Some mysteries remain ...
Marriage certificates of four of the Pomerantz children list Chana Raisel’s maiden name as “DUBINER” (with some spelling variations) but Chana Raisel’s death certificate (completed by David?) clearly shows her father as SCHOLEM FRIEDMAN and her mother as BELLA LEVINE. Rosie’s tombstone states she is the daughter of SCHOLEM but does not give Scholem's last name. So we have noted her last name is DUBINER but ... it might be FRIEDMAN!
And some mysteries are resolved ...
For the longest time we wondered, who are the FRIEDMAN's? Immigration records show Pauline SAFER’s US contact as her brother-in-law (???) J. FRIEDMAN on E. 59th St. In 1910; her cousins, the BLINDERMAN’s, list their US contact as Abraham (Avrum Mendel) FRIEDMAN on 115 Broome St. and later on Madison St.
It turns out that Chaia-Sarah SAFER's eldest daughter from her first marriage, Chana BERESNIAK, married Abraham FRIEDMAN (aka Avrum Mendel). It seems that Avrum Mendel had at least two brothers - Selig FRIEDMAN and Hyman FRIEDMAN. Chana and my grandmother were cousins, close in age. While my grandmother, Pauline SAFER, is listed as going to J. FRIEDMAN she most likely was going to A. FRIEDMAN. I"m not sure why she listed him as her brother-in-law, but clearly they were related.
NOTE: After Chaia-Sarah's first husband, Elya BERESNIAK died, she remarried Herschel BLINDERMAN who was much older than her and had children of his own. This means that Chana was a half-sister to the BLINDERMAN siblings and this must be why they all listed their brother-in-law, Avrum FRIEDMAN, as their contact in the US when they immigrated.
*************************************
Rumor has it that Avram Mendel FRIEDMAN or his brother Hymie FRIEDMAN introduced Nathan POMERANTZ & Pauline SAFER and arranged their 1908 marriage. Hymie FRIEDMAN married Nathan's sister, Jennie POMERANTZ in 1912.
*************************************
MYSTERY SOLVED: The start of the Pomerantz page used to have these ISSUES:
1. Some relatives say the third brother was named Charles rather than Samuel. As his name on his immigration record is Schulem, his marriage and death records say Samuel, and all census records refer to him as Samuel, we have no idea why anyone called him Charles! (NOTE: Perhaps there was another brother named Charles - but we have no record of him.)
2. It is unusual that there would be a fourteen year difference between David and Israel. It is possible Nathan and Beila had one or more daughters (or other sons) but to date, we only know of these sons. Lillian Pomerantz-Friedman and Bert Pomerantz-Fine mentioned there was a Gittle Pomerantz who married an un-related Barney Pomerantz. It is possible Gittle was David, Israel and Samuel's sister but to date we have found no information about her. They claimed Gittle's husband, Barney, was the black-sheep of the family but they never specified his offense. (We have found no record of Barney to date!)
GOOD NEWS! We have found CHARLES!!! And Charles had a son named BARNETT! (...and just to confuse matters, it looks like Barnett changed his name to Charles after his father died!)
*************************************
Henry SPELKE (on the SAFER side) remembered a relative named Sam FRIEDMAN who was a lawyer. He also remembered that Zelig KATZ, an ironworker, fell and injured himself (a true story!).
David KATZ also remembered that Sam FRIEDMAN was both a relative and a lawyer. Sam was Avrum Mendel's eldest son.
DUBINER & RUBIN MYSTERIES
Kissing Joe: Family has said there was a JOE RUBIN and there was also a JOE POMERANTZ. One of them was known as "Kissing Joe" - but which one? We know who Joe RUBIN was, but who was Joe POMERANTZ? Could he have been Yetta POMERANTZ’s brother?
Mystery Sam Dubiner: We know of a Sam Dubiner born 2 MAR 1878 in "Vesoky, Russia" who was naturalized 3 OCT 1916. He immigrated 6 SEPT 1904 on the SS Ryndjam, was married to Beckie Sluchanski and had four daughters, Rose (1910), Sarah (1911), Etta (1913) and Fannie (1914). We are sure he is related, but don't know how!
