BABIAK - WHAT HAPPENED by Wolf Karo
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Award-Winning Publication of the Double Issue December 2007 Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia Vol. 26, No. 2/3 BABIAK - WHAT HAPPENED by Wolf Karo My father’s hometown was Babiak, a very small village in what was called Congress Poland. After World War I, it was part of Poland. In the early 1930s, when I was a boy, I visited Babiak. To get there from Germany was not simple. The train from Berlin dropped you off in Bedzin. From there, you took a bus to Kolo, which I think was the county seat. In Kolo, you hire a droschke (a wagon drawn by three horses) and a driver. From Kolo, it was only 18 kilometers to Babiak. Later we heard that there was talk about construction of a railroad to connect the city of Gdansk (Danzig) with Warsaw by way of Kolo. The town square of Babiak sported a huge cross. It’s Jewish population probably consisted of 300 or so souls. Actually, I suspect that the non-Jewish population was not much larger. My step-grandfather, Avraham Hanc, owned the large Poznanski General Store on the main street. The two-story residence was attached to the store. In back was the outhouse and I can still remember the aroma of the chloralkalai (for my fellow chemists, the disinfectant used was calcium hypochloride). On a more pleasant note, around the corner was Kuczynski’s kosher bakery. The smell of breads, chalahs, and bagels as they came out of the gigantic oven was wonderful. And, to a small city boy like me, it was a surprise to see that milk did not come from a factory pre-packed in bottles. Continued on page 18 TABLE OF CONTENTS Babiak - What Happened, Wolf Karo 1 Annual Membership Dues – Jan. 1 to Dec. 31: President’s Message , Fred Blum 3 All contributions and dues are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Make checks payable to JGSGP and mail to the address below. Upcoming General Meetings 3 Include your zip+4 code. Upcoming Delaware County Affiliate Meetings 3 Individual . $25 Upcoming Russian Interest Group Meeting 4 Family of two, per household . $35 Welcome New and Returning Members 4 Sponsor . $50 Patron . $100 Thanks to Contributors 4 Non-resident (beyond 90 miles) . $15 In Memorium -- Marvin Brooks 4 Non-resident (with local mailings) . $25 Notes from JGSGP Meeting Programs 5 Overseas . $21 Chronicles (ISSN 0893-2921) is the quarterly publication of the Reserve these Dates of Future Conferences 10 Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia. It is free to Local News and Features from Philadelphia and Environs 11 JGSGP members and to JGS Societies in the newsletter courtesy PhillyHistory: Online Collection of Historic Philadelphia 11 exchange program. Back issues are available at $4.00 per issue. Photographs, Harry D. Boonin Permission for reproduction in whole or in part is hereby granted for other non-profit use when there is no explicit limitation, Contacting Mount Carmel Cemetery 13 provided credit is given to JGSGP and to the author(s) of the Member Notes 13 reproduced material. All other reproduction without prior written Notes from America, Part III, Harriet Kasow 14 permission from the editor is prohibited. Unsolicited Articles on genealogy will be considered for Proposal for Pennsylvania Death Records Online 15 publication. Submit copy typewritten, by E-mail, or on Windows State Library of Pennsylvania - Invitation to Visit 16 compatible CDs using WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, or ASCII. Remembering Max “Boo Boo” Hoff, Parry Desmond 17 Editor has sole discretion for acceptance. Articles will be edited for Feature Articles 18 purposes of clarity or space. Deadline for submitting articles is the Coming to America Through Hamburg and Liverpool, 15th of March, June, September, December. 20 Advertisements: The non-member fee for Family Finder and Harry Boonin Personal ads is $6 for the first 25 words and 25 cents for each Routes Out of Russia, David Brill 28 additional word. Members are free. Name, address, and phone The Constitution of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society of number are free. Appropriate advertisements, camera ready, true to 29 Philadelphia, 1858 size (business card), 1/8 page are acceptable at $25 per issue. Checks should be made out to JGSGP. Specify number of issues. Rebecca Gratz:Champion of the Unfortunate, Yitzchok Levine 31 Correspondence: articles, letters, surname queries, advertisements, Beyond Hitler’s Grasp - Bulgarian Jews Saved During WWII 33 and payments for advertisements should be sent to: In the Matter of The Memory of Chaim Mendel Pickholz vs. JGSGP 34 Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A., Israel Pickholtz Mark Halpern, Editor PO Box 335 Genealogy News 37 Exton, PA 19341-0335 E-mail: [email protected] Surnames and Towns