Dear Tante Jennie, I Have Read So Much About Using Newspapers To

SPRING 2018 Volume 27, No. 1

Cleveland’s own Tante Jennie, Cynthia Spikell, edited The Kol for twelve years. We Inside will all miss her hard work, good humor, and unstinting dedication. In appreciation and This Issue honor of Cyndi’s work, Tante Jennie takes

over this issue’s cover. Ask Tante Jennie Page 1

Ask Tante Jennie Algee™, President’s Message Page 3 the genealogy maven (or at least she thinks so) Membership and  Millions of pages of newspapers -- free Board/Research Re- port  Why mention the county? Pages 4-7

Dear Tante Jennie, Mt. Sinai Legacy Pages 8-9 I have read so much about using newspapers to find information about my family. However, my family lived in small towns in New York Memory Lab, South Euclid- State from the late 1800s until the mid 1900s. They weren’t rich or Lyndhurst famous enough to be in The New York Times. Is there any other way I Pages 10-11 can look them up in newspapers? Aha Moments Pages 12-13 Paige Turner Thorman Family Pages 14-17

Dear Paige, Gorlice School Rec- ords Yes, there is, thanks to a man with a mission. Dick Eastman Page 18-19 wrote about how Tom Tryniski digitized nearly 50 million pages of newspapers in his living room. He is so well known now that the Co- Warsaw Page 20-23 lumbia Journalism Review has also written about his work. Practicing Safe Com- Tom works from the living room of his home near Syracuse, puting New York. He sits at two big computer monitors and scans microfilms Pages 24-27 of newspapers to digitize them. He concentrates mainly on newspa- Program Calendar pers from New York State, but he has also included papers from other Page 28-29 states. His website is free to use. Announcements Page 30-31

continued on page 2 Page 2 The Kol

Ask Tante Jennie

His website says, “Search over 41,443,000 Old Newspaper pages from US & 2018 Officers Canada.” The New York Public Library says, “A searchable repository of historic newspapers President Sylvia Abrams published in New York State between 1795 and 1st Vice President – Programs 2007, frequently updated. Also includes a hand- Stewart Hoicowitz ful of U.S. newspapers outside of New York 2nd Vice President – Membership State.” Don Golden Tante Jennie hadn’t used the website in Secretary Pamela Turner a while, so she did some test look-ups. She got Treasurer Marilyn Baskin results from the Greenfield MA Recorder (year) Past-Presidents 1992, Schenectady NY Gazette 1925, Utica NY Amy Wachs and Charles Lissauer Daily Observer 1859, Philadelphia PA Inquirer 1943, Duluth MN Evening Herald 1904, New Other past presidents are non-voting mem- York NY Tribune 1920, New York NY Irish Ameri- bers. can Advocate 1982, Albany NY Knickerbocker News 1939, New York NY Sun 1918, Rome NY Board of Trustees (three-year term) Daily Sentinel 1969, and even The New York Times! Murray Davis The articles covered recorded mortgag- ending December 2018 es, engagements, awards given to college stu- Jane Reidel dents, an exhibition pool match, needlework ending December 2019 awards, teen queen prize winner, social news, Jeff Morris business news, WWI news about the promotion ending December 2020 of a soldier from Cleveland, and a photograph titled “Food Experts Study Art of Tea Tasting”. In Past presidents are also board members. past searches Tante Jennie found news about court cases. Editor of The Kol (appointed) Sean Martin You thought Tante Jennie was going to forget to tell you the website, didn’t you? Here Webmaster Paul Wolf it is: http://fultonhistory.com/. Enjoy your search! The Kol is published at least three times a year and is sent electronically to members, other Tante Jennie Algee JGS groups, and libraries. Paper copies are kept in our library. Members may purchase Dear Tante Jennie, paper copies by pre-ordering. So many times I see a county name given when a place is mentioned, like Cleveland, Cuya- hoga, Ohio. Why do genealogists do that? Luke N. DeMapp

Spring 2018 Page 3 Ask Tante Jennie

Dear Luke, There are some reasons for listing the county. First, it identifies the location more pre- cisely. The U. S. Postal Service has attempted to standardize place names within each state, but there are still some duplications. In the Cleveland area alone, we have Montville and Montville Township, and the same with Perry and Perry Township, with different counties for each. Tante Jennie Algee President’s Message As I write this message, we are preparing to celebrate Passover with all its cleaning of hametz from our households. If you, like many who do genealogy, are a saver, you might run across old family Haggadot as you prepare for your seder. Our family enjoys using an Elijah cup that was pur- chased by my husband’s grandmother on a trip at the beginning of the twentieth century. What a great opportunity to share family history as you use these or other family heirlooms. Since our election in January, your new officers have been involved in several projects to enhance your JGS activities. Stewart Hoicowitz, our new First Vice-President, has planned a terrific set of programs including a special evening about adoption records. Don Golden, Second Vice-President, has helped create new record keeping databases. If you have changed your research interests, please send these to Don for inclusion in our membership directory. Our Treasurer, Marilyn Baskin, reports that we had a surplus at the end of 2017. Don and Marilyn ran a successful membership renewal campaign with prizes obtained by our immediate past president, Amy Wachs. As of this date, JGS Cleveland has surpassed last year’s membership numbers. Secretary, Pam Turner, is keeping records of our meetings and has added send- ing condolences and donation acknowledgments to her portfolio. Our Trustee, Murray Davis, staffs our help desk. Bring him your research questions before our monthly meetings. Jane Riedel manages our meeting greeters, while new Trustee Jeff Morris,insures that our technology is set up for our presenters. Thanks to the efforts of our web master, Paul Wolf, you may pay your dues or make donations through PayPal, now available on our website www.cleveland.jgs.org. We have also enhanced the members only section of the website with an archive of newsletters published after 2010. You may catch up on past programs and access all kinds of genealogy tips. With this issue of The Kol, we welcome Sean Martinas our new editor. Let Sean know what you wish to see featured in our newsletter or offer to write up a genealogical discovery for our readers. I particularly want to thank all our members who participated in the first JGSC survey that we conducted using Survey Monkey. Your input will enable your officers and board to provide genealogy activities attuned to your needs. If you have a suggestion for a meeting, the website, or the newsletter, please drop me a note at [email protected]. Sylvia Page 4 The Kol

