JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN Issue 66 December 2013 NEWSLETTER NOT FORGOT TEN

Photo: Gary Manhine The renovated memorial to some of the civilians killed during World War II in the Borough of Hackney. It is located in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, in north London by Shirley Collier Sylvia Cooperstein, David and Marie Danziger, N Remembrance Sunday (November Eric, Marie, Morris, Norah and Sarah Edelstein, 10) I attended a ceremony organised by Bessie and Joseph Krakosky, and Mildred, Pearl OTimeLine at the culmination of a three and Woolf Kramer and so many more. I do have year campaign to restore a civilian war memorial a list of most of the names if anyone is interested. in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, which recorded the names of 113 people who died in The ceremony was held in Abney Hall, in World War II, both in the Coronation Avenue Stoke Newington Church Street, attended by disaster and elsewhere in the borough. the Speaker of Hackney Council and other On the night of 13 October 1940 the building in local dignitaries. The Rector of Hackney read Coronation Avenue received a direct hit, fracturing a prayer, then Kaddish was recited, which was both the gas and water pipes, trapping more than most moving, bringing responses from many of 160 poor souls in the shelters below. the attendees. Jewish victims The names of those who perished were A number of those who died were Jewish, projected on to the wall and it was particularly among them Jacob and Minnie Abler, Rebecca poignant for me when the name came up of Abrahams, Eva, Kate and Lily Aurich, Jenny my 11-year-old classmate Margaret, who had Brooks (or Myers), Esther Cohen, Israel Cohen, promised to bring me in a book the following day Max Cohen, Sylvia Cohen, Barnet, Hyman, and but never returned. —1— We then crossed the road to Abney Park Cemetery, gathered round the memorial and laid Following the recent articles about stones, while two trumpeters from the Jewish the so-called “reincarnation” of the World Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade sounded The Last Post, War II civilian memorial in Abney Park after which we returned to the hall where people Cemetery, Stoke Newington, London N16 gathered, having tea and cakes, and exchanging 0LH, it has been proposed that a visit to both sad memories and tales of lucky escapes. the cemetery might interest our members. The ceremony was arranged by TimeLine, Abney Park Cemetery is designated a magazine of “Fun and Facts about Stoke as a woodland memorial park and nature Newington and Hackney History and Heritage”, research and anything I could tell you www.timeline.org.uk, run by Camilla Loewe. would only be gleaned from the very many Worth looking at especially if you come from that websites devoted to it so I can do no better area. I lived in Northwold Road. than recommend that you start off with www.abneypark.org/history. A In August 2011, an article by Howard Kramer As a child I lived almost opposite the about the Coronation Avenue bombing was magnificent gated entrance to the cemetery published in Shemot. Shirley reports that he was where flower sellers were often to be seen at the ceremony having lost his grandparents and at the gates on Sundays. I sometimes stood an aunt that night. and watched people going in to pay their respects to their loved ones but I did not MICHAEL JOLLES dare to venture in myself as it looked quite has let us know about mysterious and forbidding to a child, until a 221-page book curiosity got the better of me many years published in October, later. A Taste of Jewish I was amazed at what I discovered and Northampton, which almost got lost just wandering around celebrates the 125th the grounds but soon found that there anniversary of the is a visitors’ centre, and tree and nature Northampton Hebrew trails which really made my visit much Congregation. more interesting. The cemetery is non- It contains denominational and many famous people are buried there including General William family histories, Booth, founder of the Salvation Army; interesting articles on Albert Chevalier and many other theatre Northampton’s Jewish history, and some recipes and music hall performers, dissenters and by local and nationally famous contributors. non-conformists and even a large number No doubt, it will be of considerable interest of Jewish burials have taken place there. to genealogists and Jewish historians who wish Since 1991 the park has been leased to to learn about Northampton’s Jewry. Illustrated. the Abney Park Trust as a nature reserve, Index. £10. ISBN 978-0-9926476-0-5. an educational facility and a memorial Copies are available directly from the author, park. Events are held there, some after Donald Rainbow, at www.felandon.co.uk. dark for those interested who are not of a nervous disposition. Perhaps this time of year is not the Worth a look best time for a visit, although each season I received a recommendation regarding this brings its own attractions to the park but online PowerPoint presentation which may I will leave it to our intrepid cemetery be of interest to people. authority Raymond Montanjees to make www.tinewbedford.org/pps/ that decision. HistoricPhotosOfTheJews-0FLev.pps Shirley Collier

—2— PROGRAMME GUIDE January-April Unless stated, all meetings held at 33 Seymour place.

JANUARY 2014 Thursday 16 Education evening Genealogy in Western Europe. Webinar. 7.30-9.30 pm Contact Jeanette Rosenberg. Sunday 19 SE Essex Group Workshop. Venue: Balmoral Community Centre, 2.30-5.0 pm Salisbury Ave., Westcliff on Sea, SS0 7AU. Contact Anne Marcus. Sunday 19 SW London Group Netherlands presentation by Dianne Thompson. 3.0-6.0 pm Venue: Teddington. Contact Ena Black. Sunday 26 Library session Lydia Collins. Open for general research. 3.0-6.0 pm Visitors welcome. Society members are on hand to help you use the library. FEBRUARY Sunday 16 Anglo SIG “Know your sources. Researching Jewish 2.0-5.30 pm businesses in the 19th century.” Seymour Place, Council Room. Contact Sue Wolff. Wednesday 19 Library session. Lydia Collins. Open for general research. 10.30 am-3.0 pm Visitors welcome. Society members are on hand to help you use the library. Thursday 20- WDYTYA? Live, Olympia Contact Jeanette Rosenberg. Saturday 22 Sunday 23 Library session Lydia Collins. Open for general research. 3.0-6.0 pm Visitors welcome. Society members are on hand to help you use the library. Sunday 23 Eastern Europe SIG General research workshop and discussion. 2.30-6.0 pm Seymour Place, Council Room. Sunday 23 Manchester Group Group meeting focusing on cemetery records 2.0-4.30 pm and our own “work-in-progress” database. Venue: Meade Hill Road synagogue, North Manchester. Contact Lorna Kay. Thursday 27 Education evening Using directories and maps for genealogy. 7.30-9.30 pm Webinar. Contact Jeanette Rosenberg. MARCH Sunday 2 German SIG General research and discussion. 2.0-5.0 pm Venue: Edgware. Contact Jeanette Rosenberg. Sunday 2 SE Essex Group Workshop. Venue: Balmoral Community Centre, 2.30-5.0 pm Salisbury Ave., Westcliff on Sea, SS0 7AU. Contact Anne Marcus. Monday 3 East of London Group General research workshop and discussion. 7.45-10.0 pm Beehive Lane Synagogue. Contact Raymond Montanjees.

—3— Tuesday 4 Chilterns & Home Counties Leigh Dworkin’s new talk 7.45-10.0 pm Group “Finding My Bubba’s Sister”. Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue. Contact Stan Rose. Sunday 9 Dutch & Sephardi SIG General research workshop and discussion. 2.0-6.0 pm Seymour Place, Council Room Contact Raymond Montanjees. Thursday 20 Education evening Paid for websites/networking lists and 7.30-9.30 pm forums/blogs/webinars and podcasts. Contact Jeanette Rosenberg. Sunday 23 Midlands Regional Group General workshops” to help each other solve 3.0-5.0 pm “Brick Walls”. To be confirmed. Contact David Harrison. Sunday 30 Library session Lydia Collins. Open for general research. 3.0-6.0 pm Visitors welcome. Society members are on hand to help you use the library. APRIL Wednesday 23 Library session Lydia Collins. Open for general research. 10.30-3.0 pm Visitors welcome. Society members are on hand to help you use the library. Sunday 27 Library session Lydia Collins. Open for general research. 3.0-6.0 pm Visitors welcome. Society members are on hand to help you use the library. Sunday 27 Members’ Everyone invited. 3.0-6.0 pm social Guest speaker: Stefan Dickers, meeting Bishopsgate Institute Library. See website for further details. Seymour Place, Council Room Contact Raymond Montanjees.

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—4— NOTICES FROM COUNCIL

THE following important decisions were taken at the recent meeting with immediate effect. Members’ understanding would be appreciated.

CHANGE TO MEMBERSHIP LIST In order to safeguard your privacy, members are informed that the Membership List, which can be found on Members’ Corner on the website, will now detail the e-mail addresses of members and will no longer give addresses and telephone numbers.