Being Researched by Members 44 2008 Membership & Renewal Form 47 2008 JGSGP Board of Directors Committee Chairs Fred Blum (215) 947-7161 Joel Spector (856) 424-6860 President [email protected] Trustee [email protected] David Mink (267) 318-7092 Mark Halpern (610) 363-7956 Co-Vice President, Programs Chronicles Editor [email protected] [email protected] Steve Schecter (856) 273-0850 Judy Becker (215) 548-0148 Co-Vice President, Programs Hospitality [email protected] [email protected] Mark Halpern (610) 363-7956 Evan Fishman (856) 667-2077 Vice President, Membership JGSGP Bulletin [email protected] [email protected] Barry Wagner (215) 493-4410 Alvin First (215) 887-1888 Treasurer Librarian [email protected] [email protected] Evan Fishman (856) 667-2077 Jack Weinstein (215) 338-7920 Corresponding Secretary Publicity [email protected] [email protected] Joan Rosen (215) 572-1857, David Brill (856) 354-8835 Recording Secretary Russian Interest Group [email protected] [email protected] Harry Boonin (215) 918-0326 Mark Halpern (610) 363-7956 Trustee Webmaster [email protected] [email protected] 2 www.jewishgen.org/jgsp CHRONICLES Vol 26 No.2/3 December 2007 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Fred Blum Dear Fellow Members: beginner’s workshop program. The first program was I hope everyone had a Happy Hanukkah. Over the held at the Cherry Hill Library on November 11th. If you past few months, we have been busy with plans to know of any group, such as Synagogues, schools, social organize the 2009 IAJGS International Conference on clubs that would like to hold a beginners workshop Jewish Genealogy that will be held August 2 to August please contact Steve or myself and we will plan a time. 7, 2009. The Hotel contract has been signed with the The past few months we had some very informative Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel at 17th and Race meetings with Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA Streets. We hope to have over 1,000 attendees from and Professor Arthur Kiron from the University of around the world. Many Society members will be Pennsylvania. In the New Year, David Mink and Steve involved in planning some great events for the Schecter, our new programming chairs, are planning Conference. As of this writing, we are in negotiations some very good speakers as well. with the IAJGS as to what duties our Society will be The Philadelphia Jewish Archives are looking for handling. Many of you have volunteered to help. Within collections that anyone would like to donate. They are a short while, we will be contacting you to discuss in also looking to interview Philadelphians who were born what areas we will need your help. Steve Schecter has before 1930 to obtain oral histories of their lives and life put together a group of volunteers who will publish a in Philadelphia at that time. These interviews will be guide of Genealogical Resources in the Greater archived for future generations. PJAC can be reached at Philadelphia Area. If you are interested in helping, 215-925-8090. please contact Steve at [email protected] or (856) Our next meeting will be held on Sunday February 273-0850 or myself at [email protected] or (215) 10, 2008 at 1:30PM. 947-7161. I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year. I would like to thank Steve Schecter, Evan Fishman, Joel Spector and Bernie Cedar who developed a great Fred UPCOMING GENERAL MEETINGS All Meetings at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, Elkins Park, PA Our Co-Chairs of the Program Committee for 2008, David Mink and Steve Schecter are working on programs for the first half of 2008. There is no meeting in January Date Time Speaker Topic Harry Boonin “The Life and Times of Congregation Sunday 1:30 PM Author and Founding President of Kesher Israel” and More .. Pushcart Feb. 10, 2008 JGSGP markets, Zionism, Jewish boxers, Gamblers Monday 7:30 PM To Be Announced To Be Announced Mar. 10, 2008 Monday 7:30 PM To Be Announced To Be Announced Apr. 14, 2008 Monday 7:30 PM To Be Announced To Be Announced May 12, 2008 UPCOMING DELAWARE COUNTY AFFILIATE MEETINGS All Meetings at Martins Run Lifecare Community, Media, PA Date Time Speaker Topic Sunday Old School Records: Where to Find Them 1:30 PM Donald Wittenberg Apr. 6, 2008 and What They Tell Us Sunday 1:30 PM To Be Announced To Be Announced June 1, 2008 3 www.jewishgen.org/jgsp CHRONICLES Vol 26 No.2/3 December 2007 UPCOMING RUSSIAN INTEREST GROUP MEETING Meeting at Cherry Hill Public Library 1100 Kings Hwy North, Cherry Hill, NJ http://www.chplnj.org Date Time Speaker Topic Sunday Routes out of Russia: Migration Routes of 1:30 PM Discussion led by David Brill January 20, 2008 our Ancestors -- Part II WELCOME NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS Sissy Carpey . Ardmore, PA Jack Muchnik . Media, PA Carrie Chein .