1 NEWSLETTER OF THE WORLDWIDE CONGREGATION CHARLAPNAHYA Vol. 16, No. 3 Kislev 5766; Dec. 2005 A PARCZEWSKI UPDATE The ancestor of the Mankuta and Parczewski branches ofour family was Michel (5073,Pl. 3) ben Kalman ( 13 954). Kalman was a brother of David Charlap (4082), progenitor of the modem Charlaps, Sers, Lapins, and Budovitches. Michel was born about 17 40 in Lomza Guberniya, Poland. Before Thomas Jefferson penned the American Declaration of Independence, Michel sired a son Beryl (3084,Pl.208) who married a cousin from the proto-Mankuta group. Beryl's wife presented him with at least two sons, Yosef (3086) and Elias Hersch (3087), both of whom assumed the surname Parczewski. Our research had long ago yielded quite a trove of information about Elias' descendants. These include his granddaughter Shayna (671) who married Mattis Leml Kur (672),his grandson Yosef (5104) who changed the family name to Wilk, and his great-granddaughter Yehudis (1785) who married Kalman Mankuta (1787). Ancilla To Toledot Charlap lists the names of only three children of Elias' brother Y osef. Subsequent to publication, we learned that Yosef had seven children but we knew little else about them. Recent communication with Rima Phillips ( 193 8 9 ,Pl. 4 25) of Port Townsend, Washington has filled in many of the gaps. Rima presented us with a database generated by Steve Rosenwasser (16869,Pl.352). We had spoken with Steve many years ago but had long since lost contact. Apparently, he built on the information we had provided and developed a tree for his branch of the family. To date this has resulted in close to 700 new names on our master family tree and we expect it to continue growing. Y osef ben Beryl Parczewski was the father of Tuvia (3090), born about 1826 in Lubowicz, about seven miles north of Ciechanowiec. On Dec. 16, 1846 he married Shayna Sosia (3091) who could well have been his cousin. Their oldest daughter, Faiga Leah (3092), born in Ciechanowiec, married Yitzhak David Kukova (16962) and gave rise to a large family. Other than their names, Chaya (3093) and Cyrka (3094), little is known about the next two daughters of Tuvia and Shayna. The fourth daughter Pearl (16958) married Yaakov Leib Simon (16963) who most likely came from the same family as Velvel Simon (1872,Pl.215). Velvelhadmarried Sarah (1864), daughter ofYankel Mankuta (1855) and Rachel Leah Tama (1852). The fifth daughter of Tuvia and Shayna was Dvora (16959), born in 1858 in Lomza Guberniya and who arrived at the Port of New York in 1903. She and her husband, Louis Dorfinan (16964), born in Wyszonki not far from Ciechanowiec, lived on Brook Avenue in a poor section of the Bronx. Tuvia's first son was born a year after Dvora. He was an immigrant to the USA in 1895. Changing his name to Frank Greenberg, he first settled in Chicago and then moved to Beaumont, Texas where he operated the Guarantee Shoe Store. Married twice, Frank was known as "The Old Horse." His younger brother Barnet "Red" Greenberg arrived in the USA a year later. With a few exceptions, most of the descendants of Tuvia Parczewski moved to Texas. They were concentrated in Beaumont, Houston, (continued on page 2) 2 THE DON-YECHIYA - LEVIN FAMILY Ph.D., is active in the Latvia Special Interest Group and has by Dr. Zeeva Levy (11869,Pl.l 79) collaborated in setting up a Ludza, Latvia Shtetlinks page with Chaim Freedman· (13053,Pl.204), Paul ·Cheifitz, Yosef Aharon Halevi Levin ( 11820), my grandfather, Elizabeth Reinhart (12737,Pl.195), and Robert Heyman. was the son of Slova Don Yechiya (11663) and Itzhak Levin Chaim and Elizabeth are also on our family tree. Paul, who (11669). To my surprise, about 15 years ago, a reputable lives in Capetown, South Africa, leads the Shereshevsky genealogist told about a sibling of my great-grandfather who genealogy effort. That family has ties with the Charlaps and had lived in Kineret [Israel]. He was absolutely sure that the Lapins and we are trying to define the exact relationships. man named Naftali Yaacov Halevi Levin (12691,Pl.194), son Zeeva lives in Tel Aviv with her husband Dr. Baruch Levy. of David Shmuel (12679), was a brother of my great­ With regard to Zeeva 's findings, we would add the following: grandfather. I had known the man since childhood. However, Census records from Eastern Europe are useful indicators I never knew about this relationship. but are often carelessly prepared and are replete with errors. The relation between my great-grandmother Slova and For example, the 1895 record for Itzhak Levin lists his wife the other Don Y echiya families was not certain. It was based on as Slova Chaimova, or Slova daughter of Chaim. This is a childhood recollection that Shabtai Don Y echiya was a either a mistake or the record refers to a different Itzhak and second cousin of