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Documents & pictures

The certificates, registers, letters and photographs behind the archive, family line by family line. Click any item to open it full size; the people they describe are on People & facts.

The Goldberger line — Ben's paternal

Documents

Swedish police arrival report for Eugen (Eugene) Goldberger, Malmö 2 October 1943 — Landed in Sweden: Eugen (Eugene) Goldberger, 2 October 1943 — the Swedish police report taken on arrival at Malmö: cantor with a cantor's diploma, born Hlohovec 27 Aug 1903; carried 700 Danish kroner; last address Hausergade 13, Copenhagen; left Copenhagen at 9 p.m. with spouse and the four boys (Milan, Leo, Gustav, Erik) in a fishing boat steered by its owner; landed at Limhamn near midnight; stateless, no passport.
Swedish National Archives copy, via the Danish Jewish Museum's Safe Haven database

Swedish police arrival report for Helene (Helena) Goldberger, Malmö 2 October 1943 — Landed in Sweden: Helene (Helena) Goldberger, 2 October 1943 — the Swedish police report taken on arrival at Malmö: seamstress, born Tetétlen, Hungary, 31 Jan 1906; carried no money; last address Hausergade 13, Copenhagen; left Copenhagen at 9 p.m. with spouse and the four boys (Milan, Leo, Gustav, Erik) in a fishing boat steered by its owner; landed at Limhamn near midnight; stateless, no passport.
Swedish National Archives copy, via the Danish Jewish Museum's Safe Haven database

Card issued to Eugene (Jeno) Goldberger for discounts on Czech railways. — Card issued to Eugene (Jeno) Goldberger for discounts on Czech railways.
USHMM pa1107699 ↗

Voucher for clean, dry clothing issued to the Goldberger family. These vouchers were issued to Danish refugees who arrived in Sweden frequently quite wet from their voyage with few dry clothes. — Outside of the card (Frivillighjälpen control card no. 2066, issued 6 Oct 1943). Voucher for clean, dry clothing issued to the Goldberger family. These vouchers were issued to Danish refugees who arrived in Sweden frequently quite wet from their voyage with few dry clothes.
USHMM pa1099610 ↗

Voucher for clean, dry clothing issued to the Goldberger family. These vouchers were issued to Danish refugees who arrived in Sweden frequently quite wet from their voyage with few dry clothes. — Inside of the card: H. Goldberger, b. 31.1.06, Malmö; clothing aid from Rädda Barnen, Malmö, 6 Oct 1943. Voucher for clean, dry clothing issued to the Goldberger family. These vouchers were issued to Danish refugees who arrived in Sweden frequently quite wet from their voyage with few dry clothes.
USHMM pa1099616 ↗

Milan and Sue Goldberger 1950 marriage certificate — Milan & Sue's full marriage certificate (license BX 6377) — the certified City of New York record. License issued 28 Jul 1950; married at Bronx Borough Hall, 14 Aug 1950, by Deputy City Clerk Thomas Hewson; witnesses Pauline Forman & Gussie Weiss. Groom Milan Emanuel Goldberger, 21, fur designer, of 856 Dollard Ave, Montreal, b. Yugoslavia 5 Oct 1928 — father Eugene, mother Helene Berkovitz. Bride Sulamith Lebovics, 23, bookkeeper, of 2030 E. 177th St., Bronx, b. Brooklyn 2 May 1927 — father Hirs, mother Maria Gottlieb. Certified copy obtained Sep 2026. 3-page PDF.
NYC Office of the City Clerk

The 1950 Bronx marriage-index ledger line: 'Goldberger, Milan E. — #6377 — July 28 [1950]'. Bride indexed separately: Sulamith Lebovics.
NYC City Clerk ledger via Reclaim The Records / Internet Archive

Full ledger page, Bronx grooms 'Go', 1950.
Reclaim The Records / Internet Archive

Eugen Goldberger 1926 Vienna Meldezettel — Eugene's Vienna Meldezettel, 7 Oct 1926 — 'Eugen Goldberger, Student, geb. Galgoc [Hlohovec], 28.VIII.1903, Isr., ledig'; Große Sperlgasse 37a, Leopoldstadt; Heimat Žabokreky n/Nitrou; came via Pressburg & Trenčín, left for Czechoslovakia 4 Jul 1927 — five months before marrying Helena. The document that gave us his birth date and birthplace.
PDF — Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv, MA 8 ↗

Leo and Gus Goldberger family history clipping — The Leo & Gus clipping — the family history in one typed page: Vienna conservatory, Vukovar, Troppau 1932, Copenhagen, the neighbor who blocked Eugene's arrest, the October 1943 rescue, Göteborg, home in June 1945.
Family papers, source publication TBD

Eugene Goldberger cantors directory entry — Cantor E. Goldberger — the directory entry with his portrait: 'Born 27 Aug 1903, Hlohovec… son of Cantor Emanuel Goldberger and JOHANNA'; five generations of cantors; Royal Conservatory Vienna, study in Milan; Tivoli soloist; Adath Israel, Montreal, 1946.
Cantors' who's-who, 1960s — the page that named Eugene's mother

Montreal Star tribute, 22 Sep 1964 — Montreal Star tribute, 22 Sep 1964
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

In cap & gown — his JTS Cantors' Institute fellowship (Montreal Star, 16 Jun 1964) — In cap & gown — his JTS Cantors' Institute fellowship (Montreal Star, 16 Jun 1964)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

His own letter asking to sing concerts in Florida (Southern Jewish Weekly, Jacksonville, 14 Dec 1951) — Eugene Goldberger’s own letter asking to sing concerts in Florida (Southern Jewish Weekly, Jacksonville, 14 Dec 1951)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger

Eric, 20, student cantor: 'the sixth generation of a family of cantors' (Daily Sentinel, Rome NY, 10 Sep 1958) — Eric, 20, student cantor: 'the sixth generation of a family of cantors' (Daily Sentinel, Rome NY, 10 Sep 1958)
On the tree card of Eric (Erik) Goldberger

Gustav, 27, becomes cantor of Anshe Sfard, Akron (Akron Beacon Journal, 14 Apr 1961) — Gustav, 27, becomes cantor of Anshe Sfard, Akron (Akron Beacon Journal, 14 Apr 1961)
On the tree card of Gustav Goldberger

JTS fellowship / retirement — full page (Montreal Star, 16 Jun 1964) — JTS fellowship / retirement — full page (Montreal Star, 16 Jun 1964)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Guest cantor at Saint John's Israel-anniversary gala — biographical feature (Evening Times-Globe, 16 Apr 1953) — Guest cantor at Saint John's Israel-anniversary gala — biographical feature (Evening Times-Globe, 16 Apr 1953)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Saint John concert coverage (Times-Globe, 20 Apr 1953) — Saint John concert coverage (Times-Globe, 20 Apr 1953)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Saint John coverage + portrait (Telegraph-Journal, 17 Apr 1953) — Saint John coverage + portrait (Telegraph-Journal, 17 Apr 1953)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

'Cantor to Survey 6 Nations' Music' — his 1953 tour (Montreal Star, 27 Jun 1953) — 'Cantor to Survey 6 Nations' Music' — his 1953 tour (Montreal Star, 27 Jun 1953)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Jewish Music Appreciation evening at the YMHA (Montreal Star, 19 Feb 1955) — Jewish Music Appreciation evening at the YMHA (Montreal Star, 19 Feb 1955)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Testimonial concert for his 18 years + the Cantor Goldberger Grove in Israel (Montreal Star, 6 Mar 1964) — Testimonial concert for his 18 years + the Cantor Goldberger Grove in Israel (Montreal Star, 6 Mar 1964)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Petition for Naturalization No. 554178, EDNY 1956 — Petition for Naturalization No. 554178, EDNY 1956
On the tree card of Milan Goldberger (b. 5 Oct 1928 – d. 10 Dec 2023)

Ilona's Tetétlen birth record, 1906 (names Regina Klein) — Ilona's Tetétlen birth record, 1906 (names Regina Klein)
On the tree card of Regina Berkovits née Klein (b. 5 Apr 1887 – d. 5 Jan 1972)

Pictures

All USHMM images courtesy of Leo Goldberger. Click any photo for full resolution; the ↗ link opens the museum's catalog record.

The Goldberger family in Troppau, 1933-34 — The Goldberger family in Troppau (Opava), winter 1933–34 — Eugene (center, in his hat), Helen, and the two eldest boys Milan and Leo (with another woman), taken shortly before the family fled to Denmark. The earliest photo we have of Ben's grandfather.
USHMM #90001, courtesy of Gus Goldberger USHMM pa1099601 ↗

Elementary school in Hlohovec, Slovakia. Eugene Goldberger is in the — Elementary school in Hlohovec, Slovakia. Eugene Goldberger is in the second row, third from the right. (Hlohovec, c. 1910s)
USHMM pa1107701 ↗

Studio portrait of Cantor Eugene Goldberger in Vukovar, Croatia. — Studio portrait of Cantor Eugene Goldberger in Vukovar, Croatia. (Vukovar, c. 1928–32)
USHMM pa1099268 ↗

Portrait of Helen Berkovic Goldberger, her husband Cantor Eugene Goldb — Portrait of Helen Berkovic Goldberger, her husband Cantor Eugene Goldberger and a wet nurse on the streets of Vukovar. (Vukovar, c. 1928–32)
USHMM pa1099278 ↗

Milan Goldberger (son of Cantor Eugene Goldberger and Helen Berkovic G — Milan Goldberger (son of Cantor Eugene Goldberger and Helen Berkovic Goldberger) dressed in a Purim costume. (Vukovar/Troppau, early 1930s)
USHMM pa1099286 ↗

Gus Goldberger in a carriage in front of the Troppau (Opava) synagogue — Gus Goldberger in a carriage in front of the Troppau (Opava) synagogue. (Troppau (Opava), 1932–34)
USHMM pa1099355 ↗

Eugene Goldberger vacations at Luhacovice. — Eugene Goldberger vacations at Luhacovice. (Luhačovice spa, early 1930s)
USHMM pa1099707 ↗

Milan, Leo and Gus Goldberger in front of their family's summer h — Milan, Leo and Gus Goldberger in front of their family's summer home in Rungsted. (Copenhagen / Denmark, 1934–43)
USHMM pa1099440 ↗

Eugene Goldberger poses with Danish acquaintances shortly after moving — Eugene Goldberger poses with Danish acquaintances shortly after moving to Copenhagen. (Copenhagen / Denmark, 1934–43)
USHMM pa1099523 ↗