DELIVERY OF YOUR NEWSLETTER Members are advised that future deliveries of your Newsletter will be by electronic means only. Please ensure that you have a given us a working, up to date email address and that communications from the Society are not sent straight to the Spam/Junk folder. DOREEN BERGER (Chairman)

General Enquiries PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS 33 Seymour Place London W1H 5AU and TRANSLATORS e-mail: [email protected] The 12th edition of JGSGB’s Registered Charity No. 1022738 Register of Professional Researchers Full details of the Society may be and Translators is now available in the Members section of the JGSGB website or found on www.jgsgb.org.uk. on request. Please send a self-addressed Newsletter envelope with two second class stamps ISSN 1467-5471 JGSGB © 2013. marked “REGISTER” to Copy date for the next newsletter Education, JGSGB, 33 Seymour Place, London W1H 5AU or e-mail is 1 March 2014. [email protected]. For advertising rates please apply to the Editor on SECURITY [email protected]. If you are organising or attending a l The Society and the Editor disclaim meeting always make sure that you any responsibility for any financial or any familiarise yourself with the security contractual arrangements made by or between arrangements in case of a breach in members as a result of reading this publication. security or fire in the building. —5— JGSGB Officers of the Society 2014 President: Dr Saul Issroff Vice Presidents: David Jacobs, George Anticoni

Chairman Doreen Berger [email protected] Vice Chairman Gina Marks [email protected] Secretary Rod Moulding [email protected] Treasurer Philip Roth [email protected] Membership Administration Hazel Atlass [email protected] Cemeteries Photography Gina Marks [email protected] JGSGB Library Lydia Collins Regional Groups and SIGs Shirley Collier [email protected] Website Liaison Martin Hill [email protected] Media Liaison/Genealogical Reva Hill [email protected] Enquiries Correspondence Shemot Bernard Valman [email protected] Publications Geoff Munitz [email protected]

Portfolio holders

JGSGB Discussion Group Tony Benson [email protected] Genealogical Enquiries Rosemary Hoffman [email protected] Visits Elaine Jacobs [email protected] JCR-UK Discuss Richard Jaeger [email protected] Cemeteries Liaison; Raymond Montanjees [email protected] Programme and Events; Publications Membership Applications Hazel Atlass [email protected] Education and Mentoring; Jeanette Rosenberg [email protected] Speaker Supply JCR-UK Webmaster David Shulman [email protected]

Vacant JGSGB and JCR-UK [email protected] Databases: JGSGB Webmaster: JCR-UK Associate Webmaster Newsletter Editor Mike Gordon (acting) [email protected]

—6— Group Visit to the Pound Lane, Willesden Cemetery by Gina Marks

Inside the columbarium guide, which included the following: The Sassoon Family Vault and the graves of Alvin Boyarsky, Chairman of the Architectural Association School of Architecture, Conchita Supervia Rubenstein, the Spanish Mezzo Soprano, Sir Edward Baron, n Sunday 20 October, a group of 11 tobacco magnate and philanthropist, plus the hardy “Cem trekkers” met up for a visit Winogradski brothers, Leslie and Lew Grade and organised by Elaine Jacobs to Pound O Bernard Delfont. Lane Liberal Cemetery. I say “hardy” because the weather forecast In 2012, at the request of Dr Phillippe Pierret, was for heavy rain. In the event, the sun shone on Curator of the Jewish Museum of Belgium, the righteous and we were very lucky! Some five www.new.mjb-jmb.org/ M André Chabot was other members had originally said they would join commissioned to photograph Jewish cemeteries us but for various reasons did not. worldwide for an exhibition called “The House The cemetery was established in 1913 and of the Living”. His photograph of “The Grieving this being its centenary year, several group visits Woman” was selected for the exhibition. had taken place and all have been considered There is also a Holocaust memorial built of successful. The Liberal Synagogue had contacted sandstone which was erected by the Belsize Square JGSGB to invite us to take part in their centenary Synagogue Burial Society after World War II. celebrations and we were happy to do so. The burials and cremations at this cemetery Our visit began with a short talk in the Prayer were indexed some time ago by the late George Hall by guide Barbara Brown who gave us some Rigal and these books can be consulted in our background information on the Liberal Synagogue Library. The cemetery is well cared for and is open movement in general and then some information most of the time. It is certainly well worth a visit. about the cemetery itself, including details of Thanks go to Elaine for once again organising a some of the well-known individuals who are most interesting outing. buried there. Columbarium In a break with traditional Jewish thinking, cremations also take place in this cemetery and there is a columbarium of urns with ashes in them. Alternatively, ashes can be scattered in the grounds with rose trees planted in memory of those individuals, or ashes can be placed in the grave of parents, etc. We left the Prayer Hall to take a walk around the cemetery. Several of us had our own family This famous author was a great supporter of the graves to visit as well as those pointed out by our League of Jewish Women Suffrage —7— 20th Annual London Conference Report by Hazel Atlass

HE latest London Conference was held on 27 October at The West London Synagogue Tin Seymour Place. After registration and refreshments, the 88 attendees plus speakers and exhibitors were welcomed by our Chairman, Doreen Berger. Our morning speakers were Angela Shire and Geoff Munitz. During the lunch break, attendees were welcome to look and browse at the exhibitors stalls. Our exhibitors included the Jewish East End The folks in front are Doris and Hank Waxman Celebration Society (JEECS), The Jewish Military and next to them is Michael Jolles Museum, World Jewish Relief, two stalls with JGSGB educational materials and publications to die from being knocked over in a park in and the Emunah Charity Book stand run by Gina September 1947. Marks, which raised money for both Emunah Geoff has compiled an extensive list of and JGSGB. websites to enable researchers to find birth, death and marriage records; leavers (émigrés) Our guest speakers from Vienna from 1868-1914; cemetery records; Our first speaker,Angela Shire, is well known Vienna Jewish (IKG) community records as well to JGSGB members and her talk on Anglo-Jewish as obituaries from the Neue Free Press 1864-1939 Records contained some interesting points on the and city directories, asset registers, Holocaust and problems that genealogists have in gaining access transport lists and Austrian resistance records. and translating/transcribing records relating to Geoff’s talk added a personal perspective to the day. the first Ashkenazi Jews to settle in the United After lunch, our speaker was another well Kingdom in the period 1656-1837, prior to the known JGSGB member, Ric Cooper, whose talk Civil Registration Act. on The Jews of Partitioned Poland 1772-1914: a She also made a heartfelt plea for the beginner’s guide began with us looking at some identification and preservation of original maps of the complex history of Poland and its records from all sources to be a priority for future partitions in 1772, 1793 and 1795 with the area generations of genealogists. An adaptation of her being first divided into the Kingdom of Poland talk can be found at http://synagoguescribes.com/ and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and then large blog/anglo-jewish-records-of-the-ashkenazi- areas of land being acquired by Austria, Prussia community-from-the-readmission-in-1656-to- and Russia. the-introduction-of-civil-registration-in-1837. These areas held most of the Jewish population Our second speaker was JGSGB member, and by 1881 some areas had a 17 per cent Geoff Munitz who has carried out extensive settlement rate. Ric then took us on a visual research on his family in Poland, Galicia and tour of one of the main sources of genealogical Vienna. His talk was on Researching your information for Poland—http://jri-poland.org/. Jewish Viennese Ancestors and was extensively He then highlighted search strategies, hints and illustrated by examples of the Schon/Vogel family tips for searching births, deaths and marriages from his own family tree. records on the website. His aunt, Teme Vogel, survived the Holocaust World Jewish Relief, who had a stand with a in Theresienstadt and returned to Vienna, only laptop and information about their new database —8— also provided us with our next speaker, Paul was extended in 1835-1836 and is now Grade II Stein, who is their Director of Fundraising and listed. Both congregations established their own Marketing Communications. He spoke about their cemeteries. www.exetersynagogue.org.uk/. origins as the Central British Fund for German Helen also mentioned many family names that Jewry in the 1930s. members recognised and she spoke about some of After 1938 children were admitted with the interesting characters from both communities. limited paperwork, hence the Kindertransport. Ancestry kindly donated some raffle prizes From 1933 to 1939, 65,00 adults were registered and the first prize of a year’s worldwide annual with the Jewish Refugee Council and nearly membership was won by Hazel Newton. 10,000 children came before 1939 with another The event was closed by Dr Anthony Joseph, 1,000 after 1945. JGSGB’s President Emeritus, who thanked the Active since 1945 Conference organisers, speakers and everyone attending, as well as those who were so generous Since 1945 WJR has been assisting other with their time and effort. threatened Jewish communities worldwide including Hungary, Aden, Iran, Ethiopia, Syria and Ukraine. WJR has set up their Story of Survival: share your family’s history website to record survivors’ memories. Paul encouraged attendees to look at the website and to add stories about survivors and their experiences and to preserve this personal history for the future. For more information go to www. storyofsurvival.org/. Our final speaker, Dr Helen Fry, is a well- known historian and author on Jewish topics. Her talk was an illustrated history of The Jews of Plymouth and Exeter. Plymouth has the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in the English speaking world and its origins go back to the 16th and 17th centuries when Spanish and Portuguese Jews settled in Plymouth to take Staffing the guide book sales table is advantage of the town’s importance as a shipping Marie-Anne Knight and David Roth and naval port. In the 1720s Jews from Alsace, Rhineland and Bohemia arrived as a result of persecution. The synagogue was founded in 1744 and met in private houses and by 1759 there were 52 male members with another 40 families arriving between 1757-1760. The purpose-built synagogue was erected in Catherine Street in 1762. www. plymouthsynagogue.co.uk/. Exeter’s history goes back to 1676 with “a Rabbi Moses the Jew” being given charity by the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The earliest settlers were Sephardi but the current synagogue was built in 1763 and its founder members were the Gina Marks at the well-supported charity Ezekiel family from the Rhineland. The building book stall which raised £161 —9— SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS SIG Co-ordinator: Shirley Collier SIG CONVENORS Anglo-Jewish: Diane Barnett, Joel Levy, Susan Woolf East European: comprising Galicia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,Romania and Ukraine Dutch/Sephardi: Raymond Montanjees Raymond Montanjees German: Jeanette Rosenberg