Local and Ohio—Membership and Board

The JGSC welcomes the following new members for 2018 ! Thanks for joining! We look forward to your participation in the group.

New Members Leslie Andrzejewski Drew Bern Lenore Cohn Maureen Cunniff John and Mary Ann Hexter Jaime Klausner Anne L. Lukas Jeffrey Alan Ramras Melvin and Marilyn Weinberg Nancy Wurzel & Don Sayre Barbara Gross

The JGSC thanks the following sustaining members for their generosity. Thanks for strengthening the Society and for insuring its future!

Sustaining Members

Sylvia Abrams Nathan Arnold Ken and Phyllis Bravo Maureen Cunniff Murray and Sondra Davis Ruth Gove Richard Katzman Chuck Lissauer Paul and Helen Wolf

Spring 2018 Page 5

Local and Ohio—Membership and Board

Standing from left to right: Don Golden (2nd Vice President, Membership); Pamela Turner (Secretary); Jeff Morris (Board of Trustees, term ending 2020); Jane Reidel (Board of Trustees, term ending 2019); Stewart Hoicowitz (1st Vice President, Programs); seated left to right, Marilyn Baskin (Treasurer) and Sylvia Abrams (President)

February 4th meeting at Park Synagogue East, with Mitch Balk as speaker

Page 6 The Kol Local and Ohio—Research Report

The Research Report informs our members and friends of the work done by members in re- sponse to research requests.

1. We received a request from a Michael Diamant seeking help locating the immigration and naturalization documents of his Cleveland relative, Joseph Braff, who was born in 1867, came to the United States before 1892 and was naturalized in 1900. The purpose of the request was rather vague - he was trying to establish some connection to a distant relative named Ale- xandrowicz who was a survivor who came to Cleveland after the war. Unfortunately, immigration and naturalization papers from that time period have little genealogical information. We informed Mr. Diamant of this and, regrettably, were not able to be of help otherwise. 2. Maureen Cunniff from California requested assistance tracing the descendants of her great grandparents, Morris and Matilda Ruhig, who lived in Cleveland. Through a variety of documents such as census, vital records, naturalization, and obituaries, we were able to develop a full picture of the family. Although Morris and Matilda had a total of six children, they had only one grandchild, Maureen's father. It seems that Maureen was hoping to unearth additional cousins, but it was not to be. 3. Hannah Boyd requested assistance discovering the Hebrew names (if any) certain relatives. She had already tried the most obvious steps, like examining grave inscriptions, without success. She had a lot of information about which temples they had belonged to at various times. We visited the WRHS to examine temple archives, locating her relatives in a Rabbi's wed- ding roster as well as a confirmation class list, but in both cases the lists were in English only. We still have one long shot inquiry in play on this request, but it seems unlikely we will find an answer for Hannah.

Submitted by Russ Maurer, March 4, 2018

Spring 2018 Page 7 Local and Ohio—Member News

Congratulations to Pamela Turner, JGSC secretary, on the marriage of her son, on Sun- day, February 3rd, in Marion, Ohio. Rabbi Joshua Caruso officiated. The groom, Evarts Benjamin Taylor, is the son of JGS member Pamela Turner, of Twinsburg. The bride is Leah Kasmenn Tay- lor. Father of the groom is Evarts B. Taylor of Orange Village and parents of the bride are Diana and David Kasmenn of Marion. Mr. Taylor is a professional tour guide and Mrs. Taylor is the Manager of Young Family Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. The newly- weds are members of Fairmount Temple and reside in University Heights.

***

Longtime member,Daniel Volper, died on April 13th, 2018, at the age of 98. He attended JGSC meetings regularly, often with his wife, Geraldine Powers Volper. He was a retired insur- ance agent and a volunteer in geriatrics at the Cleveland Clinic for over twenty years. He en- joyed crossword puzzles, classical music, and modern technology. We extend our sympathies to the entire family.