Cantor Eugene Goldberger poses with his sons Milan and Leo, shortly af — Cantor Eugene Goldberger poses with his sons Milan and Leo, shortly after their move to Copenhagen. (Copenhagen / Denmark, 1934–43)
USHMM pa1099531 ↗

Eugene and Helen Goldberger with their sons Leo and Gus. Leo is weari — Eugene and Helen Goldberger with their sons Leo and Gus. Leo is wearing a Danish boy scout uniform. (Copenhagen / Denmark, 1934–43)
USHMM pa1099534 ↗

Piano students, both adults and children, pose at their piano recital. — Piano students, both adults and children, pose at their piano recital. Seated on the floor is Gus Goldberger. Standing fourth from right is Milan Goldberger. (Copenhagen, 1934–43)
USHMM pa1099540 ↗

Portrait of Helen Berkovic Goldberger and her son, Milan. — Portrait of Helen Berkovic Goldberger and her son, Milan.
USHMM pa1099276 ↗

Portrait of Helen Berkovic Goldberger, Cantor Eugene Goldberger and th — Portrait of Helen Berkovic Goldberger, Cantor Eugene Goldberger and their sons Milan and Leo.
USHMM pa1099280 ↗

Portrait of Milan and Leo Goldberger. — Portrait of Milan and Leo Goldberger.
USHMM pa1099311 ↗

Helen (Berkovic) Goldberger and her son Gus. — Helen (Berkovic) Goldberger and her son Gus.
USHMM pa1099357 ↗

Eugene and Helen Goldberger with their sons Milan, Leo and Gus. — Eugene and Helen Goldberger with their sons Milan, Leo and Gus.
USHMM pa1099538 ↗

The Goldberger family in Copenhagen, about 1935 — The Goldberger family in Copenhagen, c. 1935–36 — from left: Milan (Ben's grandfather, ~7), mother Helene, toddler Gustav, Leo, and father Eugene, the cantor. A pre-Holocaust portrait, taken not long after Eugene moved the family to Denmark in 1934.
Courtesy Leo Goldberger — Scandinavian Jewish Forum (2015)

Cantor Eugene Goldberger portrait — Cantor Eugene Goldberger — a formal portrait in his cantor's hat and tallit.
Courtesy Leo Goldberger — Scandinavian Jewish Forum (2015)

Milan & Sue Goldberger, 1980s — Ben's paternal grandparents.
Family album

Eugene Goldberger — matzevah, Har HaMenuchot, Jerusalem — 'the Rabbi-Cantor Reb Yaakov son of Rabbi Menashe.'
Family photo

Helena Goldberger née Berkovits — matzevah, Har HaMenuchot, beside Eugene.
Family photo

Portrait of Cantor Emanuel Goldberger. He was the fourth generation cantor in his family and the father of eight children including Cantor Eugene Goldberger, chief cantor of Denmark. — Portrait of Cantor Emanuel Goldberger. He was the fourth generation cantor in his family and the father of eight children including Cantor Eugene Goldberger, chief cantor of Denmark.
USHMM pa1100137 ↗

Rabbis and cantors gathered in Senica. — Rabbis and cantors gathered in Senica.
USHMM pa1099179 ↗

Danish Jewish families vacationing together in Rungsted. — Danish Jewish families vacationing together in Rungsted.
USHMM pa1099458 ↗

Milan's matzevah, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem — 'Menashe ben Yaakov Goldberger', born Hoshana Rabbah 5689 (Oct 5, 1928), died 27 Kislev 5784 (Dec 10, 2023).
Family photo, 2026

Gruss aus Vukovar postcard ~1900 with the synagogue — 'Pozdrav iz Vukovara / Gruss aus Vukovar' litho postcard, ~1900 — center vignette is the Vukovar synagogue ('Izraelit. Tempel', built 1889, demolished 1958) where Eugen Goldberger sang.
Wikimedia Commons, public domain ↗

Vukovar synagogue postcard ~1910 — The Vukovar synagogue, photo postcard ~1910. Moorish Revival, architect Ludwig Schöne.
Wikimedia Commons, public domain ↗

Sue Sulamith Goldberger matzevah, Mount of Olives — Sue's matzevah, Mount of Olives — 'Shulamit Goldberger, daughter of R' Chaim Tzvi and Mamela Lebowitz, wife of R' Menashe'; 'she gave herself to Torah and Eretz Yisrael… accepted her sufferings with love.' Died 5 Adar II 5779 (March 12, 2019) — Milan joined her here in 2023.
Family photo

Goldberger house in Arverne, Rockaway — The Goldberger house, Arverne (Rockaway) — Milan & Sue's red-shingled house, scene of the 'Aunts + Grandparents house party' photos where Eugene & Helena visited. The family put roots two blocks from the beach where Milan and Sue met in 1949.
Family album

Milan Goldberger matzevah close-up — Milan's matzevah, close view — 'Menashe b'r YAAKOV Goldberger' (Eugene's Hebrew name — hence 'Eugene Jacob'); 'he honored his parents with all his strength'; born Hoshana Rabbah 5689, died at the third Chanukah light 5784.
Family photo, Mount of Olives

Eugene and Helena at the Arverne house party — 'Aunts + Grandparents — Arverne — at the house party' — Eugene & Helena visiting Milan & Sue's Rockaway house (1960s), with Aunt Rose & Aunt Honey; the captioned back survives. Likely the archive's only American-era photo of Eugene & Helena together.
Family album

Goldberger clan Passover 1950 Montreal — Passover 1950, Montreal — the Goldberger clan around OMAMA and OPAPA; the back names them all (Leo, Milan, Jenö, Gusti, Erik, Tante Berman, Gábor, ETA, Regina-Ilus, Bernát…). Photographer H. S. Adler, 4399 Esplanade Ave.
Family album — back archived alongside

Cantor Goldberger portrait, 1953 (Telegraph-Journal) — Cantor Goldberger portrait, 1953 (Telegraph-Journal)
On the tree card of Eugene (Jenő) Goldberger (b. 27 Aug 1903 – d. 20 Aug 1989)

Gabor & Tubi Berkovic wedding portrait — Gabor & Tubi Berkovic wedding portrait
On the tree card of Gabor (Gavriel) Berkovits

The Lebovics line — Sue's family (Satu Mare → Lower East Side → the Bronx)

Documents

Hirs Lebovics petition — Hirs Lebovics' Petition for Citizenship (#161135) — married at SATMAR 1921; last residence Satu Mare; children Abigail, Sulamith, Ezra.
NARA via Ancestry

The Lebovics household in the 1930 US Census, 385 E 3rd St, Manhattan — The Lebovics household in the 1930 US Census — 385 E 3rd St, Lower East Side (ED 31-169, sheet 6B): Hirsch 37 (rabbi; born Czechoslovakia, as were both his parents), wife Maria 28 (born Romania), and the three children — Abigail 8, Shelumith (Sue) 2, and infant Ezra — renting at $45/mo. The crop opens to the full page.
NARA via FamilySearch (image group 004952139)

Page of Testimony for Bernat Issakhar Dov Lebovits — Page of Testimony (1957) for Bernat Issakhar Dov Lebovits, b. 1885 Komiaty, hairdresser of Satu Mare, murdered Auschwitz 1944 — filed by his surviving son Khaim Libovitz of Ramat Gan. Same-town Lebovits family; connection to Sue's line unproven.
Yad Vashem item 915892 ↗

1921 Satu Mare marriage register, Lebovics-Gotlieb, entry 55 — The 1921 Satu Mare marriage record (Szatmárnémeti civil register, entry #55, 22 Feb 1921) — obtained from Arhivele Naționale Satu Mare, 2026. It names both sets of parents: groom Hirs Lebovics (rabbi, b. June 1893), son of Jakab (Jacob) Lebovics and Töbe (maiden surname unclear, approx. Velber/Telber); bride Maria Gottlieb (b. 11 May 1901), daughter of Herman Gottlieb and Amália Friedman. Witness: Gottlieb Jenő of Satu Mare.
Arhivele Naționale ale României, SJAN Satu Mare (SJANSM-1688-R)

Ellis Island manifest, S.S. Majestic, 24 Jun 1924, list p.109, sheet 1 (line ~20: 'Hirsh Liebovitz,' rabbi, from Satu Mare) — Ellis Island manifest, S.S. Majestic, 24 Jun 1924, list p.109, sheet 1 (line ~20: 'Hirsh Liebovitz,' rabbi, from Satu Mare)
On the tree card of Hirs (Chaim Tzvi) Lebovics (b. 18 Jan 1893 – d. 9 Sep 1962)

Same manifest, sheet 2: going to 'Father J. Leobovitz, 5 Goerck St.'; born 'Czechoslovakia, Orlawa' — Same manifest, sheet 2: going to 'Father J. Leobovitz, 5 Goerck St.'; born 'Czechoslovakia, Orlawa'
On the tree card of Hirs (Chaim Tzvi) Lebovics (b. 18 Jan 1893 – d. 9 Sep 1962)

Death certificate 1962 (#156-62-118960) — Death certificate 1962 (#156-62-118960)
On the tree card of Hirs (Chaim Tzvi) Lebovics (b. 18 Jan 1893 – d. 9 Sep 1962)

Witness on O. Mayer naturalization, 1944 (Rabbi, Bronx) — Witness on O. Mayer naturalization, 1944 (Rabbi, Bronx)
On the tree card of Hirs (Chaim Tzvi) Lebovics (b. 18 Jan 1893 – d. 9 Sep 1962)

NYC death certificate, Queens #5894, 23 Aug 1940: Jacob Lebovics, rabbi; father Hersch; mother Rebecca Strobel; informant his son Mayer, Rochester NY; buried Beth Israel Cemetery, NJ — NYC death certificate, Queens #5894, 23 Aug 1940: Jacob Lebovics, rabbi; father Hersch; mother Rebecca Strobel; informant his son Mayer, Rochester NY; buried Beth Israel Cemetery, NJ
On the tree card of Rabbi Yaakov (Jakab) Lebovics (b. 7 Sep 1861 – d. 19 Av 5700 (23 Aug 1940))