For meeting details see the PROGRAMME on pages 3 and 4 or visit the JGSGB website.

German SIG South East Essex Regional Group Balmoral Community Centre, E welcomed some new participants Westcliff on Sea to the German SIG which met during WChanukah. UR workshop took place in our regular Everyone introduced themselves at the start of Ovenue of Balmoral Community Centre on the meeting, and two of the members found that Sunday 17 November. We were a mix of people: they had relatives in common. Raymond Montanjees and Shirley Collier, familiar A short presentation on the availability of guests Heather and Fred Feather from the Essex German records online and on the GerSIG Hessen Society of Family History, regular attendees and Indexing Project was given by the convenor, by new members. A really interesting mix. way of a stimulus to our discussions. We seemed to cover the whole A-Z of genealogy in one afternoon. Everything from We heard how more records are now being talking through how to order a copy of a certificate put online, but that what is available differs from from the General Records Office, to how to find location to location within Germany. out the old and new names of towns within the Volunteers were also sought for the GerSIG Russia Empire. Hessen Indexing Project, and one new offer of Part of our meeting was a discussion about help was made at the meeting. family names, something that is often a sticking As usual, people were able to use the GerSIG point in Jewish genealogy. Several of the members library after the main part of the meeting was over, have been held up in their research because and several people found information of use to somewhere along the line an ancestor began using their research. Fun was had by all! a different name. One of the advantages of talking Jeanette Rosenberg about this in a workshop setting is that within the many differing suggestions offered there may just be the one that unlocks the mystery. SYECURIT NOTICE I often talk to the group about the use of social n Members who intend to attend media and this meeting highlighted the benefits.I “met” a lady on the JGSGB Facebook page a while meetings held at 33 Seymour Place ago and having found out that she lives locally I should confirm their attendance, invited her to the meeting. She came along and preferably by e-mail, to Gina Marks enjoyed it and will hopefully become a regular. So while we genealogists are often immersed in the or Raymond Montanjees for security past we have to remember that new technologies and seating arrangements. Thank you. are there to help us. Anne Marcus —10— The Chilterns and Home Counties A IT is with sadness that I have to report the egional roup R G passing of one of the Society’s most loyal and long-standing members, Mr Harry Jarvis. He worked as a GP in London and latterly lived in Bournemouth. The last time we spoke he said he got much pleasure in seeing the results of his research on Czernowitz published in Shemot. Our sympathy to family and friends.

I would hope that they would bring their own photos and mementos of the East End and we O NY ABRAHAMS, a group member, could have a discussion that all could participate Tdescribed his family history researches to a in. It often surprises me how many people have full and appreciative meeting of the Chilterns on fond memories of the area (or sometime less fond 1 October. ones) but it is certainly something that many Despite eight of our regular members having people are interested in.” to miss the event, we still managed to muster 26 The East End evening will be on Thursday 13 bodies who sat silently (!) as Tony delivered his February at 8.0 pm in the Osorio Hall at NPLS. illustrated talk for the first time. Following my pre-talk announcements, Philip Often funny and always of great interest, Roth spoke about the forthcoming choir concert Tony described his work, and that of his two late and invited members to contact him for the special brothers, which culminated in the production of price tickets he had obtained on behalf of the a well-illustrated, hard-cover book. Samples of Society. Early dates for next year are, so far, 4 the book, entitled Dear Relative . . . A History of March, 20 May, 8 July. All are Tuesday evenings. Our Abrahams Family (And How We Discovered Other dates to be arranged. America) were on show together with several Please do not forget to let me know during newspaper cuttings. the week preceding a meeting, whether you will A signed copy of the book, most generously or will not be attending. donated by Tony, is now in our group library. Stan Rose Rod Moulding thanked Tony for the excellence of his talk and how much it was appreciated. Several people told me afterwards how much they JGSGB Webmaster had enjoyed it. Vacancy Another chance The voluntary position of JGSGB For those who missed the talk, there are webmaster has become vacant again and several more occasions to hear it for Tony has been we are looking for a capable person with booked at other society venues— check the diary experience of looking after websites to run on the website and in this Newsletter. the JGSGB website. The post is unpaid but should not take up a great deal of time. Tony later wrote: “Having seen the article I wrote for The Jewish News concerning my The webmaster does not need to be a JGSGB member, so if any member knows recollections of the East End and Petticoat Lane, of a competent person who can take on the synagogue has asked me to host an evening the position please let us know. during which I will give a short talk and show Please contact [email protected] slides and then invite those attending to talk about with expressions of interest. their own experiences and recollections. —11— Eastern European SIG

FTER Tony’s successful talk at the Chilterns Group he attracted more than A40 people, including some of his own family at our Eastern European SIG meeting. Hegave a most interesting illustrated talk on the trials and tribulations of family history research especially in the days before computers.

carried out in Poland, Ukraine, Belgium and Germany and he discovered many unknown relatives and their stories. Combined with Tony’s memories of the East End of London as well as many restored photos, documents and illustrations, he hopes the story of the book will inspire others with their research. One story linked the family to an aristocrat, Juan Ponce de León, who sailed with Christopher Tony and his two brothers, Bernard and Columbus to discover America and is credited Jeffrey, were born into a comfortable North with being the first European in Florida. This London life and after the death of his parents Tony Spanish aristocrat was a Spanish Jewish convert. formed an idea to record some memories of what Tony also brought along some copies of his their parents were like for the rest of the family. book Dear Relative for sale and he displayed his This idea turned into a genealogical search lasting collection of books on London’s East End. more than 22 years. The meeting then split into two groups, with Along the way, Tony lost both of his brothers Ric Cooper, with help from Michael Hoffman and he has finally produced a book in which he leading the Polish/Galicia section and Arlene tells the story of the last 1,000 years in Europe, the Beare, the Latvian section to discuss research horrors of persecution and escape as well as the problems and offer guidance to members. Some new life that the family found in England. interesting problems were discussed and at least two members found they had names and places Frustrations and breakthroughs in common. He talked about the frustrations and The next Eastern European SIG meeting is on breakthroughs of research and how he approached Sunday 23 February 2014 at 33 Seymour Place the search, as well as writing and putting the book which will be a workshop on helping members together. He started with his grandfather’s identify with their research and brick walls. card which showed he was born in Podgórze, a Hazel Atlass suburb of Kraków in Galicia-Poland. He found out that their original surname was SW London Group Abrahamer and from there managed to research S we had no meeting this quarter I hope to his grandparents surnames, Lautman, Braver and Asee you all at our next gathering in the New Levisohn. He also managed to trace his great Year on Sunday 19 January in Teddington where grandmother, Feigel Likier. there will be a presentation on the Netherlands by The main trail began in Tľumasc, then to Dianne Thompson. Kraków, Hamburg and London. Research was Ena Black —12— Dutch and Sephardi SIG Manchester Regional Group