mother (According to this memory, Slova and Slova. That is entirely possible as Levin is one of the most Eliezer Don Yechiya were siblings). Getting the three family common Jewish names and all the given names were also trees and Arthur Menton's book -(The Book of Destiny: very common at that time. Our Slova was the daughter of Toledot Charlap ), lent credibility to this, as well as for Naftali Shabtai Don Yechiya (11519). Her grandfather was Chaim Yaacov being a sibling to my great-grandfather. Nevertheless, Don Yechiya (11510). Likewise, the 1874 census record is both proved untrue. In a scarce prenumerantum page to either mistaken or refers to a different ltzhakLevin. ltzhak's Likutei Megadim, the author Ben Zion Don Yechiya writes, father is therein listed as Aharon Elyovitz which translates "Yosef Aharon Halevi Levin from Hadera, son of Slova Don Aharon son ofElyo (Elia or Eliyahu). Our traditional tree, Y echiya, a sister of my grandfather ..." Hence, Shabtai Don which has been documented through several sources lists Yechiya (11894) is a second cousin once removed from my ltzhak Eliyahu son of David Shmuel son of Yaacov Halevi mother. Levin. Shabtai (11894,Pl.181) is son ofBen Zion (11872) ben Attaining two census sheets, assured that my great­ Eliezer Don Yechiya. Eliezer was Slova 's brother. Slova was grandfather and "the old man from Kineret" were not brothers. the grandmother of Zeeva 's mother Sarah (11823). That The 1895 census sheet recorded Itzhak Aharonovitz Levin and makes Sarah and Shabtai second cousins. Another Shabtai his wife Slova Chaimova. The 1874 census recorded Itzhak (Katz) (11928,Pl.180) is also a grandson of Eliezer Don Aharonovitz Levin son of Aharon Elyovitz, already deceased. Yechiya and hence second cousin ofSarah Levin. Both censuses agreed: great-great-grandfather is Aharon and ************************************************* not David Shmuel. PARCZEWSKI UPDATE (cont.) . While visiting Lutzin (Ludza) cemetery, I found the gravestone of great-grandfather Yitzhak Eliyahu son of Galveston, and Orange. The family operated a company known Aharon. as the Fair Stores which had branches in several towns. Beaumont, Texas had the biggest concentration of the family. This piece is extracted from a much larger scholarly Indeed, Beaumont had a substantial Jewish community. Among article by Zeeva Levy entitled, "The Revival of the Jewish its most famous sons was the great trumpet player Harry State -A Story of a Family. "Zeeva, who has an earned James, who achieved fame with fellow Jew Benny Goodman, (cont. next column) known as the "King of Swing." The Goodman band's brass ************************************************* section also featured another great Jewish· trumpeter named B'RAYSHIT: THE NEWSLETTER OF Ziggy Elman, who introduced Americans to klezmer music CONGREGATION CHARLAPNAHYA is published 3 to with his big hit "And the Angels Sing." When Harry James left 4 times per year. We encourage submittal of news items, Goodman to start his own band, he became enormously essays, poems, and historical articles. Correspondence should successful. Much of that success was due to his female vocalist be directed to: Jewish Helen Forrest who was succeeded by another Jewish Arthur F. Menton, Editor maiden Kitty Kallen. As an aside, Harry James gave a skinny P.O. Box 108 kid singer from Hoboken, New Jersey his start in the music Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 11-724 world. His name: Frank Sinatra. At this point, we have not Tel. and Fax: (631)754-1742 connected Sinatra or James to our family. But we would bet e-mail: [email protected] that Harry's parents purchased his Bar mitzvah suit at the Fair Copyright @ 2005 Store in Beaumont. 3 A RECOLLECTION OF RUTH SAPIN HURWITZ by Leo W. Schwarz This is a continuation of the article that was started in the previous issue o/Brayshit (vol. 16, no. 2). Ruth Sapin Hurwitz (4041,Pl. 15) was born in Scottsburg, Indiana on Dec. 1, 1888 and died in June 1961. In 1917 she wed Henry Hurwitz (4049), founder of the Menorah Movement at Harvard. Ruth was one of11 children ofJacob Sapinsky (4023) andMinnie (Dinah) Charlap (4019) who had left Lithuania and settled in New Albany, Indiana. Her grandfather was Yosef Ze 'ev Charlap (3159, Pl.4) ofMariampol, a mathematician, astronomer, and rabbinic scholar. Ruth's son David Lyon Hurwitz (4062) has been a frequent contributor to Brayshit These remarks were recorded at an Evening ofRemembrance, Oct. 20, 1961. Leo W Schwarz was a distinguished scholar, writer, and editor. Among his books are: The Jewish Caravan, Where Hope Lies, Memoirs of My People, and Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People. One day I was illustrating an allusion in a Hasidic story with some reproductions of Chagall in the Menorah Journal.