Ellis Island manifest, S.S. Belgenland (Cherbourg 20 Mar → NY 28 Mar 1924), list 4 p.45, sheet 1: line 2 'Lebowicz, Rev. Jacob,' 63, rabbi, last residence Čurug ('Cureng'), Serbia; wife P. Lebovicz, Čurug — Ellis Island manifest, S.S. Belgenland (Cherbourg 20 Mar → NY 28 Mar 1924), list 4 p.45, sheet 1: line 2 'Lebowicz, Rev. Jacob,' 63, rabbi, last residence Čurug ('Cureng'), Serbia; wife P. Lebovicz, Čurug
On the tree card of Rabbi Yaakov (Jakab) Lebovics (b. 7 Sep 1861 – d. 19 Av 5700 (23 Aug 1940))

Same manifest, sheet 2: going to cousin Sam Kessler, 237 E 95th St, NY; born 'Zarno' (Zárnya/Zádnya) — Same manifest, sheet 2: going to cousin Sam Kessler, 237 E 95th St, NY; born 'Zarno' (Zárnya/Zádnya)
On the tree card of Rabbi Yaakov (Jakab) Lebovics (b. 7 Sep 1861 – d. 19 Av 5700 (23 Aug 1940))

Unveiling notice, Canadian Jewish News, 7 Jun 1963 — names his children and his siblings David, Meyer, Zindel and Rifca — Unveiling notice, Canadian Jewish News, 7 Jun 1963 — names his children and his siblings David, Meyer, Zindel and Rifca
On the tree card of Harry (Herman, Tzvi) Lebovic (b. 10 Oct 1905 – d. 16 Sivan 5722 (17 Jun 1962))

U.S. admission card, Niagara Falls, 3 Feb 1951 — Toronto builder, British passport, visiting cousin Balaban at 1016 Beverly Rd, Brooklyn — U.S. admission card, Niagara Falls, 3 Feb 1951 — Toronto builder, British passport, visiting cousin Balaban at 1016 Beverly Rd, Brooklyn
On the tree card of Mark (Meyer, Meir) Lebovic (b. 21 Dec 1914 – d. 4 Adar I 5766 (4 Mar 2006), probable)

1922 marriage certificate (Manhattan #28489) — 1922 marriage certificate (Manhattan #28489)
On the tree card of Samuel Herman (Sam) Kessler (b. 17 Nov 1898)

Ellis Island manifest, S.S. Olympic, 29 Jul 1924, list p.52, sheet 1 (lines 11-13 Maria, Abigail, infant Jehosafat; line 16 Tobe) — Ellis Island manifest, S.S. Olympic, 29 Jul 1924, list p.52, sheet 1 (lines 11-13 Maria, Abigail, infant Jehosafat; line 16 Tobe)
On the tree card of Töbe (Toba) Lebovics née Welber (b. 18 Jun 1874 – d. 5 Av 5698 (2 Aug 1938))

Same manifest, sheet 2: joining Hirs / Jakob Lebovits at 548 E 82nd St; Tobe born 'Tchechoslav., Arlava' — Same manifest, sheet 2: joining Hirs / Jakob Lebovits at 548 E 82nd St; Tobe born 'Tchechoslav., Arlava'
On the tree card of Töbe (Toba) Lebovics née Welber (b. 18 Jun 1874 – d. 5 Av 5698 (2 Aug 1938))

Buchenwald Häftlings-Personal-Karte (prisoner 51093) — names parents Daniel Friedmann & Helena née Fisch — Buchenwald Häftlings-Personal-Karte (prisoner 51093) — names parents Daniel Friedmann & Helena née Fisch
On the tree card of Erna Friedman (b. 29 Apr 1928)

A 1919 civil register page from the Sátoraljaújhely area, with Deutsch and Gottlieb entries (branch source context; the specific entry still to be matched) — A 1919 civil register page from the Sátoraljaújhely area, with Deutsch and Gottlieb entries (branch source context; the specific entry still to be matched)
On the tree card of Devorah Gottlieb née Deutch

Pictures

Sue (Sulamith) & Abby Lebovics, 1940s — the Satu Mare → Lower East Side → Bronx sisters; Sue married Milan Goldberger.
Family album

Sue Lebovics 1944 — Sue Lebovics, Co-Editor-in-Chief — Monroe HS, Bronx, 1944, age 16.
U.S. School Yearbooks via Ancestry

Hirs Lebovics in Austro-Hungarian uniform — Hirs Lebovics in Austro-Hungarian uniform (per Robert's album / family ID) — WWI service before the 1921 Satu Mare wedding; a matching greatcoat portrait survives too.
Family album

Hirs and Maria Lebovics studio portrait — Hirs & Maria 'Mamela' Lebovics, studio portrait ~1920s — the couple of the Satu Mare wedding (22 Feb 1921), later of 385 E 3rd St and the Bronx. The name 'Mamela' is the one carved on Sue's matzevah.
Family album

Young Hirs Lebovics with books — Hirs Lebovics as a young man (per family ID) — kippah, books at his hand; the scholar's pose, years before Cherbourg and the Lower East Side.
Family album

Sue Lebovics class of 1937 — 'Class of '37 — Mrs. Goldberg's girls' — Sue, ~10, top row third from right (per Ben). A Bronx public-school class in sailor collars; the captioned back survives.
Family album

His matzevah — “Chaim Tzvi son of R' Yaakov Lebovics,” died Elul 5722 (1962) — Hirs Lebovics’s matzevah — “Chaim Tzvi son of R' Yaakov Lebovics,” died Elul 5722 (1962)
On the tree card of Hirs (Chaim Tzvi) Lebovics (b. 18 Jan 1893 – d. 9 Sep 1962)

Her grave in Rymanov, beneath the ohel of R' Menachem Mendel of Rymanov — Mirish Alowitz’s grave in Rymanov, beneath the ohel of R' Menachem Mendel of Rymanov
On the tree card of Mirish (Mirel) Alowitz (Elowitz) née Weisblum

Her grave marker — names her of 'the Rabbi of Lizhensk' — Mirish Alowitz’s grave marker — names her of 'the Rabbi of Lizhensk'
On the tree card of Mirish (Mirel) Alowitz (Elowitz) née Weisblum

The Ohel (tomb) at Leżajsk — a place of pilgrimage — The Ohel (tomb) at Leżajsk — a place of pilgrimage
On the tree card of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk — the Noam Elimelech (b. 1717 – d. 21 Adar 5547 (11 Mar 1787))

Title page of his sefer Zera Avraham (Sulzbach) — Title page of his sefer Zera Avraham (Sulzbach)
On the tree card of Avraham Lipman — author of Zera Avraham

His matzevah at Pryborzhavske — Avraham Elimelech Strober’s matzevah at Pryborzhavske
On the tree card of Avraham Elimelech Strober (שטרויבער) (d. 11 Jun 1880)

His matzevah — “the righteous Rabbi Yaakov… died 19 Av 5700 (1940)” — Rabbi Yaakov Lebovics’s matzevah — “the righteous Rabbi Yaakov… died 19 Av 5700 (1940)”
On the tree card of Rabbi Yaakov (Jakab) Lebovics (b. 7 Sep 1861 – d. 19 Av 5700 (23 Aug 1940))

His matzevah, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Toronto — 'Tzvi son of R' Avraham Elimelech' (JOWBR photo) — Harry Lebovic’s matzevah, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Toronto — 'Tzvi son of R' Avraham Elimelech' (JOWBR photo)
On the tree card of Harry (Herman, Tzvi) Lebovic (b. 10 Oct 1905 – d. 16 Sivan 5722 (17 Jun 1962))

Her matzevah, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Toronto (JOWBR photo) — Rosa Lebovic’s matzevah, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Toronto (JOWBR photo)
On the tree card of Rosa (Rachel) Lebovic (d. 1 Tishrei 5719 (14 Sep 1958))

His matzevah, Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, Toronto — 'Chanoch Zundel son of R' Avraham Elimelech' (JOWBR photo) — Henoch Zundel Lebovic’s matzevah, Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, Toronto — 'Chanoch Zundel son of R' Avraham Elimelech' (JOWBR photo)
On the tree card of Henoch Zundel (Zindel) Lebovic (b. 9 Cheshvan 5673 (20 Oct 1912) – d. 21 Nisan 5736 (21 Apr 1976))

His matzevah, Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, Toronto (JOWBR photo) — Tibor Danzinger’s matzevah, Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, Toronto (JOWBR photo)
On the tree card of Tibor (Shlomo) Danzinger (b. 2 May 1920 – d. 23 Feb 1976 (22 Adar I 5736))

Her matzevah — “the righteous Rebbetzin Toibe daughter of Moshe,” 5 Av 5695 (1935) — Töbe Lebovics’s matzevah — “the righteous Rebbetzin Toibe daughter of Moshe,” 5 Av 5695 (1935)
On the tree card of Töbe (Toba) Lebovics née Welber (b. 18 Jun 1874 – d. 5 Av 5698 (2 Aug 1938))

Her matzevah — “Mamela, daughter of R' Tzvi,” 29 Tevet 5720 (1960), age 59 — Maria Gotlieb’s matzevah — “Mamela, daughter of R' Tzvi,” 29 Tevet 5720 (1960), age 59
On the tree card of Maria “Mamela” Gotlieb (b. 11 May 1901 – d. 29 Jan 1960)

The Gottlieb family of Satu Mare — The Gottlieb family of Satu Mare
On the tree card of Tzvi Hersh (Herman) Gottlieb (b. 30 May 1866 – d. 11 Sep 1934)

His matzevah at Tarpa (poor quality) — Asher Zelig Friedman’s matzevah at Tarpa (poor quality)
On the tree card of Asher Zelig (Zelik) Friedman (d. 1 Jan 1921)

Portrait of Shlomo Hillel Gottlieb — Portrait of Shlomo Hillel Gottlieb
On the tree card of Shlomo Hillel Gottlieb (b. 2 Oct 1872 – d. 22 May 1945)

Gittel Gottlieb née Jákabivics — Gittel Gottlieb née Jákabivics
On the tree card of Gittel (Gizella) Gottlieb née Jákabivics (b. 1882 – d. Jan 1962)

Jozsi (Yosef Yohanan) Gottlieb in his later years, Toronto — Jozsi (Yosef Yohanan) Gottlieb in his later years, Toronto
On the tree card of Jozsi (Yosef Yohanan) Gottlieb (b. 6 Aug 1914 – d. 24 Jul 2011)

His matzevah at Felsővisó — Reb Abraham Avraham Gottlieb’s matzevah at Felsővisó
On the tree card of Reb Abraham Avraham Gottlieb (b. ~1850 – d. Apr 1928)