UR last Dutch-Sephardi SIG meeting fter the most successful group visit to held on 8 December was well attended ABradford in July organised by our committee Oand consisted of a round the table member, Marie Padgett, we had a request from one workshop with members discussing progress (or of our members to organise a visit to Liverpool the lack of it) with their research over the last year. cemeteries. As a result, at the end of September a David Mendoza, talked about the catalogue small group made their own way to Liverpool and of the Bevis Marks records being available now this is what Marie subsequently wrote: via the LMA website http://search.lma.gov.uk/ Report on the tour of Deane Road and LMA_DOC/LMA_4521.PDF and the type of Broadgreen Cemeteries, Liverpool information contained in the records. Of particular interest are the Account Books, which can contain “Six people went on the tour and the two tour names and details of many early Sephardi settlers. leaders were excellent. I had asked people to send me their requests for information beforehand so He also mentioned Inquisition documents that the Synagogue’s genealogist could search which can help in tracing our ancestors back even through the cemetery records before our visit. further. He also noted that the Portuguese archives have been digitised and will be going online. This resulted in John Cowell getting a family tree and other information, and a lady getting Laurence Kleerekoper mentioned the information about her family. It was a real pleasure usefulness of old Dutch newspapers in his research. The database is searchable and had good to see the wonderful restoration work and meet images with the earliest newspaper dating from some of the people who are making it happen.” 1858. An ability to read Dutch is essential but he Bad weather and people having health issues had found some distant unknown relatives. were the reason for the group being so small. David Harrison mentioned the Board of Shechita [ritual slaughter] records at Southampton ‘Success stories’ University. He talked about a research trip to On Sunday 24 November we held a “Success Holland and the importance of taking all your Stories” afternoon and more than 40 people turned records and praised the helpfulness of all the up. Six people brought either items to show or archives and record offices he had visited and also information on a PowerPoint presentation to advised to think wider and laterally geographically illustrate how they had made a breakthrough after when searching regional archives as the records hitting the well-known “brick wall” syndrome. may not be housed where you think they may be. This created a lot of interest, especially to Martin Lee talked about his research into beginners and people who really were stuck, and the Nathan family from Messhed in Persia; the they found it all extremely encouraging. Gubbay family from Poona and Mumbai and any Our next meeting will be in February possible links with the Sassoon family. concentrating on cemetery records and our own work-in-progress database. After that it will be our big annual event, the Northern Annual Conference which will take place in Manchester on Sunday 11 May, so please bookmark the date as we have a wonderful line-up of speakers including two speakers covering exciting topics not previously covered in either Manchester or London. We are also in the planning stage for two more meetings later in the year. More details when finalised. Continued overleaf Lorna Kay —13— Dutch and Sephardi SIG—continued Midlands Group Iain Palot talked about problems with tracing ATHER a sad message from David Harrison. his LISS/LESS relatives who originated in He would like to hear from any members who Holland in the 1800s. R wish to continue with meeting as a Midlands Area Gina Marks reminded us of a useful website, Group of JGSGB. the Amsterdam Burials of the Portuguese Israelite Will people please pencil in the next date Congregation: www.dutchjewry.org/phpr/ for 23 March 2014 at Birmingham Progressive amsterdam/port_isr_gem_burials/amsterdam_ Synagogue, 1 Roseland Way, Birmingham, B15 port_isr_gem_burials_list.php. 1HD, starting at 3.0 pm. (Editor’s note: Gina also took the photo of Also, will any member suggest a speaker or the plaque of Sir Philip Sassoon on page 13 He subject upon which they wish to hear by an e mail was a member of the prominent Rothschild family, to [email protected]. served in World War I and was related to poet David adds that if no suggestion is received by Seigfried Sassoon. Please keep a look out for any him before 31 January for the March meeting, it interesting memorabilia such as this.) will not take place, and there will be no further Gina Burgess Winning spoke about trying to meetings thus saving the Society the costs of room trace a Freudenthal (from Battenberg, Germany) hire and releasing various JGSGB publications who married in Amsterdam in 1836. Brenda back to stock in London. Nathan was looking for information on the However, what is really needed is an ideas Hijmanson and Natkiel families. group because no one came today by 3.45 and only Over refreshments, members continued to one at our previous meeting this year. discuss their researches with each other. David Harrison (not a happy bunny!) The next Dutch & Sephardi SIG meeting will be held on Sunday 9 March at 2.0 pm at 33 Seymour Place and members are most welcome New Members at the next Midlands Group meeting, too 12 September—12 november 2013 Hazel Atlass Welcome all!

Wanted Now! Carl Irwin Elstree, Herts Genealogy Mentors Geoffrey Fields Whitefields, Manchester David Marlow London N15 We are now recruiting new genealogy mentors—members of our society who help John Blakeley Paris, France other members to make progress with their research Geoff Perkins Auckland New Zealand Could you help another JGSGB member with their research? Denise Stallman Salford, Lancs If you have been researching for a couple of years or so, then you can probably help. Frances O’Sullivan Manchester Rochelle Cooke Wetherby, West Yorkshire Trevor Abrahams, Ferndown, Dorset Please contact Michael Casimir London W11 Jeanette Debra and David Crosby Basingstoke Hants Rosenberg Jackie Asher Bushey Herts [email protected] Martin Brown London NW4 —14— Anglo Jewish Sig East of London Regional Group

HE topic for the meeting on 10 November small gathering of participants was “Migration in and out of the UK”, led attended Ilford Synagogue for our annual Tby Diane Barnett. The subject continued the AWorkshop meeting. theme of looking at sources and she had prepared a As well as people seeking guidance with their fact sheet of relevant sources, particularly but not “brick walls”, topics covered included: burials, limited to those at the National Archives. cemeteries and tracing graves, military records, This was handed out at the meeting but was film production of a grandfather’s experiences not gone through at the meeting in order to let during World War I and the use of Facebook in those attending share their own experiences for genealogical research. the benefit of all. The list was also e-mailed to The most riveting part of the evening, those present and to those members who had however, was provided by the sprightly and dapper hoped to join us but were prevented by problems David Fertig, who gave a moving account of his on public transport. Some overseas members had experiences in 1930s Berlin under the Nazis. His also expressed interest in the subject. moving, yet uplifting story included his escape in Everyone including several new members 1938, aged 16, to England via the Kindertransport. contributed to the discussion with experiences and Twenty-six members of his immediate family problems from their own research. Stephen Jacobs remained behind to perish in the Holocaust, with had obtained American records which gave more only himself and three siblings surviving. He information on relatives who had emigrated from served in the RAF from 1941-1946, during which the United Kingdom than he had found here. A time he spent several years in Canada working on recurring problem was finding exactly when and aircraft in an engineering capacity. where people had landed in England when coming He said he had a “comfortable” war, but a from Europe—often there was no written record. further traumatic experience occurred the day the As time was running out, Sue Woolf talked war ended when he was posted back to Germany. briefly about “When, why, where from and where Refreshments throughout were enjoyed during to?”, an overview of the patterns of migration one of our best meetings to date. It was a shame of both Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews from the there were so few attendees. The date of the next mid-17th century to the present, concentrating on meeting will be announced shortly. the 18th and 19th centuries. This paper was later e-mailed to the recipients of Diane’s fact sheet. Nigel Fidlan We welcome your contributions to our next meeting on 16 February where the topic will be “ Know your sources—researching Jewish G uEST speakers businesses in the 19th century”. A combination of familiar and new sources, successes and failures, on Jewish genealogy illustrated by stories about the founding and Are you looking for a guest speaker on growth of a wide range of enterprises in Britain. Jewish Family History? Future topics for our quarterly meetings are Does your synagogue or community still in the planning stages. We plan to cover want a talk from JGSGB? education, occupations, clubs and societies, and If you know of any group who would JCR-UK. If there is sufficient interest among be interested in having a JGSGB regular attendees at the Anglo SIG and the broader speaker, please contact membership of the JGSGB, the subjects could include a look at former countries of the British Janettee Rosenberg Empire, for example Australia, Southern Africa. at [email protected] Let us know your views. Sue Woolf —15— JGSGB MEETS THE PUBLIC Jewish Living Expo 2013