Severance Hall, 1940s. Cleveland Picture File, Western Reserve His- torical Society. Page 8 The Kol

Local and Ohio—February Meeting: Whither Jewish Hospitals - the Mt. Sinai Legacy

Mitchell Balk, President of the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, spoke to the Cleveland Jewish Genealogy Society on February 4th about the history and legacy of Jewish hospitals, especially Cleveland’s own Mt. Sinai. On a cold football Sunday, Balk began by reminding us of the many plaques around Mt. Sinai, one of which recognized the dedication of the Emergen- cy Department waiting room by the Cleveland Browns and Art Modell. His talk then turned to the more serious issue of the tra- dition of healing within the Jewish community, from Biblical times to Maimonides to the present day. His remarks about the development of Jewish hospitals in the United States in the mid to late nineteenth century began with an emphasis on the role of Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch colonial governor of New Amsterdam in the 1650s. Stuyvesant opposed the permanent settlement of Jews in New Amsterdam, but owners of the West India Company supported Jewish settlement. In 1655 the directors of the West India Company declared that Jewish refu- Mitchell Balk is President of the Mt. gees could remain “provided the poor among them shall not Sinai Health Care Foundation. Balk become a burden to the company or to the community…[and] and Mt. Sinai were the recipients of be supported by their own nation.” the 2017 Case Western Reserve University President’s Award for The first Jewish hospitals in the country were estab- Visionary Achievement. He previ- lished between the 1850s and 1880s. Many Jewish hospitals ously served as Vice President of were founded in the 1880s and later decades, in a second wave the Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Cleve- of construction, during and after the period of peak immigra- land and Vice President of Sinai tion to the United States. At one time there were about thirty Health System, Chicago. Jewish hospitals in the United States, in addition to other facili- ties such as convalescent homes and rehabilitation centers. These institutions developed because of the specific needs of religious Jews and the need to re- spond to antisemitism (such as attempts to convert Jews as they lay on their deathbeds and dis- crimination against Jewish medical students and physicians). Balk attributed the late twentieth century closure of Jewish hospitals to a variety of fac- tors, including economic pressures, changes in the delivery and financing of health care, a decrease in antisemitism, general societal acceptance of Jews, a decline in a preference for Jewish hospitals among Jews, a decrease in philanthropic support, and a move to the suburbs. He noted that it was more difficult to move a hospital than to move a synagogue. Jewish hospitals had become a victim of their own success.

Spring 2018 Page 9

Local and Ohio—February Meeting

The origins of Mt. Sinai go back to the work of the Young Ladies Hebrew Association in the 1890s. Their efforts to raise money to help the Jewish sick led to the institution that so many twentieth century Clevelanders knew so well. At least ten hands were raised when Balk asked those in attendance if they had been born at Mt. Sinai. Balk recounted the accomplishments of the hospital over many decades, noting such innova- tions as the Metzenbaum scissors (surgical scissors developed by Myron Metzenbaum, uncle of Howard), the Optifast diet, the separation of con- joined twins, and the birth of the first surrogate baby in 1986. The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, es- tablished in the mid 1990s, is the hospital’s suc- cessor. Mt. Sinai Medical Center closed in 2000, just four years after its acquisition by a for-profit corporation. The Foundation became a local philanthropic leader, making grants to fund the health of the Jewish community, the urban community, and policy initiatives in education and ac- ademic medicine. Balk noted the Foundation’s multimillion dollar support for the educational work of Case Western Reserve University as well as its commitment to ChildSight Cleveland, which works to provided glasses for children in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. While Clevelanders lament the loss of the hospital, the community’s dedication to the health and wel- fare of their neighbors remains strong.

Volunteer puppeteers in Pediatrics. Jim Kalish and Pete Stiller with patients, August 12, 1953. (Western Reserve Historical Society)

Page 10 The Kol Local and Ohio—March Meeting: The Memory Lab at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library Branch

Clevelanders are fortunate to enjoy a wealth of local library resources. From the majestic Cleveland Public Library to the neighborhood branches of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, readers and researchers are able to access a broad range of materials and services. Matt Skva- sik, innovation programming specialist for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, spoke to the Cleveland Jewish Genealogy Society in March about the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Memory Lab, an important new resource sure to be helpful for anyone interested in family history. Skvasik offered members an official orientation, so they would be ready to use the Memory Lab when they next visited the library. Need to scan old photographs? Have you found cassette recordings of old oral history interviews? Home movies? The Memory Lab offers visitors access to the equipment necessary to digitize photographs and audio and video recordings, turning them into digital files that can be used in a number of ways – stored for purposes of preservation (lots of copies keep stuff safe), shared with family members, posted on Facebook, used in other social media platforms or on websites, or even printed on calendars or T-shirts. The Memory Lab opened in April 2017. Equipment available includes slide, photo, and document scanners and a turntable. Patrons can transfer VHS to DVD (DVD/VCR combo player), cassette to MP3, floppy disk to digital (external floppy drive), and 8mm, Super 8mm, and Hi8 film to digital. The lab also offers access to a BiblioBoard Creator, which allows patrons to create and publish multimedia digital exhibits.

Spring 2018 Page 11 Local and Ohio —March Meeting

The library requires an orientation session to use the lab. The hour long sessions are offered frequently and do not require registration. The lab is a do-it-yourself space, but manuals are provided to use the equipment and patrons can receive some minimal assistance from library staff. There are 2 PC and 2 Mac stations. The lab is open when the library is open and is available on a first come, first served basis. A light box is also available, allowing patrons to photograph objects against a black or white background. There is also a Cricut Maker, a cutting ma- chine used in making greeting cards, crafts, and other DIY projects.