His matzevah at Tiszalok (Kohen hands at the top) — Shimshon Eliezer Gottdiener’s matzevah at Tiszalok (Kohen hands at the top)
On the tree card of Shimshon Eliezer Gottdiener (b. 1805 – d. 20 Jul 1873)

The Freilich & Nadel lines — Nancy's family (Lemberg + Baltimore → Harlem → Bronx → Miami Beach)

Documents

Anna Freilich death certificate 1935 — Anna (Wachtel) Freilich's death certificate (Bronx #10196, 1935) — widow of Charles; parents Nathan Wachtel + Rose Mensch, Austria; informant 'Harry Freilich, son, 1005 Jerome Ave' — she died 26 days before her grandson Robert was born to that household. Buried Riverside Cem., Hackensack.
NYC Municipal Archives free scan

1893 Freilich-Wachtel marriage certificate — Charles Freilich & Anna Wachtel's 1893 wedding certificate (Manhattan #5196) — married April 20, 1893 on the Lower East Side by Rev. Baruch Schohr; groom of 18 Cannon St, bride of 11 Pitt St; her parents Nachem Wachtel + Rosa Mantel, his parents Falik Freilich + Sahra Klein of Galicia. Both signatures on the back.
NYC Municipal Archives free scan

Ophelia Nadel death certificate — Ophelia Nadel's death certificate (Bronx #2196, 1931) — born U.S.A. ~1862, formerly of Baltimore; parents Meyer Jacobs + Minna Helfand, both born Germany — Ben's 3rd-great-grandparents, in America before the Civil War.
NYC Municipal Archives free scan

Joseph Nadel death certificate — Joseph Nadel's death certificate (Bronx #10951, 1940) — b. April 15, 1861, Austria; knitting-mill foreman; parents Mose Nadel + Molly, both b. Austria; son Joseph signed as informant.
NYC Municipal Archives free scan

1926 marriage certificate — Harry Freilich × Gladys Nadel marriage certificate — June 26, 1926, Municipal Building, Manhattan (cert #21023). Names Harry's parents Charles Freilich + Anna Wach and Gladys's parents Joseph Nadel + Ophelia Jacobs.
PDF — NYC Municipal Archives free scan ↗

1903 birth certificate — Gladys Nadel birth certificate — b. April 17, 1903 at 115 E 108 St, Manhattan (cert #16719). Father Joseph Nadel, 42, b. Austria; mother Ophelia, 41. '6 previous children, 5 living' — Gladys was the 7th child. Includes 1919 name affidavit signed by Joseph.
PDF — NYC Municipal Archives free scan ↗

Charles Freilich 1915 death certificate — Charles Freilich death certificate (NYC #6008) — the certificate itself spells the surname 'Frelich' ('Charles Frelich'; father 'Isaac Fr[e]lich'). d. Feb 24, 1915, Harlem Hospital, age 50, b. Austria, real estate, of 165 E 112 St. Parents as recorded here: Isaac Frelich + Sadie Krissel — but his own 1893 marriage record gave Falik Freilich + Sahra Klein (see 'The name' note above). Buried Mount Zion Cemetery, LEMBERGER society plot 11L-9-0015-548 → family from Lemberg (Lviv), Galicia.
FindAGrave 165250890 ↗

1897 Frohlich bris invitation — The 1897 bris invitation — oldest paper in the archive. 'Mr. & Mrs. CH. FROHLICH' invite you to the Shalom Zachor (Fri 6 Aug, 7:30pm) and Bris Milah (Mon 9 Aug 1897) at 80 Essex Street, 1st floor front — dating Harry's birth to 2 Aug 1897 and preserving the family name's original spelling, Fröhlich.
Printed card, Robert Freilich's album

Nathan Wachtel 1901 death certificate — Nathan Wachtel death certificate — d. 1 Nov 1901, age 74 (b. ~1827 Austria), tailor, of 127 Ludlow St; buried Mount Zion (cert #32814, NYC Municipal Archives). Names his parents Sol & Rebecca Wachtel (b. ~1800, Galicia) — Ben's 4th-great-grandparents, the deepest generation any American record reaches.
NYC Municipal Archives

Harry Freilich WWI draft card 1917 — Harry Freilich's WWI draft card — signed 'Harry Freilich', 1102 Union Ave, Bronx; b. 2 Feb 1897, New York (the February date is an error; his birth certificate gives 2 Aug 1897); father's birthplace Austria; nearest relative Anna Freilich (mother).
NARA via Ancestry

1876 Podhajce birth register — original scan — 1876 Podhajce birth register — original scan
On the tree card of Eidil Rifka Freilich (b. 24 Feb 1876)

1877 Podhajce birth register — original scan — 1877 Podhajce birth register — original scan
On the tree card of Ettie Freilich (b. 21 Oct 1877)

1880 Podhajce birth register — original scan — 1880 Podhajce birth register — original scan
On the tree card of Joseph Freilich (b. 11 Jun 1880 – d. 4 Dec 1880)

1881 Podhajce birth register — original scan — 1881 Podhajce birth register — original scan
On the tree card of Debora Freilich (b. 6 Dec 1881)

1864 Podhajce birth register — original scan (Gesher Galicia) — 1864 Podhajce birth register — original scan (Gesher Galicia)
On the tree card of Charles Freilich (b. 17 Mar 1864 – d. 24 Feb 1915)

1864 Podhajce birth — index entry (All Galicia Database) — 1864 Podhajce birth — index entry (All Galicia Database)
On the tree card of Charles Freilich (b. 17 Mar 1864 – d. 24 Feb 1915)

Declaration of Intention, SDNY, 2 Jul 1892 — Declaration of Intention, SDNY, 2 Jul 1892
On the tree card of Charles Freilich (b. 17 Mar 1864 – d. 24 Feb 1915)

Charles the real-estate broker: two sales, one 'to a Mr. Wachtel' (New-York Tribune, 29 Jan 1904) — Charles the real-estate broker: two sales, one 'to a Mr. Wachtel' (New-York Tribune, 29 Jan 1904)
On the tree card of Charles Freilich

Charles sells a Harlem flat to Wachtel & Reich (New York Times, 26 Jun 1906) — Charles sells a Harlem flat to Wachtel & Reich (New York Times, 26 Jun 1906)
On the tree card of Charles Freilich

1918 marriage certificate (Bronx #1104) — 1918 marriage certificate (Bronx #1104)
On the tree card of Sadie Freilich (b. 24 Oct 1894 – d. 1959)

1920 marriage certificate (Bronx #3772) — 1920 marriage certificate (Bronx #3772)
On the tree card of Dorothy (Dora) Freilich (b. 2 Apr 1896 – d. 1958)

Probable death entry, 5 Aug 1853 (Lwów deaths, file 133, p. 58) — Probable death entry, 5 Aug 1853 (Lwów deaths, file 133, p. 58)
On the tree card of Samuel Dawid (Sol) Wachtel (b. ~1781 – d. 5 Aug 1853 (probable))

Full register spread, Aug 1853 — Full register spread, Aug 1853
On the tree card of Samuel Dawid (Sol) Wachtel (b. ~1781 – d. 5 Aug 1853 (probable))

Her 1831 death entry (Lwów deaths, file 114, p. 64) — Rebecca Wachtel’s 1831 death entry (Lwów deaths, file 114, p. 64)
On the tree card of Rebecca (Rifka) Wachtel (b. ~1787 – d. ~3 Jun 1831)

Register page header (p. 125 / 64) — Register page header (p. 125 / 64)
On the tree card of Rebecca (Rifka) Wachtel (b. ~1787 – d. ~3 Jun 1831)

Death certificate 1901 — Death certificate 1901
On the tree card of Nathan Wachtel (b. ~1827 – d. 1 Nov 1901)

His April 1827 birth entry (Lwów births, file 110, p. 79) — Nathan Wachtel’s April 1827 birth entry (Lwów births, file 110, p. 79)
On the tree card of Nathan Wachtel (b. ~1827 – d. 1 Nov 1901)

April 1827 birth return, header — April 1827 birth return, header
On the tree card of Nathan Wachtel (b. ~1827 – d. 1 Nov 1901)

Lwów / Podhajce records (All Galicia Database) — Lwów / Podhajce records (All Galicia Database)
On the tree card of Nathan Wachtel (b. ~1827 – d. 1 Nov 1901)

Her 10 Aug 1835 birth entry (Lwów births, file 119, p. 72) — Rosa Wachtel’s 10 Aug 1835 birth entry (Lwów births, file 119, p. 72)
On the tree card of Rosa (Reisel) Wachtel née Mensch (b. Aug 1840 – d. 14 Jun 1907)

Full register spread, Aug 1835 — Full register spread, Aug 1835
On the tree card of Rosa (Reisel) Wachtel née Mensch (b. Aug 1840 – d. 14 Jun 1907)

His 9 Dec 1859 birth entry (Lwów births, file 136) — Dawid Wachtel’s 9 Dec 1859 birth entry (Lwów births, file 136)
On the tree card of Dawid Wachtel (b. 9 Dec 1859)

His death entry, 21 Jan 1860 (Lwów deaths, file 137, p. 11) — Samuel Wachtel’s death entry, 21 Jan 1860 (Lwów deaths, file 137, p. 11)
On the tree card of Samuel Wachtel (b. ~9 Dec 1859 – d. 21 Jan 1860)

His April 1816 birth entry (Lwów births, file 104, p. 35) — Eisig Wachtel’s April 1816 birth entry (Lwów births, file 104, p. 35)
On the tree card of Eisig (Eisek) Wachtel (b. 1816 – d. 26 Feb 1891)

Her 1831 death entry (Lwów deaths, file 114, p. 58) — Taube Wachtel’s 1831 death entry (Lwów deaths, file 114, p. 58)
On the tree card of Taube Wachtel (b. ~1826 – d. 27 Apr 1831)

Full register page, April 1831 — Full register page, April 1831
On the tree card of Taube Wachtel (b. ~1826 – d. 27 Apr 1831)

Candidate birth: Moses son of David Mensch, March 1809 (Lwów births, file 101, p. 4) — Candidate birth: Moses son of David Mensch, March 1809 (Lwów births, file 101, p. 4)
On the tree card of Moshe Mordechai Mensch

Berl Mensch's death entry, 26 Jan 1831 (Lwów deaths, file 114, p. 52) — Berl Mensch's death entry, 26 Jan 1831 (Lwów deaths, file 114, p. 52)
On the tree card of Moshe Mordechai Mensch