HIS year, JGSGB decided to have a stand at the extremely popular Jewish Living Expo Twhich took place on Sunday 3 November 2013, as well as having a presentation slot on Jewish genealogy. The Expo was held in the Conference Centre at Wembley Stadium in the Bobby Moore conference suite, which was a fairly sizeable space for the show. Last year more than 10,000 people visited the show and so the idea was for JGSGB to be represented this time because it would give us great exposure and the chance to gain new Where is everyone? Jeanette and Mark doing their best at the Expo last month members and sell our Jewish Ancestors guides. However, things did not turn out quite as we Who Do You Think You Are?— would have hoped. The position of our stall was changed at the last moment by the event organisers Live! in February 2014 and we ended up in a cut-off part of the main exhibition space. This meant that we did not get HE annual Who Do You Think You Are?— the passing traffic that most other exhibitors saw Live! takes place at Kensington Olympia and so did not do as well as expected. Tfrom Thursday 20 February to Saturday 22 That said, we did get a few people visiting February 2014 and JGSGB will once again have a the stall and we were able to help them with their stand and be offering a speaker session. queries and we signed up two new members for We are looking forward to meeting our JGSGB as a result. Who knows what we would members at the show as 2014 is the centenary of have achieved with a much better location? the outbreak of World War I and this will be the theme of the show. I would like to thank everyone who helped out on the stand, Mark Nicholls, Gina Marks As well as all the usual exhibitor stands, there will be a full set of workshops and seminars. and Tony Benson made up the rest of our team, Details of all talks and further details about the and also Doreen Berger, JGSGB Chairman who show can be found on the website: http://www. happened to be at the exhibition but stayed on the whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com/. stall for quite a while. Show tickets are already on sale and you can I gave a short presentation about Jewish purchase two adult tickets at the discounted early genealogy in one of the executive boxes looking bird price of £26 through the show website or by out on the Wembley pitch. There were some 20 calling 0844 873 7330. people at the presentation and several came to visit our stand after the talk to ask follow up questions There is a two for the price of one ticket offer and for more research advice. which can be used until 7 February. The code to use for the offer is SOG2426. Please note that a We will need to think hard about whether we £2.25 transaction fee applies to each booking and have a stall at the Expo if it is held again next the usual ticket price is £22 per ticket. year, but if we can guarantee that we would be located in a good position, it could be worthwhile Both reports from Jeanette Rosenberg for JGSGB to be there. JGSGB Stand Manager —16— LITHUANIAN EMBASSY EVENT

A sensitive issue has arisen recently on Discuss which has raised passions to a high level, even resulting in offensive phone calls and e-mails being sent and opinions becoming extremely polarised. As acting editor, I have taken the decision to publish both a report from someone who attended the event together with a rejoinder. I make no apology for this, as open debate is far better than a brick through someone’s window. What we need is for a sensible resolution to be achieved, and it will, sooner or later, in which truth emerges as the victor, the memory of our murdered ancestors is preserved and respected and those guilty of horrendous crimes are named, shamed and if still alive, punished. We achieve nothing by fighting among ourselves: they win.

have just returned to Manchester after attending a two-day event put on by the Lithuanian IEmbassy in London, entitled “Litvak Days 2013—The Lithuanian Jews in Anglo-Jewish History, Culture and Identity”. Sunday, the first day, was the formal part attended by the Lithuanian Minister of Culture, their ambassador to the United Kingdom, the Vice-President of the Board of Deputies and other notables from Lithuania. and who are at the top of their tree, as well as a Vice-minister of Education and Science, Lithuanian opera singer who is a member of the Darius Mažintas, also delivered a welcoming Westminster Synagogue and who sings with the speech saying that it was crucial to keep the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. remembrance of what had been lost throughout Rabbi Gluck was awarded an OBE “for their history services to interfaith relations” in the 2013 Dr Nick Evans of the University of Hull who New Y ear’s Honours List and is the founder and is well known to all members of the JGSGB, and chairman of the Muslim-Jewish Forum, which in the field of genealogy, was the co-ordinator and seeks to build bridges between Muslim and one of the speakers. The other speaker on the first Jewish communities here and around the world. day was Prof Michael Berkowitz from University He certainly helped to build bridges with the College, London. Lithuanian community. Rabbi Herschel Gluck lit the Chanukah Sadly there were members of the Jewish candles and Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė, the community who felt obligated to make abusive ambassador recited the brochas [prayers] in phone calls to embassy officials and some of the perfect Hebrew. She was previously the Lithuanian speakers for their participation in this event. ambassador to Israel from 2006 to 2009. They achieved the opposite as it made the The aim of the Lithuanians was to build “reaching out” and “building bridges” even bridges with the Jewish community and they were stronger. Their attempts to mar this event failed,. bending over backwards to do so. A huge thank-you must go to the wonderful The second afternoon was made up of talks staff at the Lithuanian Embassy in London for the by genealogists with PowerPoint presentations tremendous effort that went into making these two including Ms Galina Baranova from the Lithuanian days so meaningful. State Archives. Lorna Kay The event culminated with a superb concert www.lithuaniatribune.com/58603/litvak-days- at the Westminster Reform Synagogue, provided 2013-hosted-in-london-201358603/ will give you by musicians who came especially from Lithuania a Lithuanian take on the proceedings. —17— WHY I DECLINED TO ATTEND

Saul has asked that author Olga Zabludoff’s AUSR L IS OFF, the Society’s President, response below to the Jerusalem Post be was also invited to attend. Here is his published in full. It was posted some weeks ago Spersonal response to Lorna’s report. on www.defendinghistory.com. “Lorna Kay’s posting on 4 December 2013 The website has had more than six million about the event “Litvak Days” notes there were hits and outlines the position of the Lithuanian protests but does not give the background to this. state takes, together with many other interesting She states: “The aim of the Lithuanians was to responses including one from Milan Chersonski build bridges with the Jewish community and they (Vilnius) who replies to a famous Kaunas historian. were bending over backwards to do so.” The actual website http://defendinghistory. I have met the Ambassador privately and have com/mission-statement is worth investigating if no doubt that she and her staff are genuine in their you are researching Lithuanian genealogy. There attempts to do so. Unfortunately the Lithuanian are articles on topics such as “Fighting Holocaust State has a different agenda internally. Obfuscation”, “Opposing the Prague Declaration (2008)”, “Double Genocide” and “Red-brown The main aspects of this are an attempt to Equivalence”. Dovid Katz is essential reading as is obfuscate the role taken in the Holocaust, where the open letter from Prof. Leonidas Donskis MEP. many Lithuanians played a major role in assisting the Germans in mass murders. “THE Lithuanian government is pouring Part of this is the double genocide theory, which ever more resources and doing an ever better job was first mooted in the late 1990 period.T his theory with its PR campaign to turn Litvaks into virtual PR agents who now go further than they do emphasises the Soviet actions against Lithuania in themselves: painting a picture of the New Jewish 1939, and post war, but minimises the extent of Paradise in Lithuania without even mentioning the Lithuanian collaboration in mass murders. existence of painful current issues. The government has also continued to permit Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Steve Linde no neo- Nazis to parade annually in Vilnius and have doubt meant only the best with his Chapter-of- streets named after known mass murderers. Psalms, and will, I feel confident, now be happy The state prosecutor has continued to press to give the issues some rounded airing. charges against three Jewish survivors who I would like to invite you to join me on a fought in the resistance, bizarrely claiming they different tour— a tour of the present reality. Let’s committed war crimes (Fania Brankofska, Rachel stay away from the “past” with its ghosts and focus Maroglis and Prof. Yitzchak Arad). instead on today. Did you know there is a street There were more than 840 Lithuanians name in central Vilnius honouring Kazys Škirpa, who saved Jews and are listed as “Righteous the Berlin-based head of the LAF (Lithuanian Amongst the Nations” in Yad Vashem in Israel. Activist Front) in 1941, whose radio speeches www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/righteous/index. incited mass murder of Jews in Lithuania starting on June 23, 1941, before the Germans even got there? asp?WT.mc_id=ggcamp&WT.srch=1. There is a June 23rd Street in Vilnius, too. There are attempts at Holocaust education In Kaunas, the major university has a bas-relief in high schools in Lithuania but the dichotomy and lecture hall honouring Juozas Ambrazevičius between domestic and foreign stances persists. (Brazaitis), the Nazi puppet prime minister who I have researched the Holocaust in Lithuania personally signed German-origin orders for the in some depth for more than 20 years and can Jews of his city to be sent to a murder site, and provide more information to anyone interested.” then another, ordering the remainder into a ghetto. —18— There are street names all over honouring the What a shame that you missed those 250 mass murderer Jonas Noreika. It was because of hard-to-find mass graves that dot the Lithuanian local collaborators and killers like these that the landscape near all the former shtétlakh [villages] of percentage of murder of Lithuania’s Jews, 96 per Lita. Of course you missed those because they took cent, was the highest in all of Europe. you to Paneriai (Ponár) which has a memorial to Instead of bothering to look for a single Jew, the 70,000 Jews and 30,000 non-Jews who were of any generation, you swallowed hook, line and murdered there. No need to mention the additional sinker the spiel of the brothers Zingeris, who both 155,000 Jews in the provincial areas who were also enjoy high government-funded positions. Most murdered mostly by their Lithuanian neighbours. Lithuanian Jews regard them as traitors to the victims of the Holocaust. Their sell-out of the truth ‘Anti-Soviet’ about the Holocaust in Lithuania and cover-ups for what’s going on now are well known to any who The problem today is not that these murders follow Lithuanian-Jewish relations. occurred. You can’t change the past. It is that the murderers are regarded as heroes for being Obviously they failed to mention the neo-Nazi marches sanctioned for the main boulevards of “anti-Soviet.” the two major cities, Vilnius and Kaunas, on the I was taken aback, Steve, to have read in your nation’s two independence days. euphoric article that you believe Vilnius is called Survivors defamed “the Jerusalem of the North” by locals “because Neither would they have mentioned the of its central cathedral.” What a bloated mistake Holocaust survivors (three of them Israeli citizens for an Israeli to make! That honourable name was — Yitzhak Arad, Rachel Margolis and Joseph attached to Vilna because it had been the centre of Melamed) who have been defamed by the Litvak culture and intellect for centuries. Lithuanian government. I have always believed in reconciliation Then there is the Prague Declaration of 2008 with Lithuania based on honesty, sincerity and and other efforts to write the Holocaust out of promotion of truthful Holocaust education, but the history by replacing it with the false doctrine of government has never gone about it in that way. “two equal genocides” — another unmentionable. It continues to deny and to bury its dark past What a shame that your whirlwind tour did and to carry on anti-semitic traditions with no not allow even an hour for you to visit your intention of curbing the appetite of its extreme grandfather’s shtetl [village] when you literally nationalistic faction. whizzed right by it! It would have been an eye- opener for you to see your Linde family’s names While there are many Lithuanians who would memorialized on the walls of the Multi-Cultural take the moral road to reconciliation, it is the Centre of the Kėdainiai Regional Museum. government who insults the intelligence of Litvaks The reason your family name is there is that an while courting them and wooing them with trips honest Lithuanian intellectual worked hard to make and honours. I am deeply disappointed that you naming of the victims possible. He is Rimantas could be converted so easily in just four days. Žirgulis, a historian and director of the Kėdainiai You were part of the PR campaign to entrap Regional Museum, who, as much as he dares, is naïve foreign Litvaks. The government of a truth-teller. Lithuania is failing its own people and fooling its PR trips hosted by the Lithuanian government Litvak diaspora.” do not engage their recruited Born-Again Litvaks Olga Zabludoff with Lithuanians from whom the newbies can ;earn about real achievements (and there are many). The Jerusalem Post declined to publish this or any They are presented only to the government elites other response to their original article, published who have been well honed at spewing the only on 21 September 2013, www.jpost.com/Travel/ party line. Travel-News/A-Litvak-in-Lithuania-326710 —19— NEXT YEAR IN THE CHILTERNS