With the development of the Memory Lab, the library has taken a significant step to help area residents preserve their family histories. Old cassettes, preserving the voices of our relatives, or home movies, often of family gatherings, can now be heard and viewed with rela- tively little effort. While commercial services are available for these services, they might be difficult to locate or cost prohibitive. The Memory Lab is an easy way to find out what is on that old VHS tape, the one you’ve saved for years because you knew it was important. It might also inspire you to do more to record your family’s past --- the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch also hosts the William N. Skirball Writers’ Center and an audio recording studio. Perfect for an oral history interview!

For additional information about the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch, visit the library’s website, https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Branches/South-Euclid-Lyndhurst.aspx, or drop by in person, 1876 Green Road.

Page 12 The Kol

Local and Ohio—April Meeting: Aha Moments

April’s meeting featured three longtime members presenting valuable techniques that led them to experience “aha moments” in researching their own ancestors. Sylvia Abrams, current JGS President, and Ken Bravo and Chuck Lissauer, both JGS Past Presidents, revealed their insights from years of examining marriage records, census documents, and school yearbooks to enhance family research. Each cited specific examples of breakthroughs they made and invited questions from the audience on how to get the most value out of their investigative research. Abrams’ presentation on marriage records showed the difference between marriage affidavits and marriage certificates. Affidavits may include a specific place of birth, rather than just the country. With the affidavit, she was able to confirm that Lemberg, Galicia, Austria, is the ancestral town of the Fleck family. She was also able to determine that her ancestor Mary Fleck was born before the family emigrated, contradicting Fleck’s self-reported information on US census records. Bravo illustrated his presentation with a census analysis spreadsheet that allows one to easily keep track of information. The spreadsheet, available at https://tinyurl.com/lya9pgt, includes a summary report and a report for specific census years. It also links to guidelines from the New York Public Library to search the census by address, https://www.nypl.org/ blog/2016/07/08/genealogy-tips-searching-census-address. He also showed that relying on the transcription of the form, without looking at the original document, is foolhardy. Mistakes abound. What should have been rendered as Elliot was given as Elmer. Hyman became Lyman, and Kooney became Rooney. Two other suggestions were using the blank census forms available from Ancestry to better see the fields on the form and locating the naturalization record once the year of naturalization is identified from the census.

From Ken Bravo’s presentation, a guide to some of the difficult handwriting one encounters in census records.

Spring 2018 Page 13 Local and Ohio—April Meeting

Lissauer explained how genealogists can use school yearbooks to learn more about their families. Some of these yearbooks are available through the Library of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, part of the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple library, the Arthur J. Lelyveld Center for Jewish Learning, https://www.fairmounttemple.org/lifelong-learning/ librarycatalogue/. Available are selected yearbooks from Flora Stone Mather College, Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, Kenyon Col- lege, Ohio State University, East High School, Shaw High School, Glenville High School, and Cleveland Heights High School. The presenters also introduced members to “how to” video clips on census records, marriage documents and school yearbooks, cour- tesy of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island, New York: “Making the Most of Census Reports”; “Marriage Record Information that Can Further Your Family Re- search”, and “How High School Yearbooks Can En- hance Your Family Research.” These videos are easily found on YouTube.

The 1930 Olympiad, Glenville High School

Page 14 The Kol Local and Ohio—Thorman Family

Editor’s Note: Bonnie Birns, President of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island, submitted the following request for information on the Thorman family, reprinted in its entirety. Caroline Gries submitted a request about the Thorman family at nearly the same time, also reprinted below. The Thorman family is of unusual im- portance in Cleveland’s early Jewish history. More information about the family can be found in the collections of the Cleveland History Center, Western Reserve Historical Society, online at Cleveland Jewish History, www.clevelandjewishhistory.net, especially www.clevelandjewishhistory.net/gen/alsbacher-document.htm, and on display at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Dear Genners, In anticipation of the 2019 IAJGS conference in Cleveland, Ohio, I would like to solve a question about my husband's 3rd great-grandfather Henry THORMAN. I am posting in both the General list and GerSig for archival purposes. Research Question: To prove or disprove a connection to Simpson Thorman, the first Jew of Cleveland Secondary Question: To find ancestral town in Germany and names of parents of Henry Thorman Known facts: 1. Arrived in America: 22-May-1847, age 28; Meta from Bremen, Germany to New York, NY 2. Settled in Easton, Pennsylvania. Member of Easton synagogue, Congregation Brith Sholom (Covenant of Peace), beginning 1851, Trustee of synagogue 1852, 1855, 1859 (Source: Consider the Years: the story of the Jewish Community of Easton) 3. Marriage to Esther MEYER sometime between arrival and birth of first child (1847-1850) 4. 1860 census, Easton, PA; Henry Dorman, age 36; pedlar; born Hanover; with wife Esther; 3 sons 5. By 1865, living in Manhattan, New York 6. 1870 census, New York, NY; Henry Thorman, age 52; peddler; born Bavaria; with wife Esther; 6 children 7. Death: 19-Mar-1872; New York, New York; death certificate #110890; no information about parents. Birthplace: Germany. Parents birthplace: Germany. 8. Buried: Union Field, Ridgewood, Queens, NY. Headstone just has name, date and age 56. Not with any family. Wife Esther buried in Mt. Hope, Brooklyn, NY. 9. Families THORMANN were living in Altenmuhr / Muhr am See near Gunzenhausen (since before 1800), Scheinfeld near Neustadt a.d. Aisch (since before 1800) and Unsleben near Bad Neustadt a.d. Saale (since 1811). (Source: Dictionary of Jewish Families from Germany, Lars Menk)