There are two other Dubiner's who appear to be related ...but we are not sure how:
"Schje Dubiner", age 26, immigrated to Philadelphia 16 MAY 1898 on the SS Pennland. He had $19 and was going to his brother-in-law, D. Pomeranzow in New York. We believe he is a brother of Chana Raisel Dubiner-Pomerantz, Ahron Michal Dubiner and Schraege Feivel Dubiner.
Schulem Dubiner, age 18, was a salesman from Kamenets-Litovsk. He immigrated 26 MAY 1906 and was going to his brother Abram Dubiner at 720 East 5th Street in NYC.
OTHER POMERANTZ MYSTERIES
ANN LYNNE POMERANTZ : We have a birth announcement for an Anne Lynne POMERANTZ born to a Sam Pomerantz on July 25, 1948. They lived at 675 Walton Avenue in the Bronx, NY but we cannot attribute her to any Pomerantz family we know of. However, as Lillian Pomerantz Friedman had her birth announcement, we assume she belongs somewhere in this family! MYSTERY SOLVED!!! --- Ann is the granddaughter of Israel and Ida Pomeranz and Sam Pomeranz (her father) was Israel's eldest son.
THE MINTZ MYSTERY MAY BE SOLVED!!! Supposedly we had a cousin Sam MINTZ who was in the delicatessen business in the Bronx and then moved to a farm in Lakeland or Lakewood, NJ. Sam could be the son of Anna Spelke & Willie Mintz.
Were these people related to us? (This is NOT the Israel Pomerantz who is the brother of David and Samuel.)
This is a photo of an Israel Pomerantz, his wife Feige-Chaia, his mother and his children taken in Kamenets-Litovsk sometime before WWII. It is from the Kamenets-Litovsk Yizkor Book and the caption states they were all murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The page was donated with the following inscription: In Sadness: Mindel Kagen & David Shudroff in America. "May the Lord Avenge their Blood".
Below is a photograph of Schmuel Pomerantz, also killed in the Holocaust and memorialized in the Kamenets-Litovsk Yizkor book. The text says Shmuel was born in Pruzhany and went to Brisk in 1906. He was evacuated during WWI and returned in 1918 working for "the JOINT" distribution committee distributing relief supplies in Eastern Europe. He worked with Jewish self help organizations and was very active in suupporting a local orphanage. He devoted his whole heart to being a community leader, acting as a Gabbai in his synagogue, serving on the Board of the Community Bank and actively seeking attention for needs of the Jewish Community. He took a trip to Israel in 1937 but returned before WWII and was killed in the Holocaust. Could Shmuel be related to us?
SEE ADDITIONAL MYSTERY PHOTOS BELOW !!!
WELLER-ZEMSER FAMILY MYSTERIES
Did Kasril, Jacob, Gussie and Lena WELLER have other siblings that never came to the US? ... We assume whoever remained in Vilna perished in WWII – but who were they? Did any survive? ...
KALMEN WEJLER ... Immigration records show “ Lea Wejler”, age twenty, single from Wilna, traveling with KALMEN WEJLER, single, age twenty-one arrived 23 Mar 1914, on the SS CARMANIA that sailed from Liverpool. Lea (LENA) is listed as Kalman's sister (!!!) and they are headed to their sister "M. Shapanko" in Brooklyn, NY. (Gussie Weller had married Morris Shapanka by 1914.) Lea states that her passage was paid by her sister and Kalmen states he paid his own passage. Lea is listed as having twenty-five dollars. Both could read and write, she is listed as a seamstress and he as a tailor. They list their mother "[?emen] Wejler" as their nearest relative back home. . . . . . So, WHO IS KALMEN? We have found records of a Pesia Weler from Kovno who was killed in the Holocaust. Her parents are listed as Kalmen and Dvora. Could it be that Kalmen returned to Kovno? Was he really Lena, Gussie, Jacob and Kasril's brother?