His 5 Oct 1832 birth entry (Lwów births, file 112, p. 90) — Berl Leiser Mensch’s 5 Oct 1832 birth entry (Lwów births, file 112, p. 90)
On the tree card of Berl Leiser Mensch (b. 5 Oct 1832)

Full register spread, Oct 1832 — Full register spread, Oct 1832
On the tree card of Berl Leiser Mensch (b. 5 Oct 1832)

Rifke's 26 Oct 1857 birth entry (Lwów births, file 132, p. 177) — Rifke's 26 Oct 1857 birth entry (Lwów births, file 132, p. 177)
On the tree card of Rebecca Rifka Wachtel (b. May 1862)

Full register spread, Oct-Nov 1857 — Full register spread, Oct-Nov 1857
On the tree card of Rebecca Rifka Wachtel (b. May 1862)

Pictures

Harry Freilich & Gladys (née Nadel) with an aunt — Robert's parents; Harry of the Lemberg Freilich line, Gladys born 1903 on East 108th St, Manhattan.
Family album

Joseph & Ophelia Nadel — headstone — Gladys Nadel's parents.
Family photo

Nadel album page — Album page: the Nadel clan — Joseph holding a grandchild; 'Hortense O'Connor, aunt of Charles & Robert Freilich'; 'Charlie & Blanche'. Gladys's sisters married into the Rosenwald, O'Connor and (likely) Rowland families.
Robert Freilich's album

Joseph Nadel at cemetery fence — Joseph Nadel (1861-1940), knitting-mill foreman of Harlem & the Bronx — at a cemetery fence, headstone behind him; likely visiting Ophelia at Montefiore (1931-40). The album caption names his grandsons incl. William, Robert & Edward O'Connor and William Rowland — two branches recovered from one line of handwriting.
Robert Freilich's album

Joe Nadel Jr in WWI uniform — Joe Nadel Jr. in WWI U.S. Army uniform — Gladys's brother, the doughboy of the family (album caption 'Joseph Nadel'; the 1861-born father was too old to serve).
Robert Freilich's album

With son Robert & wife Gladys, 1950s — With son Robert & wife Gladys, 1950s
On the tree card of Harry Freilich (b. 2 Aug 1897, d. 2 Aug 1957)

The Schechter & Knoll lines — Estelle's family (Poland + Budapest + Galicia → Vienna → Brooklyn)

Documents

David Schechter death certificate 1937 — Rabbi David Schechter's death certificate (Kings #10553, 1937) — occupation 'Rabbi + Shechet,' industry 'Poultry,' 45 years in the trade, last worked 1935 — the year of the Supreme Court case. b. Feb 14, 1872, Poland; husband of Malka (née Halpern); father Chaim Schechter; informant 'Son — Joe Schechter.' Buried Beth David Cemetery.
NYC Municipal Archives free scan

The Schechter brothers after their 1935 Supreme Court win — 'THEIR SQUAWK KILLED THE BLUE EAGLE' — Times Union, May 28, 1935: the Schechter brothers and their lawyer celebrating their 9-0 Supreme Court win. Seated: Alexander, Joseph Heller (lawyer), Joseph Schechter (front right); standing: Martin and Aaron. Joseph, 35, 'oldest of the four brothers and head of the Schechter Poultry Corporation,' 'felt most happy' — but the fight cost him 'every nickel I had' (~$60,000). Click for the full page PDF.
Times Union (Brooklyn), via Newspapers.com

The Men Who Plucked The Blue Eagle — Schechter brothers 1935 — 'The Men Who Plucked The Blue Eagle' — the clearer NEA wire photo (Press of Atlantic City, May 30 1935). Left to right: Joseph Schechter, attorney Joseph Heller, and Martin and Aaron Schechter. These crops are the avatars for Joseph, Martin and Arthur/Aaron.
NEA wire photo, 1935

Threat against Joseph Schechter's wife, and her poem in reply, 1935 — 'Why Blame Us?' — Lea's answer to a death threat. Days after the win, Joseph's wife Lea got an anonymous Yiddish letter vowing to 'dig out' her eyes 'for breaking the NRA,' with a photo of her defaced. She shrugged it off and wrote back a defiant poem: 'Success bears enmity… It was the Supreme Court that gave the decision; so why blame us for their disillusion?' Joseph called the letter 'cowardly.'
Times Union (Brooklyn), May 31, 1935

'Unwanted Glory All That Remains of NRA Victory' — a year after the win, Joe says the brothers are 'practically broke' (United Press, Indianapolis Times, 23 May 1936) — 'Unwanted Glory All That Remains of NRA Victory' — a year after the win, Joe says the brothers are 'practically broke' (United Press, Indianapolis Times, 23 May 1936)
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter

'Schechters of Chicken Fame Go Broke' — bankrupt a year after the win, the bank foreclosing on Rabbi David's house; daughter Sarah: 'But we're all penniless' (Illustrated Daily News, Los Angeles, 27 May 1936) — 'Schechters of Chicken Fame Go Broke' — bankrupt a year after the win, the bank foreclosing on Rabbi David's house; daughter Sarah: 'But we're all penniless' (Illustrated Daily News, Los Angeles, 27 May 1936)
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter

'Schechter Brothers, NRA Suit Principals, Lose House to Bank' (AP, 6 Jun 1936) — 'Schechter Brothers, NRA Suit Principals, Lose House to Bank' (AP, 6 Jun 1936)
On the tree card of Rabbi David Schechter

'A Day With the Schechters': Joe and Lea at home behind the Brighton Beach store, with Lea's poem 'War' (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 16 Jun 1935) — 'A Day With the Schechters': Joe and Lea at home behind the Brighton Beach store, with Lea's poem 'War' (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 16 Jun 1935)
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter

'Schechters Lose Home Over Debts': the bank takes 412 Ralph Ave (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 6 Jun 1936) — 'Schechters Lose Home Over Debts': the bank takes 412 Ralph Ave (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 6 Jun 1936)
On the tree card of Rabbi David Schechter

Sarah Schechter marries Manny Zeligman, Brooklyn, 8 Jan 1933 (certificate 566) — Sarah Schechter marries Manny Zeligman, Brooklyn, 8 Jan 1933 (certificate 566)
On the tree card of Sari (Sarah) Zeligman

Schechter trial and sentencing 1934 — The 1934 trial & sentencing — 'THREATS MADE BY SCHECHTERS BARED AT TRIAL' (Citizen, Oct 23); sentencing front page (Times Union, Nov 9): Joseph — three months + $1,300, the longest sentence, never served. Plus the verdict-day 'Not This Joseph Schechter' letter from an anxious namesake. Three full-page PDFs in documents/.
Brooklyn Newsstand (BPL), free archive

Descendants of Wolf Lichtman chart — 'Descendants of Wolf Lichtman' chart — compiler unknown (possibly Menachem Kenan, b. 1959, an Israeli Knoll cousin); screenshot in family hands since ~2023. Five generations from Wolf Lichtman (1827-1900) m. Chane down through Ester Lichtman × Osias Knoll → Lea Lillian Knoll × Joseph Schechter → Estelle → Nancy. The document that pushed the maternal line back to 1827.
Family papers; links pending record verification

Leontine Knoll 1917 Vienna police ID — Leontine Knoll's Vienna police identity booklet, 23 May 1917 — her photograph and signature at ~16, stamped by the k.k. Polizei-Direktion Wien. Almost certainly Lea Lillian Knoll, Estelle's mother, a Galician-refugee teenager in wartime Vienna.
Family papers

Erno Schechter 1928 Declaration of Intention — Erno Schechter's 1928 Declaration of Intention (No. 156973, EDNY) — Joseph's brother: b. 7 Apr 1901 Budapest, poultry business, 1049 E 15th St Brooklyn; arrived New York on the SS Chicago, Oct 1921 (the Malka Schechter voyage). The record that confirmed a fifth Schechter sibling.
FamilySearch Full-Text (EDNY naturalizations)

National coverage: Press of Atlantic City, 30 May 1935 ('The Men Who Plucked the Blue Eagle') — National coverage: Press of Atlantic City, 30 May 1935 ('The Men Who Plucked the Blue Eagle')
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter (b. ~1897 – d. 1968)

National coverage: Grand Rapids Press, 29 May 1935 (Lea's poem, 'Wife of Schechter Rejoices in Verse') — National coverage: Grand Rapids Press, 29 May 1935 (Lea's poem, 'Wife of Schechter Rejoices in Verse')
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter (b. ~1897 – d. 1968)

National coverage: News & Record, Greensboro NC, 30 May 1935 — National coverage: News & Record, Greensboro NC, 30 May 1935
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter (b. ~1897 – d. 1968)

National coverage: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 22 Jun 1935 (the story reached Hawaii) — National coverage: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 22 Jun 1935 (the story reached Hawaii)
On the tree card of Joseph Schechter (b. ~1897 – d. 1968)

Pictures

Estelle and Hyman Schechter, 1980s — Estelle with her brother Hyman (Schechter → Stewart), 1980s high-rise — the two children of Joseph Schechter & Lea Lillian Knoll, photographed together.
Family album

The Moskowitz line — Brooke's father's family (Habura + Budkovce → Brooklyn)

Documents

Moskowitz household 1950 census — The Moskowitz household, 1950 census — 1173 52nd St, Borough Park: Bernard 37, Elaine 37 (both b. Czechoslovakia), Miriam 7, Morris 4, Leonard 1.
NARA via Ancestry

SS Normandie manifest 1938 — Baruch Moskovic's escape — SS NORMANDIE manifest, Le Havre → NY, arrived Sept 26, 1938, four days before Munich. Line 26: age 26, store worker, from Habura.
NARA via Ancestry

Bernard Moskowitz draft card 1940 — Bernard's WWII draft card (signed, Oct 1940) — b. Habura; 1173 52nd St; brother Jack Moskowitz, Bronx.
NARA via Ancestry

Helena (Elaine) Fried 1937 Declaration of Intention — Elaine's first citizenship papers — 'Helena Fried' (Declaration of Intention No. 256642, EDNY, 25 Feb 1937): a fur finisher of 1008 44th St, Brooklyn; b. Budkovce 19 Mar 1912; arrived on the Aquitania, 5 Nov 1935. Filed under her maiden name, four years before marrying Bernard.
FamilySearch Full-Text (EDNY declarations)

