during the time of their 40th anniversary. Some of these people have been discussed in previous posts. Some I did not find in other portions of the anniversary publications, and will discuss here. I am still working my way through the burials in the cemetery plots and will, eventually, write more in-depth posts about those I have not yet discussed.

Standing

Nathan Garber (ca. 1884-1963), my great uncle. Nathan, arrived in the USA in 1910. His wife, Yetta and children followed him in 1912. He was in the butter and egg business and is sometimes listed in records as an egg candler. He and Yetta (who died in 1950) are  buried in Montefiore Cemetery plot block 89, gate 156N.

Sidney Levy (1910/12-2002), glazier. Arrived in the USA with one of his brothers (Paul) and his grandmother, Sarah in 1922. He married Helen (1914-1987). They are both buried in Montefiore Cemetery, block 5, gate 567W.

Harry Myers (1893-1952), my great great uncle (brother of my great grandmother Sarah Myers Morris), a glazier. He married Mollie (ca. 1894-1986). They are not buried in the FLPBA plot, but are interred in Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, NY.

Joe Kraslow (1894-1981), retail merchant, arrived in the USA in 1913. He married Rose (ca. 1896-177). They are buried in Montefiore Cemetery, block 5, gate 567W.

Jack Alperin [aka Jacob Alperin] (ca. 1885-1960), glazier, immigrated in about 1905. He married Dora Waxenberg Myers (ca. 1887-1967). Jacob and Dora are buried in Montefiore Cemtery, block 89, gate 156N, line 6L, graves 4 and 5.

Dave Cohen (ca. 1895-1972). Thus far I have not been successful in locating records for Dave and his wife Rose (ca. 1896-1982). They are in the Beth Moses Cemetery plot. He is likely the son of Israel and Zissel Cohen.

Frank Kraslow (1894-1983), dry goods peddler, arrived in the USA in 1921. He married Goldie (ca. 1895-1978). They are not buried in any of the FLPBA plots.

Seated:

Jack Lerner (1905-1995), glazier, emigrated from Labun about 1921. He married Edna (1909-1997). Jack and Edna are buried in Beth Moses Cemetery.

Rose Blumfield (ca. 1877-1956). President of the Ladies Auxiliary, Rose is buried in Montefiore Cemetery, block 89, gate 156N. Her name on the tombstone is Blumenfield.

Abraham Krakowsky (ca. 1888-1985), president of the FLPBA, owned a restaurant. He earlier worked as a presser in the ladies dress industry. He and his wife, Rose (ca. 1888-1960), are buried in the FLPBA Beth Moses Cemetery plot.

Julius Reitman (1900-1994), discussed previously here and here, was a carpenter and glazier. He and his wife Sarah Sherman (ca. 1901-1997) ran a glass shop in Jackson Heights, Queens. They moved to Sharon, Massachusetts and are buried in Agudath Cemetery in West Roxbury.

Benjamin Levy (1908-1994), glazier, was likely called Benson Levy. He was married to Ida Sarah (1910-1972). They are buried at Montefiore Cemetery, block 5, gate 567W, line 1L, graves 7 and 8.

Dave Lerman (1898-1977), glazier, married Esther Lerner (1898-1989). They are buried at Beth Moses Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday: Morris and Dora Reitman, Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, NY

I have featured Julius Reitman in a couple of blogs (here and here) about the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association. Today's post features his parents: Morris and Dora.[1]

Morris Reitman was born in Lubin (aka Labun), Russian Empire and emigrated in 1913, leaving his wife and children behind.[2]

Unfortunately, World War I and the Russian Revolution got in the way and Morris' family was not able to join him in the United States until 1921.[3] The original family name, as written on their manifests, was Chaitman (or Chajtman).  

An Eternal Remembrance

Here lies
Our beloved father

An honest and honored man

who occupied himself with the needs of the community

Mosche son of Levi Yitzchak

Died 3 Shevat 5795

May his soul be bound in the bonds of the living.

