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Genealogy We who deal with genealogy wander into sundry places,
activities, and happenings related directly or indirectly to the act of
history making. In turn, we receive family feedback from close quarters, and
history provides an additional facet which enables us to understand facts in
a personal light as though we ourselves are participating in those events.
Through genealogical research we are able to sense the ambiance of the events
that accompanied our ancestors. Is this encouraging or does it evoke sad
thoughts? The truth is subjective. The answer lies within each individual. You can read about this and more in my books: Well Remembered Chaikins From Prussia With Love To Berlin And Eretz Yisrael I am distributing these two books myself, and their price
involves no financial profit: only $18 (per book) to cover their costs, plus
shipping from Jerusalem, Israel. Below are a few documents and photos from these two books. |
From Prussia With Love To Berlin and
Eretz Yisrael
1850, from the 'circumcision book'
written by Rabbi Aaron Lazarus |
The circumcision of the grandson of the late Rabbi Abraham
Wreschner, which took place a few
months after the rabbi's death. The boy, son of Morenu Michael and Rosa
(Wreschner) Arnheim, was named for his grandfather, Abraham. |
Certificate given to Sally Loszynski,
which reads This is a certificate of recognition
of Sally Loszynski by the Ostbund |
After WWI, a patriotic feelings increased among members of
families who immigrated to Berlin from Posen, which had passed into Polish
hands. The Ostbund was an
organization likely intended to keep alive the memory of the Eastern part of
Germany that was lost after WWI. It shows several towns or provincial shields
and recognizes S.L. for long and faithful membership and service in the
organization. This document bears no date. The words above the representation
of a knight read Lord, make us free.
The award is named Pin of Faith. It
was probably a fairly conservative (or even right-wing) organization,
designed to keep alive the hope of the return of the "lost land." |
Abraham Loszynski's house in Rogasen |
Paul Peretz Loszynski, a soldier in the Prussian army, is
peering through the second floor window. |
The big market, Rogasen |
Abraham Loszynski III's house is the third from the right. |
My family's synagogue in Rogasen |
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Abraham Loszynski III in front of his
factory in Berlin |
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Paul Peretz Loszynski (standing on the
right) |
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Dear Mr Cain, Thank you very much indeed for the copy of your book, which I received today, 5th March. Congratulations on such a great achievement and on such an important contribution to commemorating so many individuals and families whose stories would not otherwise have reached a wider audience. Your book is also a moving and poignant reminder of the tragedy of German-Jewish history. In documenting the lives and experiences of the ordinary people of Posen you have helped to chronicle and immortalise a vanished civilisation. I wish to thank you especially for giving me the opportunity to contribute some of my own family's history to your book and in this way to honour them. I hope that you will have many happy memories of this 'labour of love', and I hope that you will feel inspired to continue it in future publications. Yours sincerely, Stephen Braun |
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To Gersig members: I have recently received a copy of a book edited by Udi Cain, a member of this group, called "From Prussia with Love." This is a history of his family, many members of which came from Posen, and later, Berlin, and other parts of Germany. What makes it interesting and valuable is that it contains a number of chapters on towns in Posen, translated from the books by Heppner-Herzberg on the history of the Jews of Posen: "Aus der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart der Juden und der jued. Gemeinden in den Posener Landen" (From the past and the present of the Jews and Jewish communities in the land of Posen). This extremely valuable history was assemble at the end of the 19th century and updated several time before WWI. To my knowledge, it has never been fully translated, and even here, only articles about some of the town histories are translated. These include: Filehne, Graetz, Jaratschewo, Kempen, Kurnik, Obornik, Rawitsch, Rogasen,Schneidemuehl, Schocken, Schrimm, Zerkow. The articles include histories, names of rabbis, and teachers, and other prominent members of the congregations, as well as financial data and social and religious organizations, military service, etc. The book also includes translations of articles by other late 19th century and early 20est century writers and historians about Lissa, Rogasen, and Schrimm, as well as general information about the lives of our ancestors during the period from the 16th to the 20est centuries. My own interest comes from the fact that most of my ancestors come from these towns and many are mentioned. There are also extensive footnotes that lead to more information. I thought that there may be many members of this group who would like to see it. [Professor] Werner Zimmt |