Aquitania manifest Nov 1935 — Elaine & Cecília arrive — RMS AQUITANIA, Nov 5, 1935 — Helena Fried, 22, green eyes, $20, Brooklyn-bound, with sister Cecilie, 21.
NARA via Ancestry

Berengaria manifest 1936 — Martin Fried, 18, alone on the BERENGARIA, Sept 1936 — b. Budkovce, father Izrael named as contact.
NARA via Ancestry

Aquitania manifest Oct 1937 — Izrael (61) & Malvine (55) Fried — AQUITANIA, Oct 12, 1937 — the parents leave Budkovce last, with niece Helena, 18.
NARA via Ancestry

1941 marriage license — Bernard & Elaine's complete 1941 marriage license file — in their own handwriting: Bernard b. Habura, parents Moses Moskowitz + Mariam Shlesinger; Elaine b. Budkovce, 'finisher on furs'; married Feb 11, 1941, witness her sister Cecilia Wachtenheim. 4-page PDF.
NYC Municipal Archives free scan

Moskowitz-Fried marriage license notice 1941 — 'Bernard Moskowitz — Elaine Fried, 925 43d St' — the Brooklyn Eagle marriage-licenses column, Feb 6, 1941, the day after they filed.
Brooklyn Newsstand (BPL)

Page of Testimony for Khaim Moskovic — Bernard's brother — Page of Testimony for Khaim Mordekhai (Markus) Moskovic, b. 1897 Habura, son of Moshe & Miriam; merchant of Vyšný Svidník; murdered at Levoča with his wife Etel and children Miriam (6), Yitzkhak, Zisha, Pinkhas. Filed by his surviving daughter Khana Marva.
Yad Vashem 1666997 ↗

Budkovce council minutes 1937, Resolution 63/37 on Izrael Fried's tavern concession — Izrael Fried's tavern-concession record — Budkovce council minutes, Resolution 63/37 (page 179, 1937). The council voted 10:2 (1 abstaining) that it had "no objection" to transferring the innkeeping-and-tap (výčap / liquor) concession — granted under no. 216.423/13-1932 by the Provincial Office (Krajinský úrad) in Bratislava on 16 January 1933 — to house No. 32, noting the inn would then stand near the church, school and offices. In the same paragraph it records that "Izrael Fried, in September 1937, emigrated with his family to America." The document that dates the family's departure to the month.
Obecný úrad Budkovce, 1937 — via Samuel Weiss (Israel)

Budkovce council minutes 1937, subject heading and attendance — The opening of the same item — "Predmet: Fried Izrael, preloženie hostinskej koncesie" (Subject: Fried Izrael, transfer of the inn concession), No. 63/37. The presiding notary reads District Office (Michalovce) ordinance 27.333/37 asking the council's opinion under §27(2) of Act 259/1924 on Fried's application to move his inn-and-tap concession. Present: mayor Štefan Harbuľák, chief notary Juraj Vazáč, and the village councillors.
Obecný úrad Budkovce, council minute-book, 1937

1869 census transcription — Habura, family #9
On the tree card of Iszak (Izsák / Jezko) Moskovic (b. 1823)

Pictures

The first generation of Frieds, 1970 — the surviving Budkovce siblings together in America.
Family album

A Fried family gathering — the Budkovce siblings and their descendants, identified by the family.
Family album

Moses and Mariam Moskovic of Habura — Moses & Mariam (née Schlesinger) Moskovic of HABURA — Bernard's parents, who stayed behind (both died in 1935 — Mariam 29 Jun, Moses 12 Nov). The framed photograph their descendants kept: Brooke's great-grandparents, the deepest faces on the Moskowitz line.
Family album, identified by Ben 2026

Formal studio portrait of Bernard and Elaine Moskowitz — Bernard & Elaine Moskowitz — a formal studio portrait of Brooke's paternal grandparents (Baruch Moskovic of Habura × Ilona/Helena Fried of Budkovce), in later life, decades after their 1941 Brooklyn wedding.
Family album, identified by Ben 2026

Mendel and Malka Fried's house in Budkovce, No. 329 — Mendel & Malka Fried's house — Budkovce No. 329, the ancestral home still standing: a classic hip-roofed Zemplén village house with quoined corners and pilasters. This is where Emanuel/Izrael Fried kept the village tavern and where Elaine (Ilona) and her siblings were born before the family left for Brooklyn (1923–1937). (House numbers: today No. 329; the 1930 census gives the Fried premises as No. 212 and the 1937 concession transfer names No. 32 — Mendel owned two houses in the village, and Samuel Weiss has a map matching the old numbers to the current ones.)
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel), 2026

The Fried house in Budkovce under restoration, brick exposed — The same house under restoration — stripped to its brick with a new roof structure going on, the No. 329 placard still on the wall. The exposed masonry shows the original hand-made brick of the Fried home.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel), 2026

Malka-Mendel Fried Family Circle memorial poster — The Malka-Mendel Fried Family Circle poster — Mendel's Hebrew name is given as Israel Menachem (ישראל מנחם). The children ring the family photo with their Hebrew names: Rose/Fanci (Feige Rivka), Theresa (Tila), Esther, Armand (Aharon Yehuda), Elaine/Ilona (Bas Sheva), Cecilia/Cili (Sheindel), Lazer Hersh/Lajos (Eliezer Zvi), Martin (Mordechai), Irene (Chaya) and Rosa. The oval at top shows an ancestral couple labeled Miriam (מרים) and Sarah / "Seraine" (שרה) — an earlier generation still to be placed (these are not Mendel's parents, now known to be Eliezer Zvi × Ceva/Batsheva Jager). Note the naming: two children carry the paternal grandparents' names, Eliezer Zvi and Bas Sheva — for Eliezer Zvi Fried × Ceva "Batsheva" Jager of Tárkány.
Fried Family Circle — courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

Elderly Fried couple, formal portrait at a family simcha — Mendel & Malka Fried (per family) at a family simcha, ~1950s — he in kippah and boutonniere, she with a corsage. The founding couple of the Family Circle, decades after leaving Budkovce.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

A Fried couple seated outdoors, 1940s — A Fried couple, ~1940s — the mustachioed patriarch in a fedora with his wife. From the same album as the family gatherings; family to confirm whether this is Mendel & Malka or one of the married siblings.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

Fried family multigenerational gathering, late 1940s — A Fried family simcha, late 1940s — three generations around the tables, the elders seated at center and the grandchildren on the floor. This is the Budkovce family reassembled in Brooklyn.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

Children of Malka and Mendel Fried with their spouses, 1970 — "First Generation" — the children of Malka & Mendel Fried with their spouses, 1970 (family's own caption). The siblings who came out of Budkovce in stages 1923–1937, gathered with their husbands and wives.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

Fried sisters at a table, ~1980s — The Fried sisters in later years, ~1980s — gathered around a Shabbat/simcha table with the challah. Individual names per the family.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

Fried siblings group, circa 1990 — The Fried siblings and spouses, ~1990 — the same first generation two decades on from the 1970 portrait, still gathering as the Family Circle.
Courtesy of Samuel Weiss (Israel)

The Lazerowitz line — Brooke's mother's family (Sosnowiec → Bayreuth → Cincinnati → Brooklyn)

Documents

Moses Lazerowitz, post-war portrait — Moses's testimony, in English. A full English translation of his 1997 USC Shoah Foundation interview (no. 27036), which he gave in Yiddish: all six tapes, from his childhood in Sosnowiec and the Środula ghetto through Łaziska, Auschwitz, the Warsaw concentration camp, Dachau and Kaufering, to liberation on 1 May 1945, Bayreuth and Cincinnati. Timestamps match the videos. A family working translation of a machine transcript (Oct 2026); living relatives' names are withheld. Open the 35-page PDF

Cover of Zeidy's Book by Moshe Lazerowitz — “Zeidy's Book” — the diary of Moshe (Moses) Lazerowitz Zeidy's Book was never meant to be a book. It began as Moses's diary: night after night he went down to the basement and wrote out his stories in Yiddish, as a kind of therapy. Years later the Yiddish was recorded aloud by his half-brother Lazer Lazerowitz, then transcribed and translated into English through a service arranged by Moses's grandchildren. A grandson turned the electronic English text into the bound book, and a copy may have reached a Holocaust museum in Israel. Moses's own Holocaust diary, translated from the Yiddish. It opens by naming his parents — his father R' Aharon Shmuel Lazerowitz, born in Wodzisław near Kielce, and his mother Sarah, daughter of Kalman Potok, born near Wodzisław and Działoszyce — which independently confirms the whole Potok line, and goes on to name scores of Potok, Lazerowitz, Midlik, Weisberg and Leiderman relatives murdered in the Shoah. Foreword & opening pages (7-page PDF) · the whole book: part 1, part 2
Moshe Lazerowitz, Zeidy's Book (family copy)