Maurice is a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical full programme of events for 2014 has physician with an addiction to genealogy. His now been arranged, commencing on father had been building their family tree for A 4 March, with a new talk by one of our many years. Eight years ago Maurice joined him own, Leigh Dworkin. in pushing back their tree on most of their ancestral His talk is entitled “Finding My Bubba’s lines through a combination of online resources Sister”, which promises to be an interesting and consulting documentary records in the LDS and informative insight into Leigh’s extensive Library, National Archives (Kew and Dublin), and researching capabilities. the National Library of Ireland A couple of years ago we were fortunate to In 2007 Maurice bought a couple of kits, have as our guest speaker, Sharon Hintze, Director intending to test both his Y-DNA and mitochondrial of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. DNA lines. He bought a kit for his father, too. Sharon’s talk was well received by an enthusiastic Surprising results from a group of researchers meeting and resulted in Sharon joining the JGSGB working on their Spearin ancestral lines led to as a member. I am delighted to report that Sharon a focus on more documentary research and the has agreed to come to The Chilterns again and start of the Spearin DNA Project. He now runs the will present a talk (details to follow) on 20 May. project on the FTDNA website and the associated On at least a couple of occasions in previous website as well as a Facebook page years we have been entertained by popular speaker He is the co-administrator of the Ireland Audrey Collins. On her last visit such was the Mitochondrial DNA Project and originator interest that we ran well beyond our 10.0 pm of the iCRA project. He has spoken at the closing time and had to call a halt! National Archives Library of Ireland for the Irish Audrey, who is the Records Specialist, Family Genealogical Society’s annual meeting, The History, at The National Archives in Kew, is the National Archives in Kew and several regional author of three titles in the Basic Facts series of meetings of the Guild of One Name Studies. He is family history guides, co-wrote The Complete currently assisting the preparation of DNA lectures Guide to Tracing Your Family History and has for WDYTYA! Live 2014 and will be speaking (and also contributed sections in the Family History testing) at a number of forthcoming meetings Companion, and Census: the Expert Guide. This is a new speaker subject for us and of Her research interests include the history and prime importance to those interested in furthering operation of the General Register Office, civil their knowledge of DNA testing for family history registration and the census, Scottish and Irish research. records in The National Archives, newspapers and periodicals and retail history Our final meeting of 2014 is scheduled for 18 November and will be a genealogical workshop Audrey is coming to us again on 8 July with where, perhaps, we can discover how much the a new talk of special interest to us. So we expect year’s programme has helped with our personal another good turnout. researches. Genealogy and Dna All our meetings are held on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 to 10.0 pm, some of which commence For the 9 September meeting we have secured with a 30-minute tutorial on “Jewish Internet a new speaker for a topic that is of great interest Research” followed by the main event at 8.0 pm. to many of us. Dr. Maurice Gleeson is to present his talk: “How DNA can help your family tree The books of our own lending library are usually research”, with some additional items specific to available for browsing and selecting. Jewish genealogy. Stan Rose —20— NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY

The size and scope of the trees varies greatly. F you have never used the online library Many contain thousands of names, precise dates catalogue on the JGSGB website, please take and places, an index, research notes and a family Ia few minutes to have a look at it. You may be history; others consist of just a single page. surprised by how much information it contains. Where known, the name of person who T o find out what we hold, go toRES OURCES submitted the tree is recorded although some are and click on the first item JGSGB LIBRARY, no longer contactable. scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on SEARCH THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE If you have a tree which you would like ONLINE. This will bring up the entire list of books. to donate to the our collection or update trees submitted in the past, please contact Sue Woolf c/o To search for a particular item or topic, enter JGSGB Library, 33 Seymour Place, London W1H a keyword in the search box SEARCH THIS 5AU or e-mail any enquiries to genealogy@jgsgb. LIBRARY at the top right (avoiding the Search org.uk with the subject “JGSGB trees”. Site box immediately above it) and this will bring up details of any relevant books. We have recently received copies of the circumcision registers of Mogador which have At the top centre you will see a box giving been deposited with us on long loan by the a choice of STYLES, click on Style ‘B’ which archives department of the Spanish and Portuguese will show the library classification number in the Congregation. Comments column on the right and will help you to locate the book on the shelf. The registers were kept by three generations of the Bendahan family and consist of five The above catalogue covers all our books volumes of typewritten transcripts together with on whatever subject including family histories photocopies of the original notebooks. published in book form. For our holdings of smaller unbound family trees go to RESOURCES They cover the period 1864 to 1955 and on the JGSGB website and click on the last item contain 2,257 entries. Mogador, now known as FAMILY TREES IN THE LIBRARY. Essaouira, was an important trading post on the Atlantic coast of Morocco with connections to Index update England, and the registers constitute a valuable Sue Woolf has just finished the major task of original record which we are privileged to hold. updating this index and has provided the following explanation. There are two lists of family trees. Recent accessions to library The first contains almost 3,000 different surnames Plashet— Gone but not Forgotten 1896-1900, limited to those occurring at least three times in by Miriam Pollak [150 5 PLA] any one tree. The Jews of Exeter, by Helen Fry [160 EXE.2 Some names such as Cohen (55 trees) and Fry] Levy (45) are found frequently but others may Mogador Circumcision Registers 1864-1955 only be in one tree. Some names can be spelled [471 4.MOG Circ 1-5] in various ways and each variant is indexed separately, eg. Wolf, Wolfe, Wolff, or Woolf. The Dictionary of Jewish Biography, by GWigoder second list summarises each tree by main surname, [611 Wig] period covered, major places and brief notes. List of Jewish children evacuated to Stone The trees are catalogued A to D plus a number. School, Bucks, 1939-1946 [620 STO restricted] The A to C series were submitted at least 15 years List of Jewish people arrested in London ago but many have recently been updated; the D area by Police Officer Wensley 1896-1916 [630 series are later acquisitions up to August 2013. CRIM Wen restricted] —21— Dear Relative: a history of our ABRAHAMS family, by Tony Abrahams [655 ABR Abr] Hanns [ALEXANDER] and Rudolf: the JGSGB LIBRARY German Jew and the hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz [655 ALEX Har] DONATIONS Ashkenazi Cholent and Spanish Pepper: THIS has been mentioned before but the colourful ancestry of Annemarie de Vries- for those members who do not know, at Broekhuijsen [655 BROE Vri] our library in Seymour Place we have a large number of certificates which have The FRANK family of Shidlowa (Siluva), been donated to us. Lithuania including an account of the life of Aaron Frank (b1889), schoolmaster [655 FRAN] These are either photocopies of certificates purchased by the donors, E M J [Ernest Martin JOSEPH]: the man and or the originals if the certificate had his work, by C.L. Magnus et al [655 JOS Mag] turned out not to be the one they were Souvenir [Sylvia Rousselin née JOSEPH], by looking for. J. McKenna [655 JOS McK] We have them filed alphabetically The Two Who Got Away [KOSEFF and and available for any member to view EDELSTEIN], by I. Rabins [655 KOS Rab] during a library session. The KRAVITZ Family History, by C. Kobrin We would appreciate any offers of [655 KRAV Kob] additional certificates, naturalisation Shtetl Anthology: our family history newsletter papers, etc. These can be posted direct [PLOTNICK], 1: 3 Summer 2000 [655 PLOT Chi] to JGSGB, Library, 33 Seymour Place, Stammtafeln der Hamburger Familie London, W1H 5AU, or to me. Please RENNER-RUBEN c1650-1913, by Dr Moritz e-mail me with any queries. Ruben [655 REN Rub oversize] We are in the process of updating the A silence that speaks: a family story through list of certificates that we have. When and beyond the Holocaust [SMETANA], by Susan it is completed, it will go on line on the Soyinka [655 SME Soy] searchable database. Report on SCHLUPPER, SHAPIRO, KAHN Thank you for any documents you and AVIN families [655 SCHL Kah] can offer and especially to those people who have donated to the collection The Holocaust of Volhynian Jews 1941-1944, recently. by S Spector [800 300 VOLH] Gina Marks, Library Committee Lithuanian Holocaust Atlas [800 346 Jak] Hands Bringing Life and Bread [on saved Jews in Lithuanian Holocaust] [800 346 Sel]. Lydia Collins NOMINATIONS WANTED IF any member has a nomination for a person he or she considers would be an n PLEASE note that library opening appropriate recipient for the Society’s times continue to be irregular because honour, would they please send the we cannot open on weekdays during details to me at Helenehow@aol. Halcyon school term times (our regular com or by post to 3 Edgbaston Road, Sundays each month are unaffected) Smethwick, West Midlands, B66 4LA by so always check the programme when no later than planning a visit. 31 January 2014.