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Well Remembered
Chaikins
The writing on back of the next photo, by
Zvi Wolodarsky |
This card was sent from
Yekaterinoslav to his uncle (my great grandfather) in London. |
Sima (Chaikin) Wolodarsky, her husband
and their son Zvi, 1904 |
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Udi and Joel Meir Chaikin. JM Chaikin was my grandfather's grandfather,
he lived in Jaffa until 1898 |
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Sarah (Chaikin) Aaronson's 100
anniversary 1988 |
Here, I am
reading the Queen's letter to her. My great aunt Sarah (1888 – 1989)
was born in the old city of Jerusalem, and died in London. |
Rabbi Kook, a picture from Dr. Homa's
book |
Kook was
chief rabbi of Jaffa in the beginning of the 20th century, when my family
members were living there. He came to London during WWI and lived in the home
of my great grandfather (Menachem Mendel Chaikin) between 1916 and 1919. |
Pauline Wolodarsky with her cousins,
Sarah and Zvi Chaikin (my grandfather), London 1908 |
Romema, with Nordau Square, is located at the western entrance to Jerusalem, between Sheikh Bader and Lifta, close to Giv'at Ram. Pharaoh 'Mer Niftech' left a record of having come that far; Mei Neftoach (formerly Lifta) is named after him. Nebi Samuel (the Crusaders "Mount of Joy") can be seen to the North, the British water tower from above, and the site of the camp of the 10th Roman Legion lies to the south. Thirteen Jewish families, including that of my great grandfather, founded the quarter in 1921. The hill of Romema is where Jerusalem was surrendered to the British by the Turks in December 1917, and there is a monument there erected to the memory of the fallen of a particular British Battalion. The monument bears motifs reminiscent of the Crusader knights. Menachem Mendel Chaikin was one of the founders of the quarter, the streets of which were named after newspapers of the period, as 'Ha-Or', 'Ariel', 'Ha-Zvi', and so on. MMC arrived in Hebron in 1881. He married Chana Salasnik (born in Hebron) in 1886, and they lived in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. He then bought a house in Mea She'arim, where my grandfather was born. He went to London in 1893, where he established his wine business. Thereafter, he returned to Jerusalem. He bought a winery in Petach Tikvah and named the business 'Kormei Ha-Tikvah'. He formed a close relationship with the 'mukhtar' (headman) of Upper Lifta, where he bought land with the rest of the founders to build Romema. That is where my father grew up and that was my childhood surrounding. MMC lived in Romema till his death in 1948, a year before I was born. The idea of founding the quarter was the inspiration of Yom-tov Hamon, who served as a magistrate in Jerusalem from 1908, during the Ottoman rule. When, in 1918, the case of a conflict over land was brought before him between the mukhtars of Sheikh Bader and Upper Lifta, he saw the significance of erecting a Jewish neighborhood near the entrance to the city. |
Romema, The memorial of the British
soldiers who gave their life in the conquering Israel |
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Hamon's house in Romema |
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Y.T. Hamon |
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Menachem Mendel Chaikin 1896 |
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The Chaikins, London 1906 |
From right to left: |
The architect Benjamin, son of M.A.
Chaikin |
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The National library building on Mount
Scopus, designed by Benjamin Chaikin |
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Prof' Avigdor Cherikover, son of Hanna
Chaikin (sister of M.A. Chaikin). He wrote about the Hellenistic history,
and was the dean of the history department of the Hebrew university on Mount
Scopus, Jerusalem. |
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Udi and his friend Shlomo Baum (1929-1999) |
Shlomo Baum was one of the greatest fighters in Israel's modern history, participating in all of its wars in the period before the War of Liberation, and up to the Yom Kippur War. He was a great educator and dear friend whom I shall always miss. |
Udi
Cain (Ehud Chaikin) chaikin49@gmail.com