Moisesville, Argentina: In the late 1890's and early 1900's, many Jews emigrated from the Grodno area to Argentina where they established several Jewish communes. Records show 36 Wellers in Moisesville, Argentina. Who are they and what happened to them?
Frances (Fruma) Weller-Albertson (b.1915) and Frances (Fruma) -Wealer-Cohen (b. 1916) both have the same Yiddish and English names. Who were they named after?
How are we related to the MORO and the BENGIS families? ... And who are the KALISH's? Shirley (Weller) Strassler says we are related to all these families.
Why can’t we find BESSIE ZEMSER’s US immigration records? ... Did Bessie have other siblings that never came to the US? ... ISRAIL STRELETSKY immigrated to the US at age fourteen. He arrived on the 12 Apr 1907. He is listed as traveling with his sister SORE STRELETSKY who was eighteen and a tailoress. They both listed their last residence as Pradir or Pradin (Radin?) and stated they were going to their brother MR. STRELETSKY at 315 Lispenard, NY. They were both of light complexion, he had brown hair and eyes, she had black hair and brown eyes. HOWEVER ... to the best of our knowledge, ISRAEL did not have a sister SARAH. At present,we are speculating that ISRAEL's niece, BESSIE ZEMSER, may have mis-represented herself as SARAH STRELETSKY. Having been denied entry to the US previously due to an eye infection, BESSIE may have returned under an assumed name. As we have not been able to find any record of her entry to the US, and the age and timing are right, we entertain this as a possibility.
Who were JACOB ZEMSER’s family? ... Was JACOB really his name or was it RAFAEL? It is possible he was born JACOB and his name was changed to RAFAEL (to fool the Angel of Death) at some point.
Where in Vilna (or Radin) was the inn the ZEMSER family supposedly owned?
WHO WERE THE ENGELSON's?
The photo below was sent to Gussie (Weller) Shapanka some time after 1964. Gussie's mother was Neche ENGELSON. It is believed some of the ENGELSON's migrated from Europe to Israel prior to WWII.
(Engelson) Miller and her husband - K'far Saba, Israel - April 21, 1964
The back of the photo above:
Transliteration:
tsum andenkung fun unze libe tokhter fun kibuts far unzer oysgezukhte kusine (oysgesukhte; litt Gitl un ir man) far Engeltsen (Miller) un ir man Ozer Miller K'far Saba 21/4.1964
TRANSLATION: In memory of our dear daughter Nili from kibbutz, for our favorite cousin Gitl and her husband --- from Fruma Engeltsen (Miller) and her husband, Ozer Miller - K'far Saba - April 21, 1964
NOTES written on the card: "Cousin has a store from hand painting pictures - Tel Aviv?" ; "Aunts uncles name Velvel - his children"; "Vilna gabernia - stetle is Nemitzen"; "Engelson is name (female) working as telephone operator - lived in kibbutz"
I don't believe the translation "in memory of" means Nili had passed away, but rather, "here's a picture of our daughter for you to remember her by".
To date we have not been able to track down the ENGELSON's in Israel.
WELLER FAMILY PHOTO ISSUES:
We have two photos of SHIMON WELLER's family taken after he died. We believe the date of this first photo to be around 1910. The woman in the middle of the first photo is NECHE (ENGELSON) WELLER.
One of the children in the photo BELOW (taken in the 1930's) was the same age as Rosalyn (Donsky) Lyons, who was born in 1926. Rosalyn reports corresponding with her cousins in Vilna in 1939, just before the war broke out. They were never heard from again.
We believe the woman in the center of the photo below was one of Neche's daughters and is the same woman holding the baby in the photo above.
And finally ... who are the people in the next photo? ... Rosalyn Lyons says this was mailed to her mother, LENA (WELLER) DONSKY. The back says: "Sister and Brother-in-law."
