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NEWSLETTER OF THE WORLDWIDE CONGREGATION CHARLAP/YAHYA

Vol. 14, No. 1 Adar 1 5763; February 2003

ZAROMB: EARLY TIMES TO POST WORLD WAR I FROM "THE DESTRUCTION OF ZAROMB" by Z. Shavkowski (Shayke Fridman)

Zareby Koscielne (Zaromb) is the ancestral home ofmany branches ofthe Charlap family. This article has been somewhat altered from the original translation.

Zaromb (Zareby Koscielne), also listed as Zareby (Zaremba), is a small shtetl on the road between Warsaw and Bialystok. It is slightly to the side between the train stations of Malkinia and Czyzewo, 17 kilometers from the governmental seat of Ostrow Mazowiecka. Other shtetlech near Zaromb are Malkinia Gama, Brok, Nur (Danir), and Andrzejewo (Yendzsheve). For many years Zaromb was a small village in the midst of woodlands. It is said that these forests gave the village the name of"Zaremby." Of the dozen or so villages with that preface, ours was the largest. There were two large churches and this provided the second part of the name; "koscielny" means "churchyard" in Polish. One could get to Zaromb along roads which led from Ostrow Mazowiecka, Malkinia, and Czyzewo. There were no decent roads connecting Zaromb with the rest of the area and this was a contributing factor to the perennialdire economic straits. The closest railroad station was in Malkinia Gama. In 1922, a railroad stop was established at Uscianek (Ishtchinek), a village only a few kilometers from Zaromb. The new station was given the name Zareby Koscielne and provided much easier access to our town. However, carts drawn by horses or oxen still had to transport goods the few kilometers from the village to the railroad station. Zaromb was surrounded on three sides by the meandering Brok River which flowed down from Wysokie Mazowieckie and Czyzewo. There is just one bridge across the river in the vicinity of Zaromb. It is just north of the wide valley which is the site of the new cemetery. This place was known as "the Redenes" (the speeches), because during the Revolution of 1905 the youth of Zaromb would hold meetings there and listen to political orations. The bridge leads to the village of Nienalty Szymany (Yineltes). From there, the river flows on a generally westward course through the village of Brevkes and then over a small falls into a swampy area. It continues on through the villages ofKosed and Diageloo. Farther west, near the town of Brok, this river joins with the much larger Bug River. It is difficult to know with certainty when Zaromb was first established or when the first Jews settled there. Yankel Bergman and Mordecai, Yokl Stolier' s son, had found a gravestone in the old cemetery that was dated 1681. The stone was buried two feet below the surface in the second row of graves. It is possible that the cemetery is even older than that. According to a (cont. on next page) 2

ZAROMB (cont.) I. On retreating from the village in 1914, the Russian army torched the town. Some Jews managed to salvage some of their census in 1764, there were 113 Jews over one year of age belongings, but the majority lost everything. The Jewish living in Zaromb. If we were to include infants, the total community had to start all over again from scratch. For awhile, number of Jews most likely was about 125. There were 25 ~ some Zarombers lived in nearby villages and shtetlech, but by Jewish families, of whom 17 lived in their own houses and 1917, most Zaromber Jews had returned. They bought small eight were tenants. The Jews did not actually own their houses. wooden houses from the German army and erected them in Rather, these abodes were part of large estates belonging to front of their burned down homes. It took a number of years "Pritzim" (feudal landowners) and to the priest of Zaromb. before the old houses were rebuilt and the makeshift houses Four Pritzim, the wealthiest of whom was Simon Zaremba, removed. But many remained living in those small wooden owned twelve of the houses, while the priest owned five. Of the houses until World War II. Some ruins of the burned houses 25 heads of Jewish families, four are listed as tailors, one was were never removed. For example, Zaromb Jews rebuilt only a furrier, one a hat maker, and one was a servant'. Others were the new synagogue and left the ruins of the old one. involved in commerce of one type or another, and no In 1920, during the Polish-Bolshevik war, Polish occupation at all is listed for seven. Of the single individuals, soldiers planned to conduct a pogrom in Zaromb. Fortunately, three men are listed as barmen in local taverns, two as valets, they were forced to leave our town in haste, but not before one a tailor's apprentice, and one Jewish servant girl is listed. robbing Jewish homes and raping some Jewish women. These At that time, Zaromb belonged to the Wegrow beasts satisfied their blood lust by shooting Jews in Malkinia (Vengrav) Gubemiya. Near Zaromb, there lived seven more and Zeistes. The seven victims were buried in the Zaromb Jewish families consisting of 32 people. Five were tenant cemetery after several Zaromb Jews risked their lives to farmers, one had a tavern and one is listed as a tailor. (We recover the bodies of the martyrs for proper burial. This is how thank Dr. Raphael Mahler for the information on the 1764 the age of Polish independence was ushered into Zaromb. census). According to the 1921 census, there were 207 homes As recently as 1939, parts of the land on which Jewish and 15 other buildings in Zaromb. The district encompassed 48 houses stood belonged to a few Pritzin. However, by then, this villages with 6,528 inhabitants, 1591 of whom were Jewish. was more tradition than fact and the Pritzin did not collect any Most Jews were in Zaromb proper, although they lived in 15 of rent money. Over the years, there had been lawsuits over land the 48 communities. The second largest community was ownership but near the tum of the century all the legal papers Zeistes where 181 of the 282 inhabitants were Jews. Ostrow were destroyed in an unusual incident. There had been a Mazowiecka, the largest town in the region, was home to 6,812 Zaromb court for many, many years. Around 1900, it was Jews, a little over 50% of the population. In the years after planned to move that court to another jurisdiction. This angered 1921, the Jewish population of Zaromb did not grow because the Jews of Zaromb, many of whom were shopkeepers. The many people, especially the young, moved to the large cities of transactions of the court drew a substantial number of peasants Poland, or even out of the country in hopes of making a living. into the town, who, once there, bought goods and provisions In 1939, the eve of World War II, there were more Zaromber from the Jewish merchants. All the legal records had been Jews in the USA, Palestine, Argentina, Cuba, France, and in loaded onto a wooden wagon for transport to the new court Warsaw and other large Polish cities than in Zaromb itself location. A distraught Jewish woman set fire to the wagon and ***************************************************** all the papers were reduced to ashes. The woman was arrested AWARD FOR RABBI ATLAS and sentenced to only a few months in jail. However, she achieved her goal; the court stayed in Zaromb. On March 2 Rabbi Seymour Atlas (2253,Pl.276) will be Zaromb was completely destroyed during World War honored by the Young Israel of Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale, ***************************************************** Florida. He will receive a special Community Service Award B'RAYSHIT: THE NEWSLETTER OF (Chesed Award). "He has brought Southern hospitality to our CONGREGATION CHARLAP/YAHYA is published synagogue. The intriguing stories he relays and the kindness he quarterly. We encourage submittal of news items, essays, exudes are beyond compare. He has shown tremendous chesed poems, and historical articles. Correspondence should be to countless people, always willing to lend a hand." Seymour directed to: was born in Greenville, Mississippi and was raised there and Arthur F. Menton, Editor in Shreveport, Louisiana. His parents are the Late Rabbi Elias P.O. Box 108 (2244) and Laura (2248) Atlas. Elias' mother was Yetta Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y. 11724 Pakciarz (2127,Pl.275), who was born ca 1856 in Wysokie Tel. and Fax: (631)754-1742 Mazowieckie, Poland. Yetta was the older sister of Ida Kandel e-mail: [email protected] (2173), Sarah Raizel Ser (1598), Shmuel Pakciarz (2075), Copyright @ 2003 Rachel Yellin (2125), and Leah Prystowsky (2074). 3

AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER

Having profiled Mitchell Kaplan (1673,Pl.127) in earlier issues ofB 'Rays hit, we scooped the New York Times. The following is drawn from an article by Mirta Ojito that appeared in the Nov. 19, 2002 issue ofthat August newspaper.

It is the fall of 1976, and a tall, lanky law student prowls the book-stuffed aisles ofKramerbooks & Afterwords cafe, a bookstore near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. He is dreaming dreams that have nothing to do with briefs and depositions and everything to do with poetry readings and the concept of bookstores as gathering places. Six years later Mitchell Kaplan, opened a small but charming bookstore in a Spanish-style building on a comer lot in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami, Florida. It was next to a Cuban cafeteria and a seamstress. He called it Books & Books. Fast forward to the Fall of 2002: the city of Coral Gables closes a portion of Aragon Avenue so Mitchell, now Board Chairman and co-founder of the Miami Book Fair International and Vice President of the American Booksellers Association, can have a street party on Sept. 22 for about 2,000 book lovers celebrating 20 years of Books & Books. "Each store has its own story," Mitchell said. His began with a boy from Miami Beach who was so enamored of books that on his 14th birthday his father took him to a bookshop and uttered the magic words, "Buy whatever you want." Now 4 7, Mitchell has the distinction of owning one of the few independent bookstores south of West Palm Beach, one that has survived and even thrived despite the presence of Barnes & Noble a block and a half from its front door. At a time when book lovers are mourning the disappearance of the independent bookstore, Books & Books has become a beacon of hope for independent booksellers. It is one of the few stores in the country that have succeeded in showing that individuality, personality, and a passion for books can go a long way in competing against retail giants. Mitch owes his success in large part to his keen knowledge of Miami readers. Half his customers are Cuban-Americans, who have brought an "urban sensibility" to Miami, he said. And so Books & Books caters to those customers with a large selection of books in Spanish, as well as Cuban-theme books. Books & Books is a large, homey store where people can run into friends and keep up with gossip about the city's literati. On Monday evenings dancers take tango lessons. In any given month, musicians play their latest compositions. Local art for sale occupies a prime space next to the children's section, and a mahogany wine bar is the crown jewel in an open-air courtyard where on weekends people sit to read the newspapers. "It took me a long time to understand that you could turn a passion into a business," Mitch said. "It was in college that I began to think of the possibilities>' When he quit law school, he enrolled at the University of Miami to get a master's degree in English while working part time in a bookstore. He moved to an apartment in Coral Gables, an area of Dade County much esteemed for its wide, shady avenues and Spanish and Mediterranean style houses from the 1920s. One day he noticed a "for sale" sign as he drove by a building a few blocks from his apartment. He bought the lease and opened Books & Books in 500 square feet of space. The store quickly became a magnet for book lovers and writers. Mitch expanded his business and opened another store with a cafe in Miami Beach. Then six years ago, he aggressively moved to a larger store closer to the increased competition he was facing from a new Barnes & Noble. It proved to be a wise move and he has been rewarded with success. Books & Books is a testament to Mitchell Kaplan's vision, perseverance, intelligence, and business sense. It is more than that, it is a Ser family enterprise. For many of Mitchell's closest relatives have worked in the business with him. And his uncle Julius Ser (1440), self-described as "a recovering lawyer," helped from the very start in assuring the success of the business. Julius is the older brotherofMitch's mom Helen (1442). They and their sister, the late Sylvia (1441) are the children of Samuel (1420) and Bertha (1423) Sir who came to America from Zareby Koscielne. Bertha (Brucha) was born in either Brok or Ostrow Mazowiecka. Samuel's father was Chaim Mordecai Ser who was born ca 1875 in Nur and was married in Zaromb. He, too, came to the United States and was a shoemaker on Rivington Street, the Lower East Side of New York. His father Lazer (1287,Pl.120) was born in either Andrzejewo or Czyzewo, the son of Zebulon Shmuel Ser (1285) and Chaya Dvora Kopyto (1286). Here we see . the intermarriage of two branches of the CharlapNahya family. Furthermore, Chaya's father Hersch (5561,Pl.138) was married to Sarah Esther Pianka (5567). The Pianko family was from Ciechanowiec and we are investigating possible connections to various branches of our tree. Zebulon Ser was one of nine known children of Yitzhak Ser (466,Pl.14) ofNur. These included Sender (1), husband of Chaya Podkowa (2) [note that Podkowa and Kopyto are variants of the same name]; Chana Rivka ( 609), married to her cousin Mendel Kiejsmacher ( 611 ); and Herschel Zvi ( 468), married to his cousin Chana Bella Kur ( 469). All of these lines lead back to the main Charlap trunk of our tree. These intricacies can be seen on Plate 3 in Ancilla To Tole dot Charlap. Yitzhak Ser ( 466) was the son of another Zebulon (2155), who was the first known family member who used the surname Ser, which means cheese in Polish. This Zebulon was the son of Rabbi Abraham ben David Charlap (2153,Pl.4) ofNowogrod and who might also have lived in Mariampole, Lithuania. The line goes back from there through many generations to Rabbi Eliezer lbn Y ahya who assumed the Charlap title after entering Poland from the Ottoman Empire. 4