Spring 2018 Page 15 Local and Ohio—Thorman Family

Children of Henry and Esther Thorman: 1. Henry Thorman 1850–1921 2. Jacob H Thorman 1854–1930 3. Abraham Loeb Thorman 1857–1930 4. Tillie Thorman Schramm 1861–1924 5. Philip Thorman 1865–1947 6. Cyrus Seligman Thorman 1868–1950

Simpson (Simson) Thorman facts: 1. Born Unsleben, Bavaria, Germany; parents Schmuel and Bunla 2. Acknowledged as the first Jew to settle in Cleveland, Ohio by 1837 3. Immigration: Assumed to arrive in America in the late 1820s, before settling in Cleveland 4. Alsbacher Party; 19 other Jews from Unsleben, including siblings Meyer, Simon and Rose Thorman and wife Regina Klein; 12-Jul-1839; Howard from Hamburg, Germany to New York, NY

Children of Schmuel and Bunla Thormann: 1. Meyer Thorman 1808-1876 2. Simila Simon Thorman 1809–1890 3. Simpson Thorman 1811–1881 4. Abraham Thorman 1812– (did not immigrate to America) 5. Ramle Rose Thorman 1813 – (No record of marriage or death)

Alsbacher document: Before leaving for America, Moses Alsbacher, the leader of the group, and his wife Yetta were presented with a booklet by the Jewish community. The booklet begins with a letter dated May 5, 1839 from Lazarus Kohn, teacher of the Jewish community. The booklet includes a prayer and ends with a list of 233 fellow Unslebeners - probably all the Jews in this town of about 1,000 inhabitants. Source: Clevelandjewishhistory.net

There are no other Thormans on this list of 233 Jews remaining in Unsleben.

Page 16 The Kol Local and Ohio—Thorman Family

Follow up questions: 1. Why did Henry go to Easton, PA instead of Cleveland, OH? 2. What other documents could I find to show parents and town of Henry? ie. Marriage record in Easton, PA? 3. Could Henry be from Altenmuhr or Scheinfeld instead of Unsleben? What documents exist that could prove/disprove this? (I have searched JewishGen Germany database)

Thank you for your interest, Bonnie Birns, President, JGSLI Long Island, New York Researcher #59766 researching: BECHMANN, BIRN, BIRNS, EICHBERG, HOECHSTER, MAYER, THORMAN, TUCHLER, TUCKLER - Bavaria, Ger; BARER, BERNSTEIN, BURNSTON, GELLER, WACHS - Podkamen, Ukr; AR- ONOWSKY, TANDETNIK, TANDEJTNIK - Bialystok, Pol; GOLDBERG – Chudniv, Ukr; TANNENHOLZ – Poland; SIEGEL – Krazai and Karklanai, Lith; SHNIPER – Goodok, Belarus; MELLER - Sato- raljaujhely, Hungary

***

From Caroline Gries:

Looking for descendants of :

Simpson and Regina Klein Thorman David and Lena Loeb Dauby Andrew and Hannah Eckerman Closse Abraham and Brundel Hochster Hays

I’d like to invite you to a picnic on Sunday, September 2nd. For more information, please contact me at [email protected].

Spring 2018 Page 17 Local and Ohio—Thorman Family

Simson (sometimes given as Simpson) Thorman (1811 -1881) and Regina (Rachel) Klein Thorman. (Western Reserve Historical Society)

A replica of the Alsbacher Docu- ment, on display at Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Another replica is on display at Cleveland Histo- ry Center, Western Reserve His- torical Society. The original is held by WRHS. (Western Reserve His- torical Society)

Page 18 The Kol International—Gorlice (Gorlitz) School Records

More Names from Gorlice (Gorlitz) School Records

Last September I posted here about my initial work indexing records of Jewish students at four primary schools in Gorlice (Yiddish: Gorlitz), located about 25 miles south of Tar- now. The records are held at the Polish State Archive in Przemyśl. At that time, I focused on students in first grade, as most students who went to school in Gorlitz would have passed through first grade in Gorlitz at some point.

I have now indexed the remaining records from all the grades. Not surprisingly, I found about 500 students not in the earlier index, bringing the total number of students to nearly 3000. The new, complete, index includes links to all the annual report cards for each student, a total of 13,000 records over the period 1893-1925 (years of birth from about 1880 to World War I). Typically, the information found in the report card included the student's full name, the date and place of birth, and the name of at least one parent or guardian. The occupation of the adult was also mentioned, but I have not indexed the occupation.

The Excel spreadsheet I have created may be downloaded at this URL: https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgoo.gl% 2FkEaAga&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cef22eae8d3e848c72a9808d58f0096d2% 7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0% 7C636572155042380726&sdata=mYNWbc1Dohcwsz75AyD85wtIQ5BrXBmzbE0E%2BGd1z6Q% 3D&reserved=0 . I recommend reviewing the Read Me tab for further information. Given the lack of other records for Gorlice, this is a precious resource for Gorlice researchers. I have do- nated a copy to JRI-Poland, who have kindly agreed to add the information to their free on-line database. JRI-Poland will make an announcement when they do the upload.

