Jewish Historical Society Volume 19, No. 1

New Mexico Volume 19, No. 1 Jewish Historical Society March 2005 From the President’s Desk by Lance Bell reserving the Past for the rejoined. Having a strong membership base www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/meretch/ Future: this is just a part is vital to our success and continued growth. meretch1a.html). The article gave me a of what we do at the I am proud to report that our current mem- complete history of the town with many P New Mexico Jewish His- bership has increased to almost 250 indi- great pictures. I immediately printed the torical Society. I know viduals and families. Our endowment saw article and sent it to my late father Irving our members, as well as wonderful growth in 2004 and our society Bell’s first cousin, Dina Sofer, a Holocaust our board, take great pride in delving ended up in a financially positive position. survivor, who now lives in Studio City, Cali- deeply into the rich and diverse cultural fornia. I was a little apprehensive about Jewish history here in the Land of En- To continue our growth and to reach out- doing this because I did not want to stir up chantment. It was not that long ago when side of our hub cities (Albuquerque and any sad memories. About a week after I you could count the number of synagogues Santa Fe), we plan to partner with the sent the article I received a phone call from and/or Jewish organizations in the state of Museum of New Mexico’s TREX traveling Dina, letting me know how happy she was New Mexico on one hand. Now we are exhibit program. The “Jewish Pioneers of that I took the time to research this infor- represented in all parts of the state. The New Mexico” exhibit will have its first stop mation and get it to her. Dina proceeded lives and history that we create daily will in Clayton at the Herzstein Memorial to let me know how much the article one day be studied by our descendants and Museum, located at Second and Walnut touched her, because in the detailed review by future historians. Street. It will run from May 1 to July 31, on Meretch one of the photographs included 2005. Our goal is to develop an educational a picture of her mother who was murdered Our society is growing in many positive di- and/or lecture program designed to coor- in the Holocaust. She said that she only rections. Our membership growth is quite dinate with each stop the exhibit makes. had one other photo of her, and that what impressive. We have many new members After Clayton, the exhibit will be hosted I sent to her was priceless. You can image that have just recently heard about our by the Silver City Museum, 312 West how I felt. I must admit that the internet society and want to get involved, and we Broadway, from September 1 to November made this all so simple and actually took have many other members who may have 30, 2005. me less than an hour. I also felt that I should let their membership expire and have since contact the person who authored the site. I would like to pay another visit to last fall's He lives in Israel. I emailed him and in his Annual Conference on the “Treasure of reply he stated that he put the Meretch Address: New Mexico Jewish your own Family History,” and let you know review on Jewishgen with the help of a Historical Society about something very touching that hap- couple that lived there who had immigrated 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE pened to me personally. I attended part of continued on p. 3 Albuquerque, NM 87109 Dorothy Amsden’s workshop on genealogy and wrote down several of the web sites she Telephone: (505) 348-4471 INSIDE THIS ISSUE provided to do my own family research. Fax: (505) 821-3351 Message From the President....................1&3 website: www.nmjewishhistory.org One of those sites was: http:// email: [email protected] www.jewishgen.org/. This site is the home The Freudenthals of New Mexico.............2 of Jewish genealogy. This wonderful site led Sephardic Cooking Article & Recipes.........2, 4-7 Administrator: Julie Gordon me to another site called http:// Office Hours: Monday and Thursday www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/. The shtetl In Memory of Laura Beatrice Thorne 1:00-4:00 pm finder makes it easy to look up each indi- Solomon.....................................................3 Managing Editor Julie Gordon vidual town by country. I typed in the town Executive Editor Abe Chanin where my great grand-father Abraham 2005 Cemetery Clean-up..............................3 If you have any news or announcements Belitzer lived: Meretch, Lithuania. There Katie Singer Event........................................7 of interest to our membership, please was an article written called “Meretch”, Calendar of Upcoming Events.......................8 send it to the above address. Thank you. by Joseph Rosin (Haifa, Israel. See http:// New