Other Non-Identified Photos
The child on the right is Shirley Levine.
MYSTERY SOLVED
Norma Cavey says the baby on the left is her father, Elya Beresniak, about 1910 or 1911.
MYSTERY SOLVED!
The Photo on the Left: ... We thought this photo was taken about 1891-1892 and that it was a photo of Rosie Pomerantz and four of her children - Nathan, Fannie, Jennie and Frieda. (Her youngest two childern, Sarah and Sam had not yet been born.) Our thinking was that this photo may have been taken as a memento for David to take with him on his 1892 trip to America.
HOWEVER ... Norma Cavey has told us the photo on the left is Chaya-Sarah SAFER-BERESNIAK-BLINDERMAN and her children: back - Runya (Rose) and Yossel (Joe), front - Rachel and Henya (Anna) Blinderman. The photo was more likely a memento for Chaya-Sarah's daughter Celia to take with her when she immigrated to the US in 1910.
We surmise Norma is correct - in part becuase the body language and shirt of the boy in the photo on the left is NOT my grandfather Nathan Pomerantz!
The Photo on the Right: Who are these people?
Who is this little girl?
MYSTERY SOLVED!
We asked "Who is this dapper gent?" and got the answer, "this is Zelig Safer!"
MYSTERY SOLVED ... thanks to Norma Cavey!
Louis & Rose BERESNICK with their sons Eli Alex (aka Elya) and Nathan circa 1914, NYC. (NOTE: Nathan died at age 2.)
Chaia Sarah SAFER married Elya BERESNICK and had at least two children before Elya died. Louis (Leibl), her eldest son, married Rose (Pesche Raisel) EPSTEIN. After Elya's death, Chaia Sarah remarried Herschel Blinderman and had five more children.
Louis named his first son Elya after his father. (Elya was Norma's father.)
Who is this pensive lad?
Do you know these people? This was dated 1922.
This seems to be a HS graduate. But who is she?
Both of my grandmother's are in this photo (Bessie Weller and Pauline Pomerantz)... but who are the rest of the people?
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Kartuz – Breze Yizkor Book (1993)
Names of those who died from the Kartuz-Breze Ghetto ( p. 213 -235)
Compiled and Translated by Ellen Sadove Renck - Yizkor Transliterator, Jay Lenefsky & Steve Morse
Here is a list of people that is derived from the Kartuz Breze Yizkor Book. The list consists of about 2200 people out of 4500. Users should be advised that spelling is arbitrary -- transliterated from the Hebrew based on what "looked right," so different spellings of a sought surname should be tried based on soundex-interchangable letters and letter combinations. For example, "p" for "f" , "oh" "eh" "for "a" , "v" for "b" any vowel for any vowel, etc. Names beginning with aleph in Hebrew can begin with any vowel in English transliteration.
From the Kartuz Breze Book -- A (paraphrased) Preface to the Following List
About 4500 Jews lived in Kartuz Breze and its surroundings on the eve of the second world war. Just about all of them died in the holocaust.
We brought here the details of about 2500 men, women and children, residents of our town. In most cases the peoples’ full name, where they lived in the town and even family relations were noted. In many cases we brought only the family relation because even though the editors made a collective effort as well as the rest of the former residents of Kartuz Breze, we weren't able to remember their names.
The list of survivors and the list of those who fell fighting are noted further on bringing a total of about 100 names. Thus we are missing a lot of more names altogether from the "Yizkor" list.
The editors and the former residents of Kartuz Breze who are alive today, made every effort to find out the missing names. To our great dismay we weren't able to add more names to the list. It has to be remembered that after 50 and sometimes more years, it isn't possible to remember each and every name. Just so, is it with the pictures that appear in the book. We weren't in many cases able to identify the people. Even though they were in front of us.....
Thus about 2500 names alone are listed in the following lists. But we mourn over 4500 of our brothers, sisters, parents, relatives, neighbors and just simple Jews who were annihilated from this world, just because they were Jews. May our Lord remember them for the better along with the other righteous of the world, and take revenge on the spilled blood of your servants!