1845 Wodzisław birth record of Kalma Potok, act 22 — Kalman Potok's birth record, Wodzisław, 1845 — act no. 22, drawn up 16 April 1845. The father, Fajwel (Fayb) Potok, a laborer aged 38, presents a son born 14 April to his wife Basia née Rzepek, aged 28; at the circumcision the boy is named Kalma (Kalman). Witnesses Hajm Hersz Barmaiz (synagogue beadle, 43) and Fajwel Glik (45); the father signs in Polish and Hebrew beneath the seal of the Wodzisław Jewish civil-registry district. Sarah's father — Brooke's great-great-grandfather. (In the Polish act he is Fajwel/Fayb, signing so here and on his son Jakub's 1843 act; JRI-Poland indexes him as Icyk/Yitzchak, most likely his Hebrew name. By family tradition the Potoks are Levites.) Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Wodzisławiu, Fond 21/1731/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1865 Działoszyce marriage record of Kalma Potok and Jentla Zuchter, act 31 — Kalman Potok & Jentla Zuchter's marriage, Działoszyce, 1865 — act no. 31, drawn up 7 August 1865 in the bride's town. The groom, Kalma Potok, a bachelor of 20 living with his parents in Wodzisław, son of Icyk and Basia née Rzepek, petty traders; the bride, Jentla Zuchter, 17, living with her father, a grain trader of Działoszyce, daughter of Hajem (Chaim) Zuchter and the late Rojza (born Lewkowicz; the clerk writes her ‘z Osołków’, as the widow of her first husband Herszel Pałesznicki alias Osetka). Banns were read in both the Działoszyce and Wodzisław synagogues on 15, 22 and 29 July; the groom's parents and the bride's father consented in person. One record naming three generations: Sarah's parents and all four of her grandparents. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1827 Działoszyce birth record of Chaim Zuchter, act 27 — Chaim Zuchter's birth record, Działoszyce, 1827 — act no. 27, 25 March 1827. Mosiek Zuchter, a petty trader aged 33, presents a son born 17 March to his wife Gitla, 26, named Chaim; Mosiek signs in Polish and the witnesses in Hebrew. Jentla Zuchter's father: Sarah Potok's grandfather. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1842 Działoszyce marriage record of Froim Zuchter and Zelda Karczmarczyk, act 19 — Froim Zuchter & Zelda Karczmarczyk's marriage, Działoszyce, 1842 — act no. 19, 20 December 1842. ‘Frojm Zuch’, 18, son of Mosiek & Gitla, labourers, marries Zelda, daughter of Icyk & Zysla Karczmarczyk. Chaim's elder brother, so Jentla's uncle. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1852 Działoszyce death record of Mosiek Zuchter, act 133 — Mosiek Zuchter's death record, Działoszyce, 1852 — act no. 133, 12 November 1852. The synagogue watchman died aged 67, ‘son of parents whose names are unknown’, leaving his widow Gitla and sons Efraim (Froim) and Haim (Chaim). The deepest Zuchter generation the records reach. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1837 Działoszyce marriage record of Herszel Pałesznicki and Róża Lewkowicz, act 18 — Rojza's first marriage, Działoszyce, 1837 — act no. 18, drawn up 9 November 1837 (the wedding was on 1 November). Herszel Pałesznicki, 23, born in the village of Pałesznica and in service in Działoszyce, marries Rozia Lewkowicz, 19, also in service, daughter of the late Lewek Szmerl and of Ruchla, still living. Both ages are sworn by acts of notoriety in place of birth records. One witness is Moszek Zuchter, 46, the synagogue night-watchman, whose son Chaim would marry the widowed Rozia in 1846; his Hebrew signature is at the bottom right. This is the one record that names Rojza by her own family, so it is how we know she was born a Lewkowicz. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1846 Działoszyce birth record of Jentla Zuchter, act 105 — Jentla (Jenta) Zuchter's birth record, Działoszyce, 1846 — act no. 105, drawn up 20 December 1846. Her father, Haim (Chaim) Zuchter, a petty trader of 19, presents a girl born 12 December at 10 a.m. to his wife Róża ‘z Herszlowiczów’, aged 30, and she is named Jentla. Chaim signs it himself: ‘Chaim Zuchter, father’. Born ten months after her parents' wedding, she would marry Kalman Potok in 1865 and become Sarah Potok's mother. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1846 Działoszyce marriage record of Chaim Zuchter and Rojza, act 12 — Chaim Zuchter & Rojza's marriage, Działoszyce, 1846 — act no. 12, drawn up 27 February 1846 (the religious wedding was the evening before). The groom, Chaim Zuchter, a bachelor of 19 living with his parents Mosiek and Gitla Zuchter; the bride, Rayza Pałesznicka, a widow of 25 supporting herself by her own work, written ‘z Osiałkową’ / ‘z Orełkową’, i.e. Osetkowa, the widow of Herszel Pałesznicki alias Osetka, who had died in 1844. She was born Róża Lewkowicz, daughter of Lewek Szmerl and Ruchla (her 1837 first marriage). These are Jenta's parents: Sarah Potok's grandparents. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Działoszycach, Fond 21/2251/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1871 Miechów birth record of Moszek Potok, act 19 — Moszek Potok's birth record, Miechów, 1871 — act no. 19, in Russian. Sarah's brother was born on 21 April / 3 May 1871; his father Kalma Potok, a tavern-keeper aged 25, registered him late because he had been ill, ‘born of his lawful wife Jentla, née Zuchter, aged 22’. This is the record that settles the old doubt: the JRI index reads the mother as ‘Genendla’, but the original names Jentla Zuchter. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1872 Miechów birth record of Gerszl Potok — Gerszl Potok's birth, Miechów, 1872 — act 20, in Russian. Born 2/14 July 1872 to Kalma Potok, trader, 26, and ‘his lawful wife Jentla née Zuchter, 24’. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1873 Miechów death record of Gerszl Potok — Gerszl Potok's death, Miechów, 1873 — act 8. Died 26 April / 8 May 1873, aged nine months, ‘son of the living Kalma and Jentla née Zuchter’. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1875 Miechów birth record of Izrael Potok — Izrael Potok's birth, Miechów, 1875 — act 22. Born 17/29 August 1875 to Kalma Potok, trader, 29, and Jentla née Zuchter, 28. Kalma signs in Hebrew and Polish. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1877 Miechów birth record of Estera Potok — Estera Potok's birth, Miechów, 1877 — act 11. Born 11/23 February 1877 to Kalma Potok, tavern-keeper, 30, and Jentla née Zuchter, 28; registered a month late because her father had been ill. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1880 Miechów birth index with Rachmil Potok — Rachmil (Roman) Potok in the 1880 Miechów birth index — no. 37: ‘Potok Rachmil, parents Kalma & Jentla, act 43’. The act pages for 1879-80 are missing from the book; the register's own index survives. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1890 Miechów death record of Idel Potok — Idel Potok's death, Miechów, 1890 — act 28. Died 11/23 September 1890 aged two, ‘son of Kalma and Jentla née Zuchter, lawful spouses Potok’. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Miechowie, Fond 21/707/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

1843 Wodzisław birth record of Jakub Potok, act 26 — Jakub Potok's birth record, Wodzisław, 1843 — act no. 26, 3 May 1843: Kalman's older brother. The same father, here a dealer (szpekulant) aged 36, presents a son born 26 April to his wife Basia; the boy is named Jakob at the circumcision. This is the act that settles the father's name: he signs 'Fayb Potok' here exactly as on Kalman's 1845 act two years later; JRI-Poland reads the father as Icyk (Yitzchak), most likely his Hebrew name alongside the Yiddish Fajwel. Full page →
Akta stanu cywilnego Okręgu Bóżniczego w Wodzisławiu, Fond 21/1731/0, State Archive in Kielce (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl)

Olshevski necrology entry — from the Sosnowiec yizkor, naming Regina's family among the murdered.
Sosnowiec yizkor

DP flight list 1949 — The Lazerowitz DP airlift — IRO flight CONY/286, Bremen → Idlewild, Oct 1949: Moses (41, tailor), Regina (31), Jakob (1) — destination Cincinnati.
Arolsen Archives via Ancestry

Page of Testimony for Icchak Olschevski — Page of Testimony for Icchak (Yitzkhak) Olschevski, b. 1870 Sosnowiec, watchmaker, murdered in Sosnowiec 1942 — candidate for Yankel Olshevski's father or brother (unproven).
Yad Vashem item 1278722 ↗

Moses Lazerowitz Cincinnati naturalization card 1956 — Citizens of Cincinnati, 22 May 1956 — Moses & Regina were naturalized the same day in the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, on consecutive petitions (Mozes no. 21122, Regina no. 21121, both vol. 89). Seven years after the DP airlift to Cincinnati, the family were Americans. Regina's card →
US District Court, S.D. Ohio — via FamilySearch

Dachau prisoner list p.3360: Mojach Lejzerowicz, b. 3.7.07 Sosnowiec, no. 88797, arrived from Warsaw 6 Aug 1944, liberated Kaufering (USHMM RG-67.034M) — Dachau prisoner list p.3360: Mojach Lejzerowicz, b. 3.7.07 Sosnowiec, no. 88797, arrived from Warsaw 6 Aug 1944, liberated Kaufering (USHMM RG-67.034M)
On the tree card of Moses Lazerowitz (b. 3 Jul 1908 – d. 5 Apr 2000)

Central Committee of Polish Jews survivor list, letter L p.22: Mojżesz Lejzerowicz, Sosnowiec / Feldafing DP camp (ŻIH via USHMM) — Central Committee of Polish Jews survivor list, letter L p.22: Mojżesz Lejzerowicz, Sosnowiec / Feldafing DP camp (ŻIH via USHMM)
On the tree card of Moses Lazerowitz (b. 3 Jul 1908 – d. 5 Apr 2000)

Death certificate 2005 (#156-05-035088) — Death certificate 2005 (#156-05-035088)
On the tree card of Regina Lazerowitz née Olshewski (b. 12 Jan 1912 – d. 11 Aug 2005)

Possibly hers: death of the widow Basia Potok, Miechów 1894 (act 5) — Possibly hers: death of the widow Basia Potok, Miechów 1894 (act 5)
On the tree card of Basia Potok née Rzepek (b. ~1817)

Miechów 1894 death index (no. 15) — Miechów 1894 death index (no. 15)
On the tree card of Basia Potok née Rzepek (b. ~1817)

Her daughter Rojza Frajdla's 1885 marriage, naming her as the late Malka Wichtler (act 1) — Milka Pałesznicka’s daughter Rojza Frajdla's 1885 marriage, naming her as the late Malka Wichtler (act 1)
On the tree card of Milka Pałesznicka (b. 14 Dec 1842)

Full register page — Full register page
On the tree card of Rojza Frajdla Wichtler (Pińczowska) (b. 13 Jan 1865)

Central Committee of Polish Jews survivor list, letter L p.21: Lejzor Lejzerowicz, b. 1925, Sosnowiec / Feldafing DP camp (ŻIH via USHMM) — Central Committee of Polish Jews survivor list, letter L p.21: Lejzor Lejzerowicz, b. 1925, Sosnowiec / Feldafing DP camp (ŻIH via USHMM)
On the tree card of Lazer (Eliezer) Lazerowitz (b. 25 Oct 1925)

The Gluzy farm — The Gluzy Farm: Zelig Potok's farm near Działoszyce, the 1931 partnership with Moses and Yerachmiel, 1942, and Hinda and Moses's 1945–48 fight to get it back
Story page with the 1937 map and sources

Hinda Herskowicz née Potok — Hinda Herskowicz née Potok (1920–2012), Zelig and Keila's daughter, the only survivor of the Gluzy family; married David Herskowicz, buried in Hod HaSharon
Portrait from her Geni profile (managed by Aviad Ben Izhak)