Russ Maurer Pepper Pike, Ohio Researching RIEGER from Gorlice

Spring 2018 Page 19 International—Gorlice (Gorlitz) School Records

Gorlice, view from park, photograph by Antoni Wieczorek (1898-1940), Biblioteka Narodowa, Po- land. https://polona.pl

Sketch, from Gorlice yizkor book, available digitally through the New York Public Library, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/ items/4d9eb7f0-74fb-0133-8dbd- 00505686a51c. Partial translation available through JewishGen, https:// www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Gorlice/ Gorlice.html.

Page 20 The Kol

International—38th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

This article is really more of an editor’s note. As many JGSC members already know, the 2018 conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies will be held Au- gust 5th-10th in Warsaw. Cleveland’s own Ken Bravo, IAJGS President, will be in attendance, along with many others from Cleveland, and I’m happy to say that I’ll be there, too. When Sylvia Abrams mentioned that Cynthia Spikell was stepping down as editor of The Kol, I responded that I might be interested in taking on the role, for a few different reasons. I already knew and worked with many of the group’s members, and we have mutual interests. Many JGSC members use the resources of the Jewish Archives at Western Reserve Historical Society and have an interest in our work. I also need to learn more about genealogy and how it’s done, and this seemed like a good opportunity to learn more about local families and per- haps even to collect materials for the collection of the Jewish Archives. And then there was the upcoming IAJGS conference in Poland, which, well, was enough to convince me. I lived in Kraków for about a year and a half in the late nineties, doing my dis- sertation research. I’ve been lucky enough to return to Poland every few years, usually for a conference or a brief research trip. So I didn’t need to be talked into participating in the August conference. By then I also knew that the 2019 IAJGS conference would be held here in Cleve- land. It seemed obvious that this was the time for me to become more involved in the local group. But Warsaw comes first – it’s not too late to make plans to join your friends from Cleve- land at the conference! For full details, visit http://www.iajgs2018.org/.A full conference program is already available, with sessions on issues of general interest to genealogists at all levels and on topics related to the history of Jews in East Central Europe. Members will hear all about the conference from those who attended at the December meeting, but I wanted to highlight here some of the reasons JGSC members should consider attending, especially because, to be honest, recent news from Poland does give one pause. Po- land’s increasingly far right government has taken steps to direct the narrative of the country’s past, most notably the legislation criminalizing speech about the participation of Poles in crimes committed during World War II. These steps are certainly troubling, and they threaten to undo the significant progress that has been made in the relationship between Poland and the worldwide Jewish community since 1989. It is my hope, though, that legitimate concerns about de- velopments in Poland will not hinder genealogists from attending the conference in Warsaw. There is too much to learn from the people we will meet there, from those attending the conference and from Polish Jews themselves.

Spring 2018 Page 21

International—38th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

Two important reasons to go this summer are the co-hosts of the conference, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, http://www.polin.pl/en, and the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, http://www.jhi.pl/en. The core exhibit of POLIN, curated by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, opened to wide acclaim in October 2014. The extensive, wide-ranging exhibit covers a thousand years of Jewish life in Poland. Its current temporary exhibit, Es- tranged: March ’68 and its Aftermath, focuses on the antisemitic campaign of 1968 that led to the expulsion from Poland of about 13, 000 Poles of Jewish descent.

Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science, a gift of the Soviets that became a landmark of the city

Page 22 The Kol

International—38th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

The opening of the POLIN exhibit should be recognized as a significant moment in the narrative of Polish-Jewish relations. A public-private partnership, the museum is per- haps the best example of what is possible when private Jewish groups cooperate with the Polish government. The three founders of the museum – the Ministry of Culture and Na- tional Heritage, the City of Warsaw, and the Association for the Jewish Historical Institute – cooperated to build an institution that could reach an international audience. POLIN was a central part of the government’s policy to show its willingness to discuss the past and to recognize the place of Jews in Poland over the past thousand years. POLIN’s exhibit is made possible not least because of the collection of the Jewish Historical Institute, http://www.jhi.pl/en. The Jewish Historical Institute, housed in the pre- war building that was home to the Main Judaic Library and Institute for Judaic Studies, holds the largest collection of documents related to the history of Polish Jews. The Institute grew out of the work of the Central Jewish Histori- cal Commission immediately after the war. The Association of the JHI initiated the POLIN Museum and made its collections available for display. In addition, the Institute opened a

Warsaw’s Ghetto Heroes Monument, sculpted by Nathan Rapoport in 1948.

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International—38th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

new permanent exhibit last fall, What We Were Unable to Shout Out to the World, displaying documents from the Oneg Shabbat archive, the Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto founded by the historian Emanuel Ringelblum. These are both great reasons to visit Poland, but the most important one is that Poland’s Jewish community, though small, is active and growing. New Jewish community centers (see Kraków’s for an example, http://www.jcckrakow.org/en/) and even preschools need the support of Jews around the world, especially now. Genealogists are interested in the histories of their families and communities, and they consciously leave a legacy for the next generations. Considering East Central Europe’s past, we must recognize that the histories of those who lived on Polish lands are intricately entangled. Their futures are as well.