Surname |
First Names |
Where they lived in Bereza |
Number in Family |
Remarks |
|
Dubinski |
Ester (widow), 3 sons: Moshe, Pinchas, and Tzvi , 2 daughters: Fruma and Breina |
Olner - daughter of Yosha the Coach owner |
6 |
store |
|
Friedman |
Alter (his children), daughter Ester, daughter Sheprintza, daughter Sulki, son Shmuel |
3 May St. |
4 |
|
|
Friedman |
Avraham and wife and daughter Leah and her husband and daughter of Leah |
End of Shasay next to Bridge #2 |
5 |
|
|
Friedman |
David (Bolshevik) and wife Reizel, daughters: Cherna, Sheindel, Ester; sons: Shmuel, Shimon, Naftali, Moshe, Avraham; Chaim Aryeh and his wife Feigel and their Berel |
3 May St. |
14 |
Builder of wooden houses |
|
Friedman |
David (son of Yosef Reuben) wife Mikhla and 4 daughters and a son |
Shatz St. |
7 |
|
|
Friedman |
Fridel widow and son |
Pruzany St. across from Bilitzik |
2 |
Glazier |
|
Friedman |
Hershel, wife Blumka (daughter of Modish Galprin) and 2 sons |
Shasay; lived in Chaya Etel Bilistzik's home |
4 |
Fixed bicycles |
|
Friedman |
Icheh and wife and 2 daughters |
Market Place across from Serlin |
4 |
Icheh ch=chair |
|
Friedman |
Michael and wife, daughter Otka, daughter Rakhel, and daughter Tzipora |
Shasay near the post office |
5 |
son of Yosef Reuben |
|
Friedman |
Moshe (son of Yosef) and wife (daughter of Benyamin Kobrin) |
Market place; lived with Kobrin |
2 |
Blacksmith |
|
Friedman |
Nakhman and wife, daughter Zlatka, daughter Feigel, daughter Chana, daughter Henia, son Yosef |
|
7 |
|
|
Friedman |
Nakhum-Iche widower and daughter Sheindel, |
Beit Chaim |
2 |
Carpenter |
|
Friedman |
Sheina Breina and daughter Henia and her husband and 2 daughters |
Shasay next to bridge #2 |
5 |
Brought chickens and fish |
|
Friedman |
widow of Yosef Reuven and son Shalom and son Hershel |
Shatz St. |
3 |
|
|
Friedman |
Yosef and wife and son Kalman |
Shasay across from Sima Shtoker |
3 |
Blacksmith |
|
Pomerantz |
Aharon and wife and daughter Liba, daughter Musha, son Meir |
Shasay next to Bridge #1 |
5 |
|
|
Pomerantz |
Avraham (widower) and son David |
Shasay across from Sima Shtoker |
2 |
Blacksmith |
|
Pomerantz |
Avraham and wife and daughter Breina |
Olner; next to the public bath house |
3 |
Clothing store |
|
Pomerantz |
Avramel and mother and wife and daughter |
Pered Stat |
4 |
worked in the Sid factory |
|
Pomerantz |
Benyamin (Hichkas) and wife Chaya (husband was a Chassid) |
3 May St. |
2 |
Store in the market place Hichkas ch=chair |
|
Pomerantz |
Berel (son of Benyamin) and wife and 3 children |
3 May St.; lived in parent's home |
5 |
Was supported by father- Benyamin |
|
Pomerantz |
Berel and wife and 2 daughters |
Post Office St. |
4 |
Soda Factory |
|
Pomerantz |
Chaim, son of Velvel the butcher who went to the USA |
Shasay across from the post office |
1 |
Butcher |
|
Pomerantz |
David and wife (from the village of Sholin) |
Olner; across from Vineshtein |
2 |
|
|
Pomerantz |
Eitzel and wife Leika (daughter of Moshe Gershgoren) and son |