Mexico Jewish Historical Society The Freudenthals of New Mexico (Correction to the “MESHPOCHA” article in the December, 2004 newsletter) • Text written by Elsa Freudenthal Altshool braham Chanin wrote a course, still part of Mexico but far from of the “desert” through Alamogordo to short article about my the inquisition. Ruidoso, selling his goods to farms along (Freudenthal) family in the way. He was tremendously strong and A the last mailing from the The oldest member of my father’s family to able to walk amazing distances. His son, Jewish Historical Soci- come to New Mexico was Lewin Freudenthal, Daniel Freudenthal, was still playing bas- ety. Unfortunately there the most religious of Koppel’s sons, who ketball when he was 98 years old. He are several errors in the article. Koppel couldn’t wait to go back to Europe. died this last year. didn’t come to New Mexico. Several of Koppel’s sons did so. The first of the fam- Morris Freudenthal was the first There’s nothing surprising about the ily came into New Mexico in the early Freudenthal to come to Las Cruces. He Freudenthals “becoming connected with 1840s and settled in Socorro or Belen. appealed for a job to his cousin, Henry the Solomon family”. Solomon’s real last There he met, and married a crypto-Jew- Lesinsky, who had a store in La Mesilla, name was Elkin. He was married to Anna ish woman. They traveled to Colorado but Henry refused to help him, so Morris Freudenthal, another of Koppel’s de- and were married by a rabbi before re- strapped a blanket filled with goods onto scendants and a sister to my grandfather. turning to New Mexico, which was, of his back and walked through the high grass Sephardic Cooking- A Journey to the Mediterranean, Without Ever Leaving Your Own Kitchen by Julia Linder Bell magine journeying to the the reasons why they left Spain and Portugal, between political administration and culture, sun-kissed hillsides of as well as, how this departure changed their including much of their food and recipes.” Spain, Portugal and Italy cooking styles forever. to the azure-drenched wa- “Even as these relationships between the I ters of Turkey and Greece While these Sephardic Jews may have arrived Muslims and the Jews were forming,” she said, without ever leaving your on the Peninsula alongside the Phoenicians “the Catholic reconquest - the reconquista - home. One of the easiest and most deli- in the Eleventh Century BC, we know for of Spain was under way. Boundaries were cious ways to visit these Mediterranean des- sure that Jews were living in Spain, during constantly shifting, however, and the Chris- tinations is to bring their sweet-and-sour in- the time of the destruction of the Temple in tian forces from Northern Spain soon re-con- gredients, tart sauces, vinaigrettes, generous Jerusalem in 70 AD. quered most of the Muslim-ruled lands.” use of lemons, spices and herbs into your own kitchen. That is what award-winning “Until the late-fifteenth century, Sephardic “At this point, the Muslims called upon a radi- cookbook author, cooking instructor and Jews in Spain and Portugal enjoyed periods cal sect of Islam to help,” Goldstein continued. past owner of the Mediterranean-style res- of great tolerance under the Visigothic rul- “However, these religious fanatics decided taurant, Square One in San Francisco, Joyce ers, Muslim caliphs and Christian kings,” anyone remaining in the area must convert to Goldstein, helps thousands of people do Goldstein said. “However, there were times Islam. Upon hearing this thousands of Jews everyday with the her flavorful recipes and when the religious fanaticism and envy of fled north to the Christian kingdoms of Spain historical accounts of Sephardic cooking. their hosts and neighbors resulted in fear, where they were welcomed. Once again the forced conversions and sometimes death. But Sephardim enjoyed a period of tolerance.” In Sephardic Flavors, Goldstein’s second cook- for the most part, the level of prosperity and book of a three-part trilogy on Sephardic culture in Iberia reached heights unknown “Unfortunately,” she added, “trouble began cooking, the author uncovers two of her most to Jews anywhere else in Europe. Indeed, the in 1391, when fanatical priests led an anti- intimate passions: the Mediterranean and her years between the Tenth and Twelfth centuries Semitic campaign against the Sephardim. fascination with Sephardic cooking. of Muslim rule are known as the Golden Age This resulted in riots that eventually led to of Sephardic Culture.” the massacre of four thousand Jews in Seville.” In the strictest sense of the word, Sephardim are the Jews who came from the Iberian “The Muslims,” she continued, “entered The next hundred years were also not Peninsula, which is known today as Spain Spain in 711, and by 719, they had con- favorable to the Jews.

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