TOLEDOT II the Jou~Nal Og Jeruish Genealogy
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TOLEDOT II the jou~nal og jeruish genealogy IN THIS ISSUE TO OUR READERS A READER WRITES JEWISH GENEALOGY WITHOUT "JEWISH" SOURCES JuM E. Enddmcuz 3 JEWISH GENEALOGY COURSE WORLD WAR I SELECTIVE SERVICE RECORDS NEW SOURCE FOR LATVTAN AND ESTHONIAN JEWS THE JEWISH FAMILY FINDER LANDSMANSHAFTN AND THE JEWISH GENEALOGIST Zacharty M. Bahm 10 POST-I900 CENSUS RECORDS ILLL1STRATION: BIRTH REGISTER, BISCHOFSHEIM, GERMANY GERMAN JEWISH RECORDS AT THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH JEWISH NAMES : 2UESTIONS AND ANSWERS Benzion C. Kaganodd 26 II VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1 SUMMER 1978 TOLEDOT: THE JOURNAL OF JEWISH GENEALOGY ToRedot is the Hebrew word for "genealogy" comes in the night, dressed as my ancestor: "Nu. of the Jews, if for a few moments I lose my Jew- or "g'enerations ." So what have you done already, Miss Big Shot? ish guilt and feelings of marginality (or should 808 West End Avenue, Suite 1006 ToRedot disclaims responsibility for errors Better you should tell your friends about me .I1) I say my Am&can-Jewish feelings of guilt and New York, NY 10025 of fact or opinion made by contributors but does In an incredibly short time I have traced marginality), then whom have I hurt? strive for maximum accuracy. my "rabbinical" line back to about 1750. It hap- Finally, the whole tone of the editorial is Arthur Kurzweil Steven W. Siege1 Interested persons are invited to submit pens that there are many more references, biog- flatly patronizing and authoritative. Your sub- Edi;totr Edi;toh articles to be considered for publication in raphies, and records for rabbis than for - say scribers are not the junior high school students Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Lisa Kurzweil Toledot. Manuscripts will not be returned shoemakers. And while I am equally curious about whom you lectured recently, and even in their Conthibdng Edi;toh Ah.t Duignq unless a stamped selF2addressed envelope is my shoemaker ancestors, and feel no disrespect case, I do not think you do young people a serv- included. toward them, I have less luck arousing much ice with such messages. The world will not come Subscriptions: $8.00 for one year (four issues) Contributors of articles accepted for genealogical interest in their descendants. In to an end if a Jew indulges occasionally in spon- or $14.00 for two years (eight issues) in publication will receive ten free copies of contrast, I have received much information and taneous and immediate feelings of pride in his the U.S.. and Canada and by surface mail the issue in which the article appears. cooperation from relatives whom I have located ancestry, or any other inner experience which overseas. $15.00 per year for foreign on the rabbinical line. I suspect this is be- comes naturally through genealogical discovery. air mail delivery. ToLedot is indexed in C~~lteM;tContena2/Social E cause they had a vague feeling passed on to them To equate these spontaneous feelings with ill- Behaviohae Sciencu , Social Sciencu Citdon that there was something special in their past, will toward others, indeed to mention them in @ Toledot Press 1978 ISSN 0146-9568 Index, and Genealogical Pehlodicd Annuat Index. even if the exact historical connections and the same breath as the Nazi horror, is not only proofs are no longer known. In contrast to the ridiculous, but quite unfair. skilled tradesmen, who often rose quickly in this Mdene Sfiveman BACK ISSUES OF TOLEDOT ARE IF YOU MOVE - please send us your new address. country through industry, members of this family 36 16 Connec2Lcu-t Awe. NW We are not responsible for non-receipt of an issue tended to see themselves as taking a few steps Wc&ington, VC 20008 AVAILABLE AT $2.50 APIECE. if we have an incorrect mailing address on file. down by coming here. (One family matriarch around the turn of this century complained often, EDITOR'S REPLY: "In Europe we were like kings," referring not to Ms. Silverman missed the point. If she wealth, but to community status.) would carefully reread our remarks, she would 70 OUR It is the challenge that finding these his- see that we did not equate excessive pride in We would like to begin by congratulating In addition, we have brought you book re- torical connections presents, and the reinforce- illustrious ancestry with the Nazi "interest" both you and ourselves on our first year's anni- views, new and valuable sources for research, a ment provided by the active interest of others, in Jewish genealogy. The two are quite differ- versary as a publication. ToRedot continues to regular feature on Jewish names by the field's which lead me to