Pered Stat |
3 |
worked in the Sid factory |
|
Pomerantz |
Eliezer and wife Chana and son and daughter |
Post Office St. |
4 |
Soda Factory |
|
Pomerantz |
Khama and wife Yona (Teibel) [daughter of Reznik from Afula, Israel] and daughter |
Olner; lived in Shmerel Lazerovitch's home |
3 |
|
|
Pomerantz |
Leibe, wife Sara-Feigel, 4 sons: Ora, Meir, Yitzchak, Shimcha; and 2 daughters: Mosha, Risha, and 2 grandmothers: Rakhel Pomerantz, Fruma Doidovitz |
Shasay next to bridge #1 |
10 |
Shoemaker |
|
Pomerantz |
Liba (widow) and 2 children |
Shasay next to bridge #1 |
3 |
Her husband was kill in 1939 |
|
Pomerantz |
Motel, brother Icheh, sister Chana |
Shemayahu |
3 |
|
|
Pomerantz |
Motiyah and wife |
Corner of Subinski and the market place |
2 |
Store |
|
Pomerantz |
Mushke and husband and daughter |
Shasay next to bridge #1 |
3 |
Kiosk |
|
Pomerantz |
Shabtai and wife (born Lefin) and 2 sons and daughter |
Shernetzel St. |
5 |
Blacksmith |
|
Pomerantz |
Shalom (son of Zalman) and wife and son |
Subinski; lived in father's house |
3 |
Money (foreign) changer |
|
Pomerantz |
Shalom and wife and daughter and son |
Shasay across from the fire station |
4 |
Merchant |
|
Pomerantz |
Shepsel, wife Chaya Freida and son Yisrael and son Benyamin |
Pered Stat the last house |
4 |
Blacksmith from the village of Sholin |
|
Pomerantz |
Shmuel , wife Sheina and son |
Shasay across from the fire station |
3 |
Grocery Store |
|
Pomerantz |
Shmuel Issac, wife Rashe |
Post Office St. |
2 |
Soda Factory |
|
Pomerantz |
Teibel and her sister ( daughters of Motiya) |
Subinski |
2 |
Shoe Store |
|
Pomerantz |
Yeshayahu and mother and sister and her husband & 2 sons |
Shasay across from Goldfein |
6 |
Blacksmith |
|
Pomerantz |
Zalman a widower and daughter and her husband |
Subinski; next to Lisitzki |
3 |
Money (foreign) changer |
|
Pomerantz |
Zelig and wife Liba born Podorovski and daughter |
Market Place; lived with father - Motiya |
3 |
|
|
Rubinshtein |
Efraim, wife Yehudit (daughter of Moshe Liskovski) , Henek and 2 daughters |
Links |
4 |
Rags merchant |
|
Rubinshtein |
Hershel and wife and daughter Fruma |
Post office St. |
3 |
Shoemaker |
|
Rubinshtein |
Riva, alone nickname Shasikheh |
Across from the public bath house |
1 |
At 01:05 a.m. she would put the chicken outside |
|
Rupin |
Mendel (nickname HaLoshe), wife Tila and son Chaim and son Leibl and another son |
3 May St. next to Minkovitz |
5 |
Transport merchandise in a wagon from Brisk (Brest Litovsk) |
|
Sapir |
and sister from Bludaneya bought Moshe Goldshtein's house |
Shasay |
2 |
Owner of the Flourmill |
|
Sapir |
Nachman, wife Leah |
Links |
2 |
Barber and Musical Instruments |
|
Sapir |
Yitzchak, wife Glisha born Baizer, and daughter |
Zeditevah |
3 |
Barber and Musical Instruments |
|
Sapirshtein |
Avraham and wife and 2 children |
Shasay; Across from Leib Tukhman |
4 |
Watch maker |
|
Sapirshtein |
Yehoshua and wife Elka. Son Velvel and another son |
Shasay; lived with father |
4 |
Watch maker |
|