OUR LATIN AMERICAN EXPERT MY SECOND CONFESSION by Larry Levy (1339,Pl.120) In Sept. 2002, Seymour Menton (55,Pl.102) celebrated 50 years of teaching with the publication of his fifteenth book, Here is another poem from Larry Levy who has come a long Caminata por la narrativa latinoamericana (Voyage way from his birthplace in Zaromb, by way ofIsrael and Through Latin American Fiction)(Mexico City: Fondo de Chattanooga, Tennessee. He now resides in Mt. Kisco, New Cultura Economica, 2002). The 800 page volume includes York with Tobey (1342), his beloved wife of62 years. previously published book chapters and articles as well as several new studies. Each of the 21 Latin American countries This is my second confession. is represented, including French speaking Haiti and Portuguese Why my second confession? Brazil. The book is enhanced by photographs of the more Because I live on borrowed time daily. important authors taken by Seymour between 1960 and 2000; Every morning, upon rising, I give thanks to the Almighty a group of personal letters by such distinguished writers as Who mercifully restored my soul and mind to me. Borges, Cortazar, Roa Bastos, and Severo Sarduy; and a Throughout the day I try to live by the Book, caricature of Seymour drawn by Mexican novelist, short story The Book of our fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob writer, and essayist Carlos Fuentes. The book was officially Which I inherited from my parents as a toddler. launched on Oct. 15 at the Monterrey International Book Fair Through all my life I thank the Lord; with subsequent book signings in late November in Mexico He saves me, guards me, gives me shelter. City, Toluca, and at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. For all the things he gave me, some I liked and disliked. In January, Seymour submitted a new chapter for the I number my days ... forthcoming new edition of his short story anthology El cuento Not knowing when my eternal day will be. hispanoamericano, which has been an international best-seller So I bless daily, my children, grandchildren, and all Israel since 1964. Indeed, Seymour is recognized as the world's For a long life and a lasting peace. leading authority on Hispano-American literature. ***************************************************** Officially retired in June 1994, he has continued BIRTHS teaching at the University of California at Irvine. Each year he teaches graduate courses on different aspects of contemporary Paige Madison (Tzipporah Miriam) Blaier (18287,Pl.242) fiction and encourages a large group of undergraduates in his was born in Freehold, New Jersey on Aug. 22. She is the first course on Latin American culture as seen through its novels. In child for Ronald (5757) and Rena (16938) and the seventh the past decade his book on the New Historical Novel has been grandchild for Robert (5749) and Rosa (5746) Blaier. Rosa widely cited and has resulted in invitations to several was born in Havana, Cuba. Her mother Chaya Lew Beckerman international conferences. In Feb. 2002, he gave a series of (4646) was a native of Ciechanowiec, Poland but found refuge lectures on this topic at the Universities of Ghent, Antwerp, in Cuba before World War IL With the rise of Castro, most and Liege in Belgium. Seymour has been awarded honors from Jews fled once again; this time leaving Cuba for the USA. leading professional and academic associations and has been decorated with the most coveted medals of several Jack William Levine (18281,Pl.248) was born on Dec. 28 in governments. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the 2nd child of Jay Seymour is the elder son of Alexander Menton (Mintz) (5061) and Kate (10003) and the 2nd grandchild of Arthur (39) and Mildred (Minnie) Sahr (40). Minnie, or Mindel, was (5058) and Linda Steinhaus (5053) Levine of Overland Park, one of eight children of Isaac (Max) Sahr (7) and Esther Kansas Jack's great-grandparents are Henry (5047) and Bettye Abramowitz (8). Six of these children survived to adulthood, Rose (5041) Steinhaus of Sarasota, Florida. Bettye Rose is the all girls. Isaac was born in Nur but Esther came from daughter of the late Jacob Levine (5022) who was born in Medzibosh, now in the western Ukraine. That village was the Ciechanowiec, Poland and came to the Kansas City area as a birthplace of the Baal Shem Tov and hence the birthplace of young teenager. Hasidism. Isaac arrived in the United States in 1891 and worked as a blacksmith. Esther came a year later, moving in ltamar Noi (18221,Pl.390) was born in Israel in 2002. He is with her older married sister Rivka Marsa, who lived in the the first child for Amichai (18212) and Sarit (18215) and the Yorkville section of New York City. The next apartment was 6th grandchild for Yitzhak (18052) and Yael Helvitz (18019) inhabited by Yanke! Lazer Sahr (3,Pl.101) who told his kid Noi. Yael's mother, Sarah Shirion Helvitz (11240,Pl.385) was brother that a "beautiful greener (greenhorn)" was available. the daughter of Shaindel Shifra Charlap (3249), whose father So Isaac and Esther met and were married before long. Their was the eminent Zionist leader Ephraim Zvi Charlap grandson's occupation as Literature Professor is quite different (3228,PI.24), founder of Rehovoth, Israel. from Isaac's toiling over the hot forges of a blacksmith. (cont. on p. 6) 5

MY BELOVED GRANDMOTHER RASHI towns in Staffordshire. Whenever a visiting shochet or rabbi by Beryl Cohen (4672,Pl.233) came to Hanley, they would stay with Rashi Greenfield. When Velvel died, my parents, who had lived with Rashi and Velvel Beryl and her husband David Cohen (4673) live in Netanya, to help keep the home together, moved to Manchester so that Israel. They have three married children: Warren (4674), I could have a Jewish education. There was no question that Robert (4675), and Joanne Zonnenshain (4676), and five Rashi would always have a home with us. She was the queen grandchildren. of our home, a true matriarch. Sadly, she had only two grandchildren, myself and a grandson in America whom she There is a· habit among Jewish people to use the saw only a few times. description "Ayshit Chayal" to describe a woman whom they Rashi died in 1955 when I was 14 years old. She was think is special. It is, I think, a description that is bandied about buried in Hanley as this was her Wish. My distressed father said too freely. My Grandmother Rashi (4219) was one lady who at the shiva that a light had gone out of our lives. She was a truly deserved this title. She was a true "Ayshit Chayal." true "Ayshit Chayal." Rashi, as I always knew her (she was known as Rose in English but her Hebrew name was Raizel) was the daughter Ed. Note: Velvel Greenfield was the son of Pesach Smolarczyk of Rivka Kopitowsky (16681,Pl.348) and Herschel Potasic (2724). Rashi married into the family, but recent evidence (Ptashek) (18282). She was born in Ciechanowiec, Poland on shows that she was related by blood as a Kopitowsky. Rivka the6thofFebruary 1883. Raizel and her two brothers, Yossel was the daughter of Itzhak (16679) and granddaughter of (18283) and Jack (18284), all found their way to England. Chaim (16675)Kopitowsky. Chaim was a brother of Meir Rashi came alone at the age of 14. She was sent to family Kopyto (5560). Furthermore, Rivka's husband was Herschel members who were supposed to care for her. Instead, she Ptashek from a well known Ciechanowiec family. We are became their servant and was not well treated. investigating the relationship of the Ptasheks to our family. During the time she was growing up in Poland, it was ***************************************************** not the custom to educate girls. Rashi never did learn to read BIRTHS (cont. from p. 4) and write. She worked hard all her life and I do not think she had the opportunity to make time for herself until her mid Emma Marie Palay (18235,Pl.168) was born Aug. !8 in sixties. Rashi met Velvel (Wolfe in English, Ze'ev in Hebrew) Ventura, California, the first child for Daniel (1000) and Dusti Greenfield (originally Smolarczyk) (4218), and married him in (16138). She is the youngest of nine grandchildren of Howard 1905. He was from the same shtetl of Ciechanowiec. Rashi (877) and Judith (833) Palay. Judith is the daughter of the late adored her husband, but she had a very hard life with him as he Rabbi Sylvan (830) and Sylvia Cohen (827) Schwartzman. was a dedicated gambler. She would always make excuses for Sylvia's father was Joseph Cohen (674) and her grandparents him. Although he earned a good wage as a master tailor, she were Mattis Leml Kur (672,Pl.163) and Shayna Parczewski never had enough money to have peace of mind. My mother (671) ofNur, Ciechanowiec, and Milejchyce, Poland. and aunt told me that Rashi's wedding ring was often in pawn so that food could be on the table. My mother treasured this Heather Renee Saxe (18266,Pl.248) was born on Dec. 18 in ring and now my daughter-in-law wears it. Rashi and Velvel Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the 2nd child of Joshua (15498) and did not have children for nine years. After that, two daughters Felice (5056) and the 4th grandchild of Peter (5048) and and a son came in a short time. Their son Harry (Herschel Zvi) Beverly (5042) Newman of Leawood, Kansas. Beverly's father (10400) was named after his maternal grandfather. Sadly, was Jacob Levine (5022) who was of the Lew/Lewin family of Harry died at 12 years of age after falling into a local canal and C-iechanowiec, Poland. Jacob emigrated in 1913 and settled in developing pnewnonia. One of the daughters was my aunt the Kansas City area. Anne (2736), as we called her. Her name was Henia after her ***************************************************** grandmother Henia Smolarczyk (4217). When she moved to MARRIAGES America and married, she became Anita. The second daughter was my mother Leah (Hebrew Rachel Leah) (4220) and her Major Robert Cohen (4675,Pl.233) of the IDF was married nickname was Laikie. on the 3rd night of Hannukah 5762 to Shiri Efrat (17274), Rashi was truly the pivot of the family. Everyone from eldest daughter of Puah and Moshe Efrat. Robert's parents are Manchester used to visit. She was a deeply religious woman, David (4673) and Beryl (4672) Cohen of Netanya, Israel. who could not read and therefore recited all the morning Beryl's grandparents were Velvel Greenfield (Smolarczyk) prayers by heart. In later years, she would recite the Vidui (4218) and Raizel (Rashi) Potasic (Ptashek) (4219). Raizel (Confession) whenever she was very ill. was a Kopitowsky on her maternal side. (see p.5). The Rashi and Velvel originally set up their home in marriage was performed by a military rabbi (Lubavitch) as Manchester, but moved soon after to Hanley, one of the five (cont. on p.6) 6

MARRIAGES (cont. from p.5) LETTERS

Robert is a career officer in the army. Also under the chuppah One of my cousins, Pamela Brown Family were four other rabbanim including Robert's great uncle Rabbi (219,Pl.105) is married to Marshall Family (214), a member of Olsberg from England. As Beryl pointed out, "the simcha was the Ser family. Pamela's grandmother, Sara Goldie Kurland a most happy affair during a time of terrible tension and Green, and my mother were sisters. Pam introduced me to your stress." newsletter and I spoke several years ago about a possible Monkarsh link to your family. I have some information for you Lara Gezentsvey (7451,Pl.l 15) and Nathan Phillips concerning John Gabriel (see B 'Rayshit, vol. 13, no. 3). (17965), son of Sonja and Harvey Phillips, were married on My paternal grandmother was Dvora Monkarsh Dec. 22, 2002 at Beth El Synagogue in Wellington, New Gebell, who lived in Zambrow, Poland. Dvora married Leibel Zealand. The bride is the daughter of Desiree (1690) and Yury Gebell and had eight children: Moishe, Jacob, Izzie, Hannah, (7 44 7) Gezentsvey and granddaughter of the late Harriet Serr Meyer, Leah, and Sara [ed: one name missing]. Leibel and (1640). Lara's family continues the fabled Charlap musical Dvora owned a flour mill in Zambrow. My father was Meyer, talent. Harriet was known as the greatest of Venezuela's born in 1901. He came to America with Harry Monkarsh, John pianists and Yury is first violinist of the New Zealand Gabriel's father. Harry and my father were second cousins and Symphony. We trust that Lara and Nathan will insure that the the same age. Harry's grandfather and my grandmother Dvora music will continue through future generations. were siblings. They also had two more sisters and I suspect there were others. The two sisters came to the USA. One Yosef Levy (1351,Pl.120) ofBnai Brak, Israel and Yehudit married a man named Wierzba and the other was married to a Spiegel (18285) were married in Haifa on Dec. 18, 2002. Leventhal. Yossi's parents are Harold (1344) and Sarah (1347) and his I think I can clear up the discrepancy of Harry grandparents are Larry (1339) and Tobey (1342) Levy. Monkarsh being born in Palestine and returning to Poland as a Yehudit is the daughter of Y ossi and Yaffa. Larry's mother young man. What actually occurred was that Harry and my was Chaya Malka Ser (1342) who was born in Nur, Poland and father immigrated to Palestine from Zambrow when they were lived in nearby Zaromb after her marriage. Her grandparents approximately 17. My father contracted malaria in Haifa. After were Zebulon Ser (1285) and Chaya Kopyto (1286). he recovered, he and Harry immigrated to the United States. ***************************************************** The Ellis Island records list them as citizens of Palestine even ISRAEL ON 13 ACRES though they were born in Poland. Harry was the oldest of a by Joe Charlaff (7854,Pl.45) large Monkarsh family who all came to the U.S. and who are Joe Charlaff's father Ephraim (7847) and grandfather David now in California. My father's family also came to this country (7838) were born in Slonim, Belarus. But this branch ofthe and settled in Rochester or Niagra Falls. Only Moishe and family had moved eastward a few generations earlier from Hannah stayed in Europe. They and their families were killed Tykocin, Poland. Joe, who has three married daughters and during the war. two grandchildren, was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He A few years ago you gave me the name of a Monkarsh made aliyah several years ago and now lives in Mevasseret descendant, Marshall Goldenfeld, who turned out to be Zion, Israel with his wife Toby (10493) who hails from descended from one of Harry Monkarsh's brothers. I don't Manchester, Connecticut. This piece first appeared in know about the Blattman family but others named Gebell or Hadassah, Jan. 2003. Gebel might be involved with the Ser family. There are Gebels in Argentina who are related to my father. They, in turn, are Imagine being able to see the whole oflsrael in 3 hours - on related to a family in Australia. The Argentinean Gebels are foot. Covering 13 acres on Kibbutz Nachshon, Mini Israel is related to the Wierzba and Chmiel families, both from comprised of 350 models of the country's most important Zambrow. The California Monkarsh group is related to the historical, religious, archaeological, architectural, and natural Milkovich family, which later became Milken, as in Michael sites - from the Kotel to Rachel's tomb. Visitors can watch Milken. They, too, are from Zambrow. some of the 30,000 "residents" - each 3 inches tall - pray at the - Deanne Gebell Gitner Western Wall or board a flight at Ben Gurion Airport. Five Highland Beach, Florida thousand of the human figures are computer controlled, arms, legs and heads powered by sophisticated robotics. The park, a We have just retrieved the following letter which was 25 minute drive from Jerusalem, offers a visitors and received over 4 years ago. educational center, a restaurant, and a multimedia room. An audio guide is available. The attraction has been open since last I am very interested in our family's history; so much November. To learn more, check out www.minisrael.co.il. (cont. on p. 8) 7

TERROR STRIKES OUR FAMILY

The headlines from Israel are all too familiar: suicide bombings, murderous ambushes, grenades hurled at check-points. Commonplace as they are, two terror attacks spaced ten days apart had particular significance for our family. The first occurred on Nov. 11 and as reported by Joshua Brilliant for UPI, "Close to midnight the militant [sic] kicked open the door to Revital Ohayon's small apartment in Kibbutz Metzer, 29 miles northeast of Tel Aviv. He crossed the living room and entered the children's room; Ohayon, 34, grabbed her little children" and leant over them in a futile attempt to shield them. "They were screaming. Their voices traveled miles over an open phone line to her husband Avi, 34, who had just been talking to her. The gunman pulled the trigger, killing Revital and her two sons, 5 year old Matan and 4 year old Noam. Some of the bullets punctured the gray wood paneling beside a bloodstained bed." "I'm only a kid of 34 and I have to say Kaddish for two children, my whole family," sobbed Avi as he clutched his little boy's pacifiers. · It just so happens that Ohayon is a variant of Y ahya and these victims are part of the vast Charlap family that traces back to roots in Spain, Portugal, and North Africa. We are these victims, but that isn't all. Kibbutz Metzer's secretary, Yitzhak Dori, 43, (15605,Pl.106), who was on guard duty, rushed over in his car in an attempt to apprehend the gunman. As he raced forward, bullets pierced the windshield. Seriously wounded, Yitzhak apparently lost control, crashed into a water pipe and careened into an electric pole, knocking it down. He too was killed. Yitzhak was the husband of Tamar (315), daughter of Yohanan (310) and Dvora (309) Levit. Dvora, whose grandfather was Moshe Ser (29), has had her share of grief.She survived World War II in Poland, made aliyah, and with her husband farmed the Holy Land at Moshav Ein Iron. Y ohanan and Dvora have four strong sons, Tamar, their one daughter, being the youngest. Tamar, and her three year old daughter Yael (18234), are now left without their husband and father. Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe reported that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a branch of Arafat's Fatah, took credit for the slaughter. "In response to the continued Zionist aggression against our people, one of our martyrs raided the settlement of Metzer. Five Zionists were killed and several wounded by the bullets of the Brigades. We pledge that there will be more martyrdom attacks until the defeat of the occupation forces." Jacoby points out, "It was the usual [Arab] boilerplate, routinely trotted out by those who see heroism in the murder of children. Meanwhile, the official Voice of Palestine Radio aired a report hailing the operation in Kibbutz Metzer, which it described as a 'colony north of Tulkarm', an Arab city on the West Bank. But Metzer isn't a colony or settlement and it isn't in the 'West Bank.' Nor is it populated by hawkish Israeli hardliners." Kibbutz Metzer was founded by Hashomer Hatzair, about as far left as one can be in Israeli politics. Jacoby goes on, "Some of Metzer's doves are trying to convince themselves that their kibbutz was targeted because of its politics. 'It was a planned and deliberate attack on the idea of peace.' It might be comforting [for them] to think so. But the raw truth is that the massacre in Metzer was an attack, not on the idea of peace, but on the idea of Israel. It was no accident that the terrorists' statement identified Metzer as a 'settlement.' [They see] every Jewish community in Israel as a settlement. . .It is one of the abiding myths of the Arab-Israel conflict that a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gai:a is the key to peace. But ifthat were true, peace would have broken out in 2000 when Barak" made his overly generous offer. "Arafat responded to Barak' s offer by launching a new war of terrorism and bloodshed. The only surprise is that anyone continues to be surprised. The al-Fatah constitution has long declared that 'this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated.' The Arabs have never made a secret of that aspiration .. .It has never been about the 1967 territories. From the maps on its walls to the textbooks in its schools to the broadcasts on its airwaves, the Palestinian Authority, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, has always made clear that it craves much more. Arafat's war is not for a state in which Arabs can live beside their Jewish neighbors. It is for their Jewish neighbors' state. For all of it - including Kibbutz Metzer." November was an especially bad month. Ten days after the murders at Metzer, an attack in Jerusalem left 11 people dead · and 47 wounded. A suicide bomber boarded the No. 20 Egged bus one or two stops before it reached Mexico Street in the Kiryat Menahem neighborhood, not far from Jerusalem's largest hospital, Hadassah Ein Kerem. Wearing an explosives belt packed with nuts and bolts, the murderer blew himself up on the_bus which was full of high school students on way to classes. Children's sandwiches and school books lay scattered in the street around the devastated bus. Among the victims were Ella Sharshevsky (Shereshevsky), 44, and her 16 year old son Michael. There are many Shereshevskys on our family tree and their intimate connection with Charlaps and Lapins has led us to believe that the Shereshevsky family are blood relatives. We continue to investigate that assumption. After the bombing, it was pointed out that the international media, for the most part, refrained from calling the attackers terrorists. Rather, they used terms like militants and extremists. Apparently, the media does not want Jews to gain the sympathy of those who are waking up to the threat of world terrorism. In any event, it wasn't long before the media was focusing on Israel's "brutal" response, quickly forgetting the plight of the Israeli victims. Yet, it is Israel's efforts in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza that are preventing the Arab campaign of terror from causing an even worse bloodbath. Meanwhile, the Israel public, our kith and kin, brave the tragedy and try to go on with their lives. 8

LETTERS (cont. from p. 6) from 4 to 17. There are three Orthodox shuls and one Reform. We also have a kosher bakery and butcher. In addition, there is so that I have decided to take it upon myself to compile as a mikveh. That is a short general review of Jewish life here. many details of as many people as possible on Plate 24. I easily - Emma Benjamin (3298) convinced my grandmother Agnes Levy (3258) to be my Y okine, Western Australia assistant. I hope to speak directly to most family members. Most of us are in close contact. We believe our family name, Donchey, is connected to Now a bit about myself and my immediate family. My the name Don Y ahya dating back to Spain and Portugal in the husband Amos (11250) is not Israeli, but we are frum, hence Middle Ages. I read Chaim Freedman's book about the Gaon the biblical name of our daughter Elisheva (15389). We were of Vilna and he lists a person named Donchin who married a married on Feb. 12, 1995 912 Adar I 5755. I am no longer daughter of the Gaon. Donchin ·was a Russian corruption of working as I am now a full time mother. I was trained as a Don Y ahya. There is also a branch spelled Donchi. At one primary school teacher but went into my father's family time, members of the Donchin family became acquainted with business. My husband works for an American Kashrut the Doncheys and believed that they were related. organization, Star K. It is based in Baltimore but the Far East Efforts to trace the line back end abruptly at Ellis office is our house. He is the Director of the Far East region Island or shortly before my husband's grandparents left their and investigates many products in Asia, particularly China. My home in Europe. My cousin Edwin Donchey has done research sisters are both living in Perth. Simone is an optical dispenser. and come up with the following: Pinchus and Sarah Donchey She likes to spend her holidays in Africa for Optical Aid of Kiev in the Ukraine had a son Ellis, born 1873 who died in Abroad. They travel to remote parts of Tanzania and test 1926. Ellis married Esther Steinman in 1895. She was born in people's eyes. They then provide the patients with recycled 1869 and died in 1945. Her father was Moses and mother Bela. glasses from Australia. Danielle works in the family business Ellis was an engineer by profession. They immigrated to the started by my great uncles Leslie (3253) and Jacob (3259). The U.S. from Beshenkovichi, Belarus in 1910. The move was business now has seven retail outlets in Perth and an importing made because Esther's parents were already living in New company with offices in Perth and Sydney. Danielle is manager York Ellis fell ill aboard the ship, which has been identified as of one of the stores. My mother works with children with the Lusitania but was probably the Lithuania. He never fully special needs in a toy library. They modify toys to help these recovered. Much of this information comes directly from his children learn new skills. My father passed away 3 years ago eldest daughter Ida who recorded an interview at Ellis Island. on Tisha B' Av. He was an architect and also worked for the Beside Ida, Ellis and Esther's children were Paul, Solomon, local council advising on building regulations. One of his last Jacob, Samuel, Joseph, Dora, and Ethel. By the year 2000 this achievements was to recompile all of the building regulations group has become 130 strong and is increasing all the time. for our state and provide a clear and concise book of all - Marjorie Donchey regulations. My grandfather, Walter Levy (3265), was an Ed. note: We are delving into the connection between the immigrant from Germany who came to Perth and became a Doncheys and our Don Y ahya heritage. wool buyer along with many other Jewish German refugees. He ***************************************************** used to drive out to the country towns and buy wool to bring OBITUARIES back to birth for resale. He was still doing it until he passed away almost 5 years ago. ltzhak Dori (15605,PI.106) died on Nov. 11, 2002. (See I will speak with Melanie Kur ( 11231) who married article page 7) cousin Simon Greenfeld (3290). It will be interesting to learn if her family is connected with our Kurs. They migrated to David Keler (18020,Pl.387) died during the year 2002. A Perth from South Africa about 20 years ago. Which leads me citizen oflsrael, David and his wife Bracha (18037) had three to Jewish life in Western Australia. sons: Igal (18054), Aryeh (18055), and Yair (18056) and 7 We are a small community in the capital city of Perth. grandchildren. David's grandmother was Shaindel Shifra There are about 8,000 Jewish people. Approximately 6,000 of Charlap Shirion (3249,Pl.24), a daughter of Ephraim Zvi these are from South Africa. Without them, our community Charlap (3228), a founder of the city ofRehovoth. would have died. We are the closest city by air from South Africa, so many immigrants have stayed here, though others Sylvia Swartz Woolf(l3735,Pl.291) of Portland, Maine died have gone on to Melbourne and Sydney. There is a program in on Feb. 2. She and her husband Harold Woolf (10592) were Perth called 10,000 by 2000, which is aimed directly at the the parents of two children: Karen (10605) and Alan (10603). South Africans to get that population increase. We are all very Harold's grandmother was Fannie Glovsky (10567), daughter close and this should insure the survival of the Jewish oflsrael Lapin (10538,Pl.37) and Rebecca Collier (10539). community. We have an excellent Jewish school for children 9

TUNISIAN RELATIVES biological sciences and is associated with Ben Gurion University. In previous issues of B 'rayshit, we had reported on the These families were present wherever Sephardim various names that family members assumed in Morocco. settled. In Western Europe, after the expulsion from Iberia, the These names, associated with the original Y ahya, spread two poles of Sephardic life were Amsterdam and Livomo. throughout the Mediterranean region. Author Paul Sebag has Nineteenth century Tunisian Jews were related or had published a new book which expands on the subject. Entitled . connections with most of the Livornese families. Though they Les Noms des Juifs de Tunisie, it chronicles the Jewish names had these Italian connections, they never lost sight of the fact of that North African country and discusses their origin. He that they once were prominent in Iberia. Wherever they are: shows that most had roots in Spain and Portugal and family Algeria, Tunisia, French Bordeaux or Bayonne, the Ottoman connections in Leghorn (Livorno ), Italy. Lionel Levy has Empire, Amsterdam, they are "Portuguese" or "Spanish." But written a commentary on Se bag's work. The following draws the collective historical memory is maintained in each from both authorities. Several of the names listed are of interest individual. As Sergio Romano has written, "Judaism is not to our family. only a religion. It is also a lineage, thus an aristocracy. We are Ayacchini is an italianized diminutive of Ayache. all proud of our ancestry. As far a family can go back in time, There were Livornese Jews living in Algiers that were known thus much can she draw pride of her own continuity and of the by this variant of Yahya. Juda Ayache (1690-1760) published self-consciousness she has of herself." several Talmudic commentaries in Livorno. Levy points out ***************************************************** that "during this period, all the Algerian theologians were of NOTED LAPPIN AUTHOR Iberian or Hispano-Moroccan origin." Iacchia is the italianization of Y ahya. We have shown Sandee Brawarsky, book critic for New York's Jewish that the name goes back to the family of Chiya al-Daudi and Week, has only praise for Elena Lappin. Elena is an author who might be older than that. After the expulsion from Spain and is gaining a name for her fiction. In particular her characters are Portugal at the end of the 15th century, it was retained in described as quirky, spirited, self aware and they have various forms by those of our ancestors who sojourned in the intriguing stories to tell. Elena's debut book was a short story Mediterranean lands. Those who went north to Amsterdam, collection entitled Foreign Brides published by Farrar, Straus Hamburg and the Baltic region were known as Diniz. Later, in and Giroux. For the most part the 12 stories are about women Russian controlled areas it was changed to Donchin, Dongin, whose lives are changed by marriage and being uprooted from Donchi, etc. familiar environments. Brawarsky tells us that in some ways Arditti is an Italian name but can be traced back to the Elena's life sounds similar to that of her characters. Arditfamily of Spain. In 1392, Pedro Ardit was a Jew living in Elena, in her late forties, was born in Moscow and Barcelona. He was scion of a Jewish Catalonian medical grew up in Prague. She attended university in Israel and then dynasty that also spelled the name Ardut. Arditti (Arditi) lived in Canada. In the early 1990s she called the United States presence has been noted in other Italian cities, notably Venice. home and now she lives in London. She has been married for However, they were most prominent in Ottoman cities such as 26 years to a Canadian man. She told Jewish Week, "I come Smyrna and Salonika. They were among the founders of the from generations of foreign brides. I have seen a lot of people 16th century Catalan Synagogue of Salonika. Neil Arditi migrating, living as foreigners, an experience close to my heart. ( 16407 ,Pl.18) is the husband of Sara Shapero (5428). Sara is I was hoping it wouldn't happen to my children, but my three the great-great granddaughter of Deborah Charlap Goldberg children were born in three different countries." (4022). "Lappin is upbeat and energetic, with an accent that's Hayoun or Hayon is a Maghrebian form of Y ahya, a hard to place. She speaks Czech, Russian, German, French, diminutive of the Hebrew Chaim. Other spellings are Ayoun, Hebrew, and English and writes in English, 'a dream of a Ailyon, and Aylion. An Ailyon family from Livomo lived in language. I love the distance you get when you write not in your Alexandria, Egypt. The name, in its various forms, is native language."' Elena was formerly editor of the Jewish widespread wherever Sephardic Jews migrated. It was even Chronicle in London. recorded in Curacao. Who is Elena Lappin? We do not have her on the Attia, Atia, Athias, etc. are Maghrebian names of family tree. Nor do we know if it is she or her husband who is Iberian origin. Abram Athias was a 17th century merchant and the born Lappin. Though raised in the atheistic Soviet Union, notable in Livomo. His son was the philosopher, physician and she says "her Jewish identity is completely coherent. I take it rabbi Josef Attias. Esther Atia (6300,Pl.217) comes from an wherever I go." Jewish sensibilities are present in her writing. ardently Zionistic Algerian family. She married Aharon Manor Of course, we very much wish to place Elena on the (Mankuta) z"l (6298) and they settled in Beersheva where their family tree. Please let us know if you have any knowledge of family grew by five children. Esther is a noted researcher in the her or the background of her husband. 10

THE BOOK OF DESTINY & ANCILLA TO TOLEDOT CHARLAP

ANCILLA TO TOLEDOT CHARLAP continues the story that is told in THE BOOK OF DESTINY. But in the new volume we have 337 charts showing every branch of the family, every known member of the family, and their exact relationships. It also expands on the historical documentation of the relationship of the Charlap family to that of King David. New details of the Ibn Y ahya family and the Lapin and Grapa branches are presented for the first time. And the ancient family crest, recently discovered in a medieval Portuguese document, has been recreated and is included. ANCILLA TO TOLEDOT CHARLAP is still available in limited quantities. After the first printing is distributed there is no guarantee that the book will be reproduced. It is strongly suggested that you fill out the accompanying,order form and submit it now. A form is also included should you want to order THE BOOK OF DESTINY: TOLEDOT CHARLAP. ''Arthur Menton is doing on a family level what I attempted in my book A History of the Jews. He is personalizing our story and, in so doing, is giving a very human perspective to our people 's history. " - Abram Leon Sachar '1 have been ordering copies as gifts for friends and as Bar Mitzvah presents. I can think ofno present more appropriate than a gift ofone's heritage. And everyone tells me how much they appreciate this beautiful book." - Tillie Sier "A magnificent achievement. .. a testament to the immortality ofour people. " . - Irving Greenberg *********************************************************************************************************** Please send __ copies of THE BOOK OF DESTINY at the Please send __ copies of ANCILLA TO TOLEDOT special rate of $49.99 ($74.99 list price) plus $5.00 ($12.00 CHARLAP at the special rate of $49.99 ($7 4.99 list price) foreign) shipping and handling. plus $5.00 ($12.00 foreign) shipping and handling.

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