Central Committee of Polish Jews survivor card no. 6486, front: Hinda Potok, b. 1922, last address Sosnowiec, Targowa 15 (parents left blank). ŻIH, via USHMM — Central Committee of Polish Jews survivor card no. 6486, front: Hinda Potok, b. 1922, last address Sosnowiec, Targowa 15 (parents left blank). ŻIH, via USHMM
On the tree card of Hinde Reisel (Hinda) Potok (b. 15 Nov 1922)

Survivor card no. 6486, back: stamped Komitet w Sosnowcu, 10 July 1946 — Survivor card no. 6486, back: stamped Komitet w Sosnowcu, 10 July 1946
On the tree card of Hinde Reisel (Hinda) Potok (b. 15 Nov 1922)

Central Committee of Polish Jews alphabetical list, letter P, p.191: 'Potok Hinda 6486 1922 ... Sosnowiec, Targowa 15' — Central Committee of Polish Jews alphabetical list, letter P, p.191: 'Potok Hinda 6486 1922 ... Sosnowiec, Targowa 15'
On the tree card of Hinde Reisel (Hinda) Potok (b. 15 Nov 1922)

Flossenbürg prisoner list p.855: Potok, Hinda, no. 63897, Polish Jew, b. 15.12.22 (USHMM RG-30.005M) — Flossenbürg prisoner list p.855: Potok, Hinda, no. 63897, Polish Jew, b. 15.12.22 (USHMM RG-30.005M)
On the tree card of Hinde Reisel (Hinda) Potok (b. 15 Nov 1922)

Pictures

Formal studio portrait of Moses and Regina Lazerowitz — Moses & Regina Lazerowitz — a formal studio portrait of Brooke's maternal grandparents (Mozes Lejzerowicz & Sarah Rivka née Olshewski, both of Sosnowiec), Shoah survivors who came through the Bayreuth DP camp and Cincinnati to Brooklyn.
Family album, identified by Ben 2026

Jack Lazerowitz 1966 — Jack Lazerowitz at ~17 — Woodward High School, Cincinnati, 1966 (b. Bayreuth DP camp 1948; d. 2025).
U.S. School Yearbooks via Ancestry

Moses and Regina Lazerowitz matzevot, Wellwood Cemetery — Moses & Regina Lazerowitz side by side at Wellwood — Moses’s stone: 'Moshe son of R' Aharon Shmuel, survivor of Sosnowiec, risked his life to help his fellow Jews during the destruction of Europe… his mother: Sarah HaLevi of the house of Patak'; Regina’s: 'Sarah Rivka daughter of R' Yaakov, died at 93.' The footstones name the murdered family.
Family photo

Bayreuth c.1946: Moses (back right) with Lazer, Rushka and cousin Hinja (Hinde Reisel); which woman is which not yet certain (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~7:15-8:20) — Bayreuth c.1946: Moses (back right) with Lazer, Rushka and cousin Hinja (Hinde Reisel); which woman is which not yet certain (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~7:15-8:20)
On the tree card of Moses Lazerowitz (b. 3 Jul 1908 – d. 5 Apr 2000)

Post-war celebration in Germany: Moses & Regina, cousin Hinja, Lazer (standing), Rushka, Regina's brother Yosef Olshefski beside her with his friend, and her brothers Alter Yechiel and another brother on the left (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~9:45) — Post-war celebration in Germany: Moses & Regina, cousin Hinja, Lazer (standing), Rushka, Regina's brother Yosef Olshefski beside her with his friend, and her brothers Alter Yechiel and another brother on the left (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~9:45)
On the tree card of Moses Lazerowitz (b. 3 Jul 1908 – d. 5 Apr 2000)

Post-war celebration in Germany (second view of the same gathering) (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~10:40) — Post-war celebration in Germany (second view of the same gathering) (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~10:40)
On the tree card of Moses Lazerowitz (b. 3 Jul 1908 – d. 5 Apr 2000)

Moses & Regina's ketubah / marriage certificate, Jewish Committee Munich, Chief Rabbi B. Leiserowski (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~20:35) — Moses & Regina's ketubah / marriage certificate, Jewish Committee Munich, Chief Rabbi B. Leiserowski (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~20:35)
On the tree card of Moses Lazerowitz (b. 3 Jul 1908 – d. 5 Apr 2000)

Regina, portrait c.1945 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~8:50 / 10:57) — Regina, portrait c.1945 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~8:50 / 10:57)
On the tree card of Regina Lazerowitz née Olshewski (b. 12 Jan 1912 – d. 11 Aug 2005)

Regina holding baby Jack, Bayreuth, 1948 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~11:40) — Regina holding baby Jack, Bayreuth, 1948 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~11:40)
On the tree card of Regina Lazerowitz née Olshewski (b. 12 Jan 1912 – d. 11 Aug 2005)

Regina, IRO photograph 1948 — Regina, 1948 — photograph from her IRO eligibility certificate, Würzburg, 4 Nov 1948 (as Regina Silberstein; mark ‘C.C. 72216’)
Arolsen Archives, CM/1 file, doc 79780205

Regina DP questionnaire camps — Regina's DP questionnaire, Bayreuth 1946 — Auschwitz no. 72216, Ravensbrück, Malchow, Leipzig
Arolsen Archives, CM/1 file, doc 79780205

Portrait of Aharon Shmuel Lazerowitz, which Moses dates to 1937 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~16:40) — Portrait of Aharon Shmuel Lazerowitz, which Moses dates to 1937 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~16:40)
On the tree card of Aharon Shmuel Lazerowitz (b. 1880 – d. 1937)

Portrait of Moses's mother Sura (Sarah) née Potok, d. c.1918 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~17:45) — Portrait of Moses's mother Sura (Sarah) née Potok, d. c.1918 (shown by Moses in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5, ~17:45)
On the tree card of Sarah Lazerowitz née Potok (b. ~1884 – d. Jul 1919)

Gluzy on the 1937 Polish military map (WIG 1:25,000, sheet Słaboszów), village close-up — Gluzy on the 1937 Polish military map (WIG 1:25,000, sheet Słaboszów), village close-up
On the tree card of Zelig Potok

Gluzy and Kropidło, 1937 WIG map (wider view, with Toporów and Miroszów) — Gluzy and Kropidło, 1937 WIG map (wider view, with Toporów and Miroszów)
On the tree card of Zelig Potok

Full 1937 WIG sheet Słaboszów (Pas 47 Słup 30 F), Biblioteka Narodowa / Polona, public domain — Full 1937 WIG sheet Słaboszów (Pas 47 Słup 30 F), Biblioteka Narodowa / Polona, public domain
On the tree card of Zelig Potok

Bayreuth, c.1946: Moses (back right) with family incl. his cousin Hinde Reisel (front row), shown in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5 — Bayreuth, c.1946: Moses (back right) with family incl. his cousin Hinde Reisel (front row), shown in his USC Shoah Foundation testimony 27036, tape 5
On the tree card of Hinde Reisel (Hinda) Potok (b. 15 Nov 1922)

Post-war gathering in Germany shown in Moses's testimony, tape 5 (~10:00), where he names cousin Hinde Reisel 'Czapelska' — Post-war gathering in Germany shown in Moses's testimony, tape 5 (~10:00), where he names cousin Hinde Reisel 'Czapelska'
On the tree card of Hinde Reisel (Hinda) Potok (b. 15 Nov 1922)

His matzevah, unveiled 2026 — “Joyful · Adventurous · Caring · Knowledgeable” — Jack Lazerowitz’s matzevah, unveiled 2026 — “Joyful · Adventurous · Caring · Knowledgeable”
On the tree card of Jack Lazerowitz (b. 10 Jul 1948 – d. 22 Oct 2025)

The Soffer & Engel lines — Ben's stepfather's family (Galicia + Bukovina → the Rockaways + a Connecticut farm)

Documents

'Finds His Parents Alive In Austria': Harry, stranded by the war, hears from Bukovina (Ithaca Journal, 26 Jan 1920) — 'Finds His Parents Alive In Austria': Harry, stranded by the war, hears from Bukovina (Ithaca Journal, 26 Jan 1920)
On the tree card of Harry (Heinrich) Engel

Engle household 1950 census, East Haven CT — The Engle farm, 1950 census — Foxon Hill Rd, East Haven, CT (ED 5-63). Harry H. Engle, farm manager on his own account, 70 hrs/week; wife Jennie. The Foxon-ridge farm where Elsie (Ben's step-grandmother) was raised.
1950 U.S. Census, NARA via Ancestry

1919 letter from Rep. Alanson B. Houghton to the Secretary of State about Harry Engel — Searching for his father, 1919 (1 of 2) — Rep. Alanson B. Houghton of New York writes to Secretary of State Robert Lansing on 27 March 1919 for “a young Austrian named Harry Engel” of Ithaca, who came over just before the war and was seeking news of his parents in Austria. The parents are Wolf Engel of Toporoutz, Bukovina and his wife Elka.
U.S. State Department decimal file 363.63/1047, RG 59, National Archives

1919 State Department reply to Rep. Houghton about Harry Engel — The answer, 4 April 1919 (2 of 2) — Acting Secretary of State William Phillips replies that because Mr. Engel is still an Austrian subject the Department can give no help, and points him to the American Red Cross. At the time Harry was still waiting on his final naturalization papers. Whether he ever found word of his parents is not known.
U.S. State Department decimal file 363.63/1047, RG 59, National Archives

The SS President Grant at a pier — The ship that brought him: SS President Grant — the Hamburg-America liner on which Harry Engel, listed as “Hersch Engel,” 17, of Boian, Austria, landed at Ellis Island on 1 October 1913.
Period photograph (source not yet recorded); manifest via Ellis Island / FamilySearch

Map of Foxon Hill Road, East Haven, Connecticut — Where the farm stood: Foxon Hill Road, East Haven, CT — the pin marks the stretch of Foxon Hill Rd where Harry and Jennie Engle ran their farm (1950 census, ED 5-63), the farm where Elsie was raised.
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

1923 Brooklyn marriage affidavit, Harry Engle and Jennie Green, no. 7851 — Harry Engle & Jennie Green's 1923 marriage affidavit (Kings no. 7851, sworn 29 May 1923) — the document that finally names both sets of parents: groom Harry Engle, son of Wolf Engel and Elka Morgenstern; bride Jennie Green, daughter of Israel Grün and Ester (maiden surname unclear, approx. Salketer). All four of Austria. Jennie's own birthplace given as Austria (Galicia).
NYC Municipal Archives (Kings L-7851)

Max Soffer 1914 declaration of intention — Max Soffer's declaration of intention — filed