-Sean Martin

Umschlagplatz Monument, marking the site from which Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto were deported to the camps.

Page 24 The Kol Resources— Practicing Safe Computing #28

Password Managers, Again

Hal Bookbinder

Editor’s Note: Two articles are reproduced here, with permission, from Hal Bookbinder’s series of computing articles, written for Venturing Into Our Past © , the newsletter of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Cone- jo Valley (JGSCV). All of the articles in the ongoing series can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/ComputingArticles Originally published in the January 2018 issue of Venturing into our Past (JGSCV)

In October 2016 I wrote about Password managers, sharing my experience with a free tool, LastPass. I have been using it now for well over a year and remain quite satisfied with its features. It supports my access to over 100 sites with a variety of IDs and passwords. I com- mend it to you as a tool which can streamline your access to sites on the Internet while providing enhanced security. Password managers store your login information. They then automatically log you in to the site once you bring up the login page. They often include other valuable security features, like recognizing new sites that you have logged into and offering to save the login information, filling in forms, synchro- nizing across your devices, generating impossible to remember complex passwords and per- mitting you to designate a person to obtain your access if you become incapacitated. LastPass is intuitive, providing “cards” for each website you wish to access and displaying them in logical folders. You enter a description, ID and password into each card. I set up separate folders for email sites, financial sites, genealogy sites, shopping sites, social media sites, travel sites and work sites. I then open the appropriate folder and click on a card. LastPass takes me there and logs me in.

Apple computer on display at The National Computer & Communications Museum, Digital Enterprise Research Institute, http://deri.org, Dangan, Galway.

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Typically, sites ask for an ID (or email) and a password. Sometimes, however, they ask for a third entry. A site I use asks for my last name, ID and password. LastPass permits you to add a third entry along with the two typical ones. So, you can script it to accommodate unique situations. LastPass resides in the Cloud. So, you can access it from any computer. For computers you typically use, you can link it into the browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari) so that it is immediately available without first logging in. Do not do this if others share the computer as they will then have the ability to log in as you. Some sites require you to click on a link to the login page and then to enter your information. Consider setting up the card with the login page rather than the initial page. LastPass also generates complex passwords on request which you can use to better secure your most critical sites. You can download it from http://www.lastpass.com. For excellent comparisons of commercial Password Managers, see “The Best Password Managers of 2018” (https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp) and “The Best Free Password Managers of 2017” (https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2475964,00.asp). PC Magazine rates two free Pass- word Managers as “Editors’ Choice”, LastPass and LogMeOnce. Please do your own investiga- tion to select the right tool for you.

Electronic Computing Tech- nique at Riga Polytechnic Institute, 1980, Latvian Na- tional Library.

A password manager is a convenient, secure way to maintain different passwords for the various sites that you visit. Of course you must create and remember a password for your password manager. Consider recording it in a secure location, like your safe deposit box just in case.

Page 26 The Kol Resources—Practicing Safe Computing #30

Precautions while Traveling

Hal Bookbinder

Originally published in the March 2018 issue of Venturing into our Past (JGSCV)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (HHS OCR) recently published a lengthy list of precautions to limit your exposure when traveling. Along with the obvious things like requiring passwords to access your devices that cannot be easily guessed and backing up your data before your leave on your trip, following are six that you may not have previously considered:

Bring and Use Your Own Power Adapters and Cords It’s never safe to charge your devices using anything other than your own power adapters. Cyber thieves may install malware onto hotel lamps, airport kiosks and other public USB charging stations. If you absolutely must charge your device on the road, and you don’t have access to your charger/adapter, power down your device before you connect it into any airport chair or public USB charging station.

Family travel, unidentified photograph, 1920s. Western Re- serve Historical Society

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Install Security Updates and Patches Be sure to patch and update operating systems and software (including mobile device apps). This should be a regular practice, but it is particularly important if you will be unable to update while traveling. Updates and patches can fix security flaws and enable security software to de- tect and prevent new threats.

Turn Off WiFi Auto-Connect and Bluetooth Go into your device’s Settings feature, and disable the WiFi auto-connect option so that you manually connect when it is safe to do so. Similarly, disable Bluetooth connectivity. If left on, cyber thieves can connect to your device in a number of different and easy ways.

Avoid Public WiFi Avoid connecting to any public WiFi network. Using your mobile network (like 4G or LTE) is gen- erally more secure than using a public wireless network. Do not conduct sensitive activities, such as online shopping, banking, or sensitive work, using a public wireless network. Always log into your work networks through VPN, and only use sites that begin with “https://” when online shopping or banking.

Ensure Physical Security of Your Devices NEVER let your devices leave your sight. If you cannot physically lock devices in your hotel room safe or other secure place, take them with you. There are no good hiding spots in your hotel room! Many breaches occur because a device was left unattended when an opportunistic thief struck. When traveling with laptops and tablets, the best protection is to carry them with you. It’s never safe to pack your devices in your checked luggage.

Use Geo-Location Cautiously Most social media sites are happy to automatically share your location as you post photos and messages. This also tells thieves back home that you are away, which is a great time to break in. So, limit the information you post regarding your location at any point in time.

See https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocrcybersecurity-newsletter-december-2017.pdf for the full HHS OCR list of traveling precautions.