MORRIS REITMAN

BELOVED HUSBAND

AND DEAR FATHER

DIED JAN. 7, 1935

AGE 64 YEARS
FATHER

As indicated on her tombstone, Dora's Yiddish name was Dovtsi and the letters of her name were used as the starting letters for the rhymed epitaph on her stone.

Here lies

Her ways were upright

She pursued truth and righteousness with love

She conducted her life in the ways of Torah

She conducted herself modestly in public

Her hands were open to the poor and destitute

Dovtzi daughter of Baruch

Died the first day of the intermediate days of Passover 5702,

May her soul be bound in the bond of life

----------

BELOVED MOTHER

DORA REITMAN

DIED APRIL 4, 1942

AGE 70 YEARS

MOTHER

On Dora's tombstone the date (1st of the intermediate days of Passover) means 17 Nisan 5702. Passover always starts on 15 Nisan and the intermediate days start after the first two (seder) days.

Both Morris' and Dora's epitaphs speak to community service and helping those who cannot help themselves. This seems in-keeping with the essays penned by Julius and discussed in the two previous blog posts. Surely charitable work was an important part of their family life.

Dora's maiden name, gleaned from her manifest (where she indicated her relative left in the old country was her brother M. Kanczyk), and bolstered by her children's marriage records, indicate that her maiden name had been something pronounced like Kanchek.

Morris Reitman, like so many Lubiners in New York City was a glazier. The 1925 New York State census records Morris and all his sons, four years after the sons immigrated, as glaziers working for the family business.[4]

Morris and Dora had six children: Julius (b. 1 April 1900), Lillie (1 December 1901), Sam (15 October 1904), Louis (3 December 1907), Anna (15 January 1912) and Fannie (15 January 1914).[5]

In doing this research on the Reitman's I have found that they were likely shirt-tail relatives of mine. On his manifest of arrival in 1913, Morris indicated he was going to see brother-in-law N. Garber of 60 E. 3rd Street in New York City. When the family arrived in 1921, they indicated they were going to Dora's husband Moische (the children's father) at 242 Madison Street. My great uncle (my paternal grandfather's brother) was Nathan Garber a butter-and-eggs man whose long-time business was located at 242 Madison Street. 

Additionally, Morris' tombstone indicates that his father's name had been Levi Yitzchak. Nathan Garber's wife Yetta's tombstone shows her father as Levi Yitzchak. Since she and Nathan married in Labun and since there are no extant vital records for that town, the best we can say at this point is that it is likely that Yetta and Morris Reitman (Chaitman) were siblings. Where I am a tad confused by this, is that Yetta listed her last name as Shapiro on her daughter Sarah's death certificate. Guess the next step is to a copy of Yetta's 1950 death certificate.

Dora and Morris Reitman are buried in the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association plot at Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, NY, block 89, gate 156N, line 11L, graves 5 & 6. 

Notes:
1. Special thanks to Robin Meltzer, who not only is an outstanding translator but also hugely knowledgeable of the intricacies of Hebrew tombstone inscriptions. Shoshanna Goldstein Sanders and Aaron Schwartz also came to my rescue helping to make these epitaphs understandable. They all responded to posts I placed on Tracing the Tribe FaceBook page. Thank you all!
2. Manifest, S.S. Prinz Freidrich Wilhelm, 31 March 1913, stamped p. 79, line 15, Moische Chajtman, age 42; images, "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2010).
3. Manifest, S.S. Kroonland, 9 August 1921, stamped p. 119, lines 6-12, Baba Chajtman, age 50; images, "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2010).
4. 1925 New York State Census, New York County, enumeration of inhabitants, Manhattan, assembly district 6, election district 15, p. 8. entries 3-8, Morris and Dora Reitman family; image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 January 2016); New York State Archives, Albany.
5. Morris Reitman petition for naturalization (1925), naturalization file 69471, Southern District of New York; Record Group 21: Records of the District Court of the United States; National Archives - Northeast Region, New York City.