concentrate on this particular ent, but are nevertheless still similar in one grow in readership and (we hope) in quality. leading expert, and much more. Also of note is family, not one-upsmanship. First, it offers the way: both abuse Jewish genealogy. In other Response to our publication has been excellent "The Jewish Family Finder." We have heard of quickest way, genealogically speaking, to plunge words, we stand by our observation that far too and it is heartwarming to know that we are con- its effectiveness from several readers and its deeply into Jewish history. But perhaps more many times are we approached by those who boast tributing to successful Jewish genealogical re- popularity can be seen simply by the increasing important, those of our ancestors who were active about their famous ancestors. As the Talmud search for many people. Thanks for your con- number of 'requests in each issue. in religious life and community affairs invaria- says, "God prefers your deeds to your ancestors1 tinued support! Many of our articles and notes have come bly mirror to a greater extent than others the virtues.abuse. Obviously the Rabbis also noted this As we look back on our first year, we note from you, our readers, and we would like to en- essence of Jewish life in their times. The at- with pleasure that we have brought to you a large courage you to continue to be in touch with us tempt to know them and their world offers greater One last thing: Ms. Silverman writes of variety of material of potential use to you as in the form of letters to the editors, items of possibilities for understanding the Jewish spirit "the intellectual superiority" of the .Jews and family historians. Of special note is our cata- interest, and articles for publication. than would the study of everyday life of more even underlines it with a "(Yes!) .I1 We abhor log of the Jewish material at the Mormon Genea- We continue to develop exciting ideas for ordinary folk (among whom I include the vast ma- this comment, find it racist, and must conclude logical Library. This issue continues that cata- future issues and we look forward, as we hope jority bf my own ancestors). If in the process that anyone who makes such a comment could cer- log with the German Jewish records in their you do, to a long relationship based on our of these discoveries I happen to identify tempo- tainly not be included in the remark. collection . common interests. rarily with the intellectual superiority (Yes!) A REAVE 3EWTSf-l GENEALOGY WITH OU7 "3EWTSff1' SOURCES : ONE RESEARCHER 'S EXPER1ENCE Those of us who have found a few rabbis in (after the way the Nazis used it) is "excessive our past can thank the editors of ToRedot for re- pride" in illustrious ancestors. If I find that Judith E. Endelman minding us that Jews should not indulge in spon- I am descended from the Baal Shem Tov, the edi- taneous and uncomplicated feelings of pride. tors caution, my first reaction should not be In December 1976, the decomposed body of pected that he left an estate worth approximate- For the past several months I have been pride, but rather a question. (What else would Earle Nevig*, age eighty-six, was found at his ly one million dollars. reading about the world of the Polish rabbis, a Jew do first but ask a question?) And that is, home in Queens, New York City, amidst piles of The deceased was a member of a German-Jew- largely on the stimulus of a legend in one line "Do I live up to his good name?" newspapers, magazines, and assorted rubbish. A ish family that came to America in the 1840s. of my family about descent from the Vilna Gaon. How grim. I never stopped to ask myself, loner and recluse, Nevig had lain dead for sev- Solomon Nevig, Earle Nevig's great-grandfather, While this may indeed turn out to be false, I "But do I duawe the Vilna Gaon?" The editorial eral weeks before his body was discovered. and Solomon's sons, Samuel and Raphael, had left have learned a lot in the process and have expe- goes on to make connections between feelings of Neighbors familiar with the bizarre living hab- Bavaria along with thousands of other Jews from rienced a more genuinely motivated interest in pride in rabbinical lineage and all sorts of de- its of this octogenarian would never have sus- southern Germany. Like so many German Jews who Jewish history than that which others had pre- plorable things, including snobbery and preju- came during the migratton of that decade, they viously tried to instill in me. dice, if not outright ill-will toward others not *All family names used in this article are pseu- initially made their living as peddlers, settling . But now I feel so guilty. I had no idea I similarly descended. The spector is raised of a donyms.