Page 28 The Kol PROGRAM CALENDAR

Wednesday, May 2nd, 7:30 PM, Menorah Park Comparing the Genealogy Giants: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, FindMyPast.com and MyHeritage.com Sunny Morton Sunny Morton is an internationally-known, award-winning writer, editor and speaker on a variety of topics of interest to genealogy enthusiasts. Her voice is heard on the Genealogy Gems Podcast, which has more than 2 million downloads worldwide.

Wednesday, June 6th, 7:30 PM, Menorah Park Accessing Adoption Records Betsie Norris/M. Elliott

Betsie Norris founded Adoption Network Cleveland in 1988. The organization offers programs and services that recognize adoption as a complex, lifelong, and intergenerational journey.

Wednesday, July 11th, 7:30 PM, Menorah Park Creating an Ethical Will Harry Brown

An ethical will is written to transmit values from one generation to the next. The will does not distribute material wealth but may pass on lessons, hopes, and dreams.

Sunday, August 5th, 1:30 pm, Cuyahoga County Archives Field Trip: Cuyahoga County Archives Judy Cetina

The Cuyahoga County Archives have recently moved from its home in the mansion on Franklin to 3951 Perkins Avenue in Cleveland. Come tour the Archives’ new home and learn more about its holdings.

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Jewish Orphan Asylum, Cleveland, 1900s. (Western Reserve Historical Society)

Wednesday, September 5th, 7:30 PM, Menorah Park What Killed Grandma Mark Jamba

Wednesday, October 10th, 7:30 PM, Menorah Park Our Eastern European Roots: We Are What Our Ancestors Ate Amy Wachs

Sunday, November 11th, 1:30 PM, Siegal Lifelong Learning Two DNA Sessions with Lara Diamond

Sunday, December 2nd, 1:30 PM, Park Synagogue East Recap, Conference, International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies Board Elections

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

OHIO DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS Jenni Salamon, Coordinator, Ohio Digital Newspaper Program, Ohio History Connection June 2nd, 12-3 pm, sponsored by WRHS Genealogical Committee, Cleveland History Center, Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Boulevard Salamon will discuss her project highlighting Chronicling America. The Ohio History Connec- tion's Archives/Library at the Ohio History Center in Columbus contains the largest collection of Ohio newspapers in existence. The newspaper holdings contain newspapers published from 1793 to present, 4,500 titles, 20,000 volumes, and over 50,000 rolls of microfilm of Ohio titles. This is a free event, but due to limited space registration is required. To register, email Kathryn at [email protected] or visit www.wrhs.org.

GESHER GALICIA DATABASES Almost 4,000 new indexes of vital Jewish records from Tarnopol have been uploaded to the All Galicia Database. To search the database, https://search.geshergalicia.org/.

JDC JERUSALEM COLLECTION

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has placed its Jerusalem 1944-1952 collection online. The collection focuses on the JDC's relief operations in Israel, the Middle East and Balkans. The JDC Middle East office provided assistance to communities and individuals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and more.

The records include information on partnerships JDC had with Jewish communities worldwide. Records in the Jerusalem collection include: lists of Jews found in Vilna, Rovno and Kiev, the first recipients of post-war supplies in early 1945; reports, correspondence, and appeals for help from Jewish communities in Muslim countries, which shed light on conditions in remote areas; various correspondence regarding Cyprus, concert programs in Cyprus, responsa written by Israel's chief rabbis on religious observance during Operation Magic Carpet; and more. Go to: https://tinyurl.com/ya97rg6o

FIND A TRANSLATOR

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research maintains a list of translators working in Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish, Russian, and other languages. These translators, listed at https://yivo.org/Translators- List, can handle the handwritten postcards and letters in many family collections. Spring 2018 Page 31

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ISRAEL GENEALOGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION From Elena Biegel Bazes, IGRA Publicity Chairperson: In honor of Israel’s 70th year of Inde- pendence, IGRA presents 70 databases representing a portion of the material we have available from 1948 on that may help you find information about ancestors who lived in Israel during the formative years of the State. Our databases include a wide variety of records including occupations, candidates for office, delegates, council members, immigration and telephone directories. Go to the following preview to view information regarding these databases: https://www.slideshare.net/igra3/yom-atzmaut-2018-independence-day? utm_source=slideshow02&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=share_slideshow [MOD. NOTE: shortened URL - https://goo.gl/aQo8qb ]

MYHERITAGE NEW RECORDS

MyHeritage.com has added over 27 million new records, including New York City marriage li- censes, church records from Denmark, and, newspapers from Kentucky and West Virginia, https://blog.myheritage.com/2018/03/new-historical-records-added-in-march-2018/.

MEMBERHSHIP Membership is by calendar year. Annual Single Membership is $25; Annual Family Membership is $35. Membership form available at www.clevelandjgs.org.

Send 2018 dues check and completed form to JGS of Cleveland c/o Mrs. Marilyn Baskin 32850 Jackson Road Moreland Hills, OH 44022

To contact the President or to send a query, e-mail www.clevelandjgs.org/ [email protected] or send snail mail to: and on Facebook, too! Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland c/o Menorah Park 27100 Cedar Rd. Beachwood, OH 44122

To contact other officers, go to our website and click on their e- mail addresses.