Telling the Shocking Stories: Yad Vashem's "Untold Stories"

If you already know about Yad Vashem's "The Untold Stories: The Murder Sites of the Jews in the Occupied Territories of the Former USSR" project, you're way ahead of me. I just recently discovered it. 

And I'm shocked - shocked!

I am shocked not only because the stories of what happened during the Shoah in my family's communities is horrifying and heart-breaking; 

I am shocked not only because I pride myself on knowing about the resources of my craft: Jewish genealogy - and somehow missed this one; but also, 

I am shocked because locating this important information on the Yad Vashem website is difficult - very difficult.

Two clicks to the "Shoah Names Database"

Now I use the Yad Vashem webpage with some frequency, but my usual go-to location is the "Shoah Names Database," easily found via the Digital Collections tab.[1] Two clicks and I'm there. Easy.

On another website, I'd found a URL link to the "Untold Stories" part of the the Yad Vashem website and was enthralled. This is the kind of information that Father Patrick DuBois has been collecting in his Yahad in Unum (Holocaust By Bullets) project. [Unfortunately, he has a huge workload ahead of him and the towns of interest to me have not yet been visited.] I tried to locate the "Untold Stories" page on Yad Vashem by navigating via the tabs on the website. This was quite the challenge. Ultimately I located it by clicking on:

• the Research tab
  
• Projects 
• Killing Sites
  

At that point, one has the choice of:

• The Untold Stories: The Murder Sites of the Jews in the Occupied Territories of the Former USSR
• Online Guide of Murder Sites of Jews in the Former USSR

If one clicks on "The Untold Stories..." link, one heads to a welcome page for the "Untold Stories" project. Click enter and then use the Communities or Countries drop down menus to navigate to one's community of interest. In my case, I was interested in the community once called Labun, today located within Ukraine. One may find it either by scrolling down to the letter L in the Communities drop down list or by using the Countries list, navigating to Ukraine, and then scrolling down to Labun in the alphabetical list of communities.

The main Labun main page provides a good summary of information about Labun during the Nazi occupation and  photos taken in the community.

I already have acquired permission to use the image of the Labun bath house from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's Archives website on my Labun/Yurovshchina community website. But I had not before seen the fuzzy image, attributed to the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation Archives, of other town buildings.[2] The photograph shows a church that is not extant in Labun today. I will have to do some additional study of the photos I took when in Labun/Yurovshchina in June 2013, but I think this church must have stood in the grassy expanse of the former market area.

There are links to more information about the mass murder sites [red arrows, above] and monuments erected in memory of the victims [blue arrow, above]. 

When one clicks on one of the murder sites, one also gains access to links to video and written testimony about the atrocities.

In the case of Labun, Yad Vashem only has a photo of one of the memorial monuments - and a poor one, at that. I took photographs here and here of both memorials and will see if Yad Vashem would like copies of those images.

By selecting a region in the Online Guide of Murder Sites of Jews in the Former USSR portion of the project, one will find a table of murder sites in that area, the sites' geographical coordinates and description. For Labun, I selected Kamenets Podolsk (Labun's region at the time). 

For some reason Labun is not listed in this table. However, I was able to locate sites in other nearby communities: Polonnoye, Gritsev, and Baranovka. In other regions, such as Wolyn, I found information about Annopol, near Slavuta. 

Check this out for your ancestral community. This is a wonderful resource. I just wish it were not so hidden on the Yad Vashem website!

Notes:
1. For those, who are not as familiar with the Yad Vashem website as they should be, the "Shoah Names Database" holds an ever-expanding index of records (and, in some case, digitized original documents) of those who were victims of the Holocaust. It includes "Pages of Testimony" submitted since about 1956 by people reporting information about family and friends who died in the Shoah, as well as documentation Yad Vashem has collected from other sources.
2. I have requested permission to use this photo on my Labun/Yurovshchina community website, but have yet to hear back from the Shoah Foundation.