Vol 31-4 Winter 2014
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Jourcnahl orf thoe Jenwisihc Gelneaelos gical Society of Greater Philadelphia דברי הימים Table of Contents Reflections from Your Commentary Chronicles Team 1 Reflections from Your Chronicles Team Winter 2014-2015 2 JGSGP Contact Information 4 Welcome to New Members 4 President’s Message uring my elementary and Hebrew 34th Annual IAJGS Conference—Salt Lake City school years I read young adult ver - 5 2014 IAJGS Conference Impressions sions of biographies, often about his - James Gross toric personalities like Babe Ruth, Theodore 6 IAJGS Conference Snippets D Roosevelt, David (Mickey) Marcus, and Merle Kastner 8 My Russian Jewish Population Data Theodor Herzl. I read a wide scope of books Joel Spector now, but I seem to gravitate toward biogra - 10 Cousin Bait at IAJGS 2014 phies, autobiographies, and memoirs. I’m particularly fasci - Tammy Hepps nated when these books focus on the family dynamics 12 The Family History Library in Salt Lake City experienced by their subjects. Ruth Kurschner 13 My Conference Experiences Leah Jordan Bisel I recently enjoyed reading Who She Was: My Search for My 14 Searching the Censuses of the City ofNew York Mother’s Life by Samuel Freedman, The Family: Three Jour - Bernard Cedar neys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century by David Laskin,, Summer Travel and From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jew - 15 Finding My Grandfather Jeffrey Barnett ish Genealogy & Family History by Arthur Kurzweil. I found 19 Some People are Bad, Some People are Good all three compelling. The first two provide in-depth coverage Avivah Pinski of the authors’ respective family histories, exactly what we ge - 21 Reunions, Broken Branches & Mended Ones nealogists are encouraged to do with all the documents, anec - Marilyn Mazer Golden dotes, and photographs we collect while pursuing our research. 24 Zachor - Memories of the Jews of Bialystok Mark Halpern As indicated in his book’s title, Kurzweil focuses on teaching Book Review and guiding us through the research process. In addition to giv - 27 “The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart ing us step-by-step instructions and an overview of resources of the Twentieth Century” by David Laskin available, he weaves in personal experiences from his nascent Evan Fishman genealogical journey and incorporates anecdotes that provide Meeting Summaries 28 November Meeting Summary riveting insights into the various branches of his own family. Linda Ewall-Krocker 29 December Meeting Summary As I mentioned in my book review of Freedman’s work in our Linda Ewall-Krocker & Marilyn Mazur Golden fall issue, we need to integrate the biographical, sociological, Miscellaneous and psychological elements in our narratives. They offer ex - 30 JGSGP’s Photo Quiz - Avivah Pinski 31 Membership & Renewal Form planations for why our relatives and ancestors acted as they 32 JGSGP Calendar & Reminders did in reaction to various historical events. (continued on p. 3) Chronicles - Volume 31-4, Winter 2014 - 2015 1 Journal of the Jewicsh Ghenrealogicnal iSoccieltye ofs Greater Philadelphia JGSGP Membership Editorial Board Membership dues and contributions are tax-deductible Editor - Evan Fishman - [email protected] to the full extent of the law. Please make checks Graphics & Design - Ed Flax - [email protected] payable to JGSGP and mail to the address below. Associate Editors: Please include your email address and zip+4 / postal Felicia Mode Alexander - [email protected] code address. Elaine Ellison - [email protected] Annual Dues (January 1 - Dec. 31) Marge Farbman - [email protected] Individual............................................................. $25 Ann Kauffman - [email protected] Family of two, per household...............................$35 Cindy Meyer - [email protected] Officers Membership Applications / Renewals and Payments President: Fred Blum [email protected] to: JGSGP • 1657 The Fairway, #145 Vice President - Programs: Jenkintown, PA 19046 Mark Halpern - [email protected] Questions about membership status should be Vice President - Membership: directed to [email protected] Susan Neidich - [email protected] Vice President: Editorial Contributions Walter Spector - [email protected] Submission of articles on genealogy for publication in Treasurer: chronicles is enthusiastically encouraged. The Barry Wagner - [email protected] editorial board reserves the right to decide whether to Immediate Past President: publish an article and to edit all submissions. Please Mark Halpern - [email protected] keep a copy of your material. Anything you want re - Trustee: Joel Spector - [email protected] turned should be accompanied by a self-addressed Trustee: Harry D. Boonin - [email protected] stamped envelope. Committee Chairs Hospitality: Judy Becker - [email protected] While email and other electronic files are highly pre - New Member Orientation ferred, the editors will be happy to work with you and Lois Sernoff - [email protected] your material in any form. If you have an idea, please Publicity: Jack Weinstein - [email protected] contact Evan Fishman of the Editorial Board by email: Russian Special Interest Group [email protected] or by phone at 856-667-2077. David Brill - [email protected] Subscriptions - Address Change South Jersey Affiliate: chronicles (ISSN 0893-2921) is the quarterly Bernard Cedar - [email protected] publication of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Speakers Bureau: Philadelphia. It is free to JGSGP members and to JGS’s Shelda & Stan Sandler - [email protected] in the newsletter courtesy-exchange program. Printed and Webmaster: Jim Meyer - [email protected] mailed back issues are available at $4.00 each in the US ! l l a w m o o r d e b s i h n o l l i t s s a w o t o h and $7.00 outside the US. Chronicles is published quar - p s ' y k s n i t o b a J , s 0 9 9 1 e h t n i y e s r e J h t r o N n i y a w a d e s s a terly and distributed electronically in PDF format. Please p ) l " z ( e l c n u y m n e h W . y k s n i t o b a J v e - e Z y b d e d n u o supply the Vice President - Membership with your up - f s a w t n e m e v o M t s i n o i s i v e R e h T . t n e m e v o M t s i n o i dated email address to ensure on-time delivery. s - i v e R t s i n o i Z e h t f o t n e m e v o m h t u o y e h t , r a t e B e h t s Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved. i p u o r g e h t d n a , n i g e B m e h c a n e M s i n o s r e p y r e t s y m e h No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or T transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording 5 # z i u Q - r e w s n or otherwise without the prior written permission of The Jewish Genealogical A Society of Greater Philadelphia. http://www.jgsp.org/ 2 Chronicles - Volume 31-4, Winter 2014 - 2015 (from p. 1) The above-mentioned authors go the extra mile and ultimately demonstrate how personality traits can often pass from generation to generation, echoing Ron Arons’ remarks during his presentation at our May meeting. There is another dimension that these books share which transcends the narrow definition of “genealogical.” All three authors delve into the profound, moving, underlying reasons why they wrote their respective tomes and how their Jewishness was af - fected. The title of Kurzweil’s first chapter reflects both aspects: “Climbing Up My Family Tree: Jewish Genealogy as a Spir - itual Pilgrimage.” All three authors had either drifted away from Judaism or had limited ties to it before they began researching. I was moved by how their intense explorations resulted in profound changes in their connection to Judaism. Freedman and Laskin had drifted away and/or become alienated from Judaism; their respective explorations into their family histories renewed their interest in Judaism. Freedman developed an abiding under - standing of and appreciation for the Jewish elements that characterized and explained behaviors displayed by his mother and maternal grandmother. Al - lowing himself to analyze his grand - mother’s abiding concern for her relatives trapped in Poland during World War II, he recognized the link between himself as a Jew with the sur - viving members of that European branch who rebuilt their lives in South America. “I met the distant relatives in Uruguay... and we cherished our re-dis - covered bond.” (p. 322) At long last the Holocaust took on a personal meaning for him; it was no longer an historical event that affected other people. “From beyond her grave, my grandmother has made the Holocaust palpable to me, taught me who and what my own line - age lost, taken the massiveness out of mass murder and turned it personal.” Maternal great grandparents of Arthur Kurzweil (p. 322) He also began to understand the importance Israel had for his mother and her personal connection with the Jewish people. “When I look today on my mother’s bust of Golda Meir on the shelf in my living room, I imagine in the furrowed, creased face a suggestion of Rose Mickiewicz Hatkin [his grandmother]...” (p. 322) “I found myself mentioning stray details from my mother’s life... her dancing in the streets when the United Nations voted statehood for Israel.” (p. 6) The keynote speaker at the recent IAJGS conference in Salt Lake City, Laskin is married to a non-Jew.