—22— JGSGB PUBLICATIONS ORDER FORM Prices includes postage and packing The Society’s books are available to purchase online via our website and payment can be may using PayPal at www.jgsgb.org.uk

Title UK Price Overseas Quantity £ A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Latvia and Estonia £7.90 £9.90 ISBN: 0-9537669-9-3 (144 pages) A Guide to Organising Your Family History Records £6.90 £8.90 ISBN: 0-9537669-4-2 (116 pages) A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in the United Kingdom £7.90 £9.90 (Revised 20110) ISBN: 0-97809551023-1-8 (148 pages) A Guide to Reading Hebrew Inscriptions and Documents £6.45 £8.45 ISBN: 0-9537669-6-9 (56 pages) A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Lithuania £7.90 £9.90 (Revised July 2011) ISBN: 0-97809551023-2-5 (163 pages) A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Poland £6.90 £8.90 ISBN: 978-0-9551023-0-1 (80 pages) Jewish Memorial (Yizkor) Books in the United Kingdom £22.10 Price on ISBN: 0-9537669-5-0 (188 pages) request

Total

The JGSGB Library and Resource Centre 33 Seymour Place, London W1H 9AU is open at the times and dates as specified in the programme. For appointments outside normal opening hours, contact Jenny Osorio [email protected] or tel: 020-8977 4640 Non-members may visit the Library by prior arrangement for which there is a fee of £5.00, which is deductible on joining the Society

—23— AN UNUSUAL AREA TO SEARCH

T is not often that a major news story and The only Jewish genealogy come together. This is what has community in the occurred when the news of the terrible typhoon Philippines now is based I in the capital Manila. that struck the Philippines recently and an inquiry It has an Orthodox I received concerning the fate of a Jewish family Sephardi rabbi and they who were living in the Far East during World War can be contacted via II arrived on the same day. their excellent website For those unfamiliar with the current Israeli www.jewish social care scene, many elderly and infirm citizens philippines.net/. are looked after at home by Filipino live-in carers There is a monthly whose services are highly regarded by those in newsletter online that receipt of them. I have personally known two such shows some current members names and also has families and can report that they are treated as a 12-minute video explaining how Jews escaped, often overland via Russia, to the apparently safe family members, with all that entails in Tel Aviv! haven, only to be overtaken by events yet again. Add to this, you should note the immediate response that the Israel Defence Forces and and Professor of History at the University of associated medical and rescue teams gave once West Georgia, Jonathan Goldstein, has written news of the disaster broke. According to Sky extensively on this subject. Saul’s first link was News, they have set up field hospitals and have to http://asianjewishlife.org/pages/articles/ given aid and succour where they were able. They even delivered babies, the first arrival being a boy, AJL_Issue_11_Jan2013/AJL_Feature_Manila_ whom the parents named “Israel”. Memories.html. his second was to a May 2009 blog Currently 21 flights a day are leavingT el Aviv http://tracingthetribe.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/ loaded with aid and the team now numbers nearly philippines-israel-and-much-older.html and the 400 . Check the Internet as good news stories such third I will mention is www.geni.com/projects/ as these do not usually appear on the BBC. Jewish-Community-of-the-Philippines/14080. Holocaust escape All of these studies record how the Jewish community developed, initially with separate So after the news briefing, where is the Ashkenazi and Sephardi identities. genealogy and the history? Well, first check this YouTube link www.jewishpress.com/ There were obviously many links to the United news/filipinos-are-thankful-for-the-miracles- States but ironically after World War II broke out performed-by-the-idf-video/2013/11/28/, a belated and Japan became allied with Nazi Germany, Chanukah miracle story if you like. all American Jews were interned but because Half way down within the comments there is Austria was now officially part of theReich those one from one Bert Schlossberg: “The little known Jews who had arrived from Germany and Vienna part that the Philippenes (sic) played in rescuing previously were left alone. Jews from the Nazis. And now the Israelis are doing their part—Manuel Luis Quezón (August Remember Austrian Jewry is the theme of the 19, 1878-August 1, 1944) served as president of current edition of Shemot. the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 Mike Gordon to 1944” . . . and there is quite a bit more. World Jewish Relief has launched an emergency I then checked this out with our president, appeal for the victims of the violent typhoon in Saul Issroff, who replied that his personal friend the Philippines. www.wjr.org.uk/. —24— GENEALOGICAL NEWS IN BRIEF

Ancestry.com has acquired some four million ITH the uploading of the 1875 census of South African records from Ancestry24, the Jewish population of Eretz Israel, the W a dormant South African family history six-year project of digitising and translating the website that closed in February 2013. five censuses and the one-time census of the Jews of Alexandria (Egypt), has come to completion. They intend to make the records available The records cover the Jewish population from to members in the future. Anyone looking 1839 to 1875. to find out more information about the The censuses are owned, preserved, conserved records should visit and scanned by the Montefiore Endowment, www.ancestry.com/ancestry24. a registered charity. The census charts were There are hundreds of databases with compiled by the Kolel [community] heads and is millions of records of individuals who have divided accordingly. lived in South Africa since the late 1600s. The data requested (but not always provided) Transcribed from original documents and includes name, age and place of birth of the head reliable resources, records include births, of household, his financial status and occupation, baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, his wife’s name, names and ages of his children, passenger lists and voter lists. and various comments. There is also has a large image library of The population came from all four corners 100,000 graves and some Jewish cemeteries. of the Jewish diaspora, and included many well- THE Fritz Bauer Institute in Frankfurt has placed known rabbinic families. hundreds of hours of recordings of German- Searches of the censuses and results are language testimony about Auschwitz online. The possible in both English and Hebrew. archive includes testimony from Germany’s first Using the advanced search option, searches Auschwitz trial half a century ago. can be done by a single or multiple fields, including The institute, which is dedicated to studying surname, given name, place of residence, kolel, the Holocaust, a decade ago published written country of birth, occupation, and economic status transcripts of 430 hours of testimony and audio While there are some surnames for Ashkenazim, recordings of 100 hours, but it has now made most are listed only by given names. the material available online at www.auschwitz- It is helpful to know several family given prozess.de, names as results show family groupings. The archive itself may be accessed at: http:// Spelling, too, can present a challenge, as www.fritz-bauer-institut.de/archivbestaende. names, which often were transliterated from html and is in German. the original language into Hebrew were then World Jewish Relief (WJR) has called transliterated 150 years later into English. In on Jews from around the world to upload addition, there is little or no consistency of spelling their families’ stories in a bid to preserve in the original Hebrew. the memories of previous generations. It has There is currently no Soundex system that launched a website The Story of Survival, serves both Sephardi and Ashkenzi names, so it www.storyofsurvival.org/ with an interactive is recommended to use a wild card search, using map where the charity is asking people to the % symbol as the wild card. upload their information which they can The censuses can be freely searched without pin on their town or country of origin on a registration on the MontefioreE ndowment website virtual interactive map. at www.montefioreendowment.org.uk http://tinyurl.com/nx5v2rw. —25— Two of the three synagogues of the community ERE is something that might go a little were burned down during the World War II. In way to meet the concerns of some who 1948 there were about 400 Jews in Gallipoli, and Hfeel the Society does not adequately cover in 1951 about 200. By 1970 the few remaining Sephardi research. families in Gallipoli were mainly engaged in Although the people involved are all based commerce. In 1977 the Jews of the city numbered in Israel, the website is in English and may strike only 22 persons, of whom four were youngsters. a chord with a few people given that 2014 is the The last family to leave Gallipoli was the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. family of Solomon and Roza Sivag’i (Pasi) who My thanks to them for their permission to use live now in Ashdod, Israel. The only Jew still this material living in Gallipoli is Rami Sivag’i, the son of On 25 April 1915, The Gallipoli Campaign Solomon and Roza. started aiming to secure a sea route to Russia, the The Jewish British and French launched a naval campaign to cemetery of force a passage through the Dardanelles. Gallipoli contains After the naval operation, an amphibious 835 tombs, of landing was undertaken on the Gallipoli peninsula, which the oldest is to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople from 1628 and the (Istanbul). After eight months, the land campaign latest is from 1986. also failed with many casualties on both sides and They are taking the invasion force was withdrawn to Egypt. steps to document It was accepted as being a major disaster for the community, the Allies and is well documented on the Internet. to preserve and In that light, you might be interested in reading conserve the about the Jewish community that existed in the heritage and One of the remaining area at that time and what happened to them. tombstones in the neglected traditions of their “The Organization for Conservation of the and overgrown cemetery. ancestors and Heritage of the Gallipoli Jewry” was established More photos are displayed starting a project by descendants of families who lived there , some on the website for the restoration since the Byzantine Empire time, others since the and conservation expulsion from Spain and Portugal. The English of the Jewish Cemetery in Gallipoli, so they are website is at www.gallipoli.org.il/site/index. requesting support from around the world. asp?depart_id=105756. It may well be that among members are those Quoting from the site: As a result of emigration whose relatives were involved in the ill-fated to Istanbul and the United States between the two campaigns and have campaign medals or others world wars and subsequently to Israel, the number who have visited the cemetery itself. of Jews in Gallipoli decreased. MIKE GORDON Abidor Aboulafia Abraham Abravanel Akrish Aldorotti Altabeb Arditti Ben-Altabeb Benbassat Benveniste Benezra Ben-Habib Candiotti Eshkenazi Ezuz Franko Fresko Gota Habib Ha-Cohen Hahamoglu Halevi Hasday Ibn-Ezra Ibn-Habib Ibn-Sanghi Ibn-Shador Kaziz Levi Mizistrano Molina Moreno Pardo Pasi Peretz Samarel Saragossi Sasson Shebi Varon Yohai

Family names as listed on the website —26— Frank Baigel from the Jewish Historical Society HE well-known genealogical indexer has circulated these details from The Institute Logan Kleinwaks has announced of Jewish Studies together with the Institute for Tsome additional postings to his online Polish-Jewish Studies. There is a conference databases, http://genealogyindexer.org. on 16 January from 9.30 am to 8.0 pm at the He is currently offering some 400,000 Polish Embassy, 47 Portland Place, London W1B pages of data from various sources including 6JH which aims to provide an overview of the directories, military records and schools millennium-long history of Jews in the Ukraine and different countries. There are various setting out the background to issues that have methods for searching and what is unique is generated much conflict. that Logan has developed software that has With contributions from Jewish, Polish and converted scanned image files into searchable Ukrainian scholars and other experts on these text in their native language. complex and highly controversial topics, it will attempt to provide a broader historical context that It does require users to download a can move the discussion beyond the old paradigms specific browser plugin to access the data, but of conflict and hostility. it is freely obtainable from the site. It is entitled Ukrainians, Jews and Poles: The I previously scanned three Lithuanian Ukrainian Triangle in Historical Perspective, telephone directories from the 1930s and and marks the launching of Vol. 26 of Polin. it was quite a sobering experience to see Studies in Polish Jewry. More details and booking how people were going about their regular form from their website www.ucl.ac.uk/ijs/ijs- commercial business in 1938 totally unaware events-publication/ukrainians-jews-poles. what was to befall them O Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you. Mark Twain O If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance. George Bernard Shaw FTDNA DNA Testing O He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his for Genealogy family was begot by a flash of lightning. Old English proverb JGSGB is delighted to be working as an associate with Family Tree DNA O I trace my family history so I will know who to (FTDNA). This means that we now have on blame. Lots of people! sale kits for DNA testing. FTDNA’s Jewish comparative databases are the largest in the world, containing records for Ashkenazim, JGSGB branded T-shirts Mizrachim and Sephardim, as well as and Mugs Levites and Cohanim. Now on sale at all London-based If you are looking for that long-lost relative or ancestor, or if you feel that some JGSGB events day, someone may use a DNA repository Mugs: £5.00 to look for long-lost relatives, you should T-Shirts: £10.00 consider doing a simple DNA test. JGSGB earns a small sum for each test Proceeds in support of the JGSGB purchased direct from us or by clicking the For more information please link on our website. contact Jeanette Rosenberg on For more details, please ask Jeanette Rosenberg [email protected]. [email protected]

—27— writing skill and comprehension as well as some . . . and finally . . . idea of layout. Genealogical knowledge would help, too. The editor’s word is final, because ultimately the responsibility for what goes out EDITOR WANTED is theirs! With regard to software, because it is now FOR NEWSLETTER published online, some people do produce material using Word, but ideally a proper desktop publishing program is easier to work with, especially as the NO PAY links to websites are now expected to be live. There has never been an official support person. NO PERKS Now might be the time for such an assistant. He or she would work with the editor and would liaise JUST THE GLORY! with the lady who is currently collecting copy from various groups, maintain the programme with information received from committees, as well also am using this column to back up the advert proof read and check facts. above for a Newsletter editor. I agreed to do Mind you, If someone threw their hat into the the job for three issues only as someone had I ring and was happy to do everything, that would offered to take up post next April. It seems that be great. this is no longer the case hence this urgent appeal. It is not a good idea for one person to provide As all copy is now received electronically both publications for many reasons and while production time is between 20-30 hours work per I have worked on Shemot for the best part of 16 edition once heads have been got around what years on a paid basis, my work with the Newsletter is actually involved, and who within the Society is voluntary and undertaken as a token of my does what. Obviously, I would be here to help and respect and affection for the Society with which advise if so requested. I have been connected since 1992, although not I have not been told officially who is the necessarily always as a member. appropriate person to ask about the job but I still get pleasure being able to help out using would assume that any offer to Council would my professional skills scanning and digitising result in that person being engulfed in a wave data so making it available to everyone, as well as of gratitude! reporting on Jewish communities and cemeteries Remember, the Society can only continue if in the places we come across in our travels. members are prepared to help and put something back in. You do not even have to be London based Volunteer(s) wanted as it is all done online! However, all good things must come to an end so there is now an urgent need for volunteers to take over Newsletter which is the vital day-to-day link with all members. Newsletter provides the basic information that any member needs: the programme of events, officers’ roles and email addresses, group reports and all those pieces of news that may just kick-start your research off on to a different track. Historically, the editor was always responsible All that remains is for me now is to wish for content and production and had the freedom everyone a happy and healthy 2014 and may to put their own stamp on the publication. Ideally, all your brick walls be little ones. the new editor would need a reasonable level of Mike Gordon (Acting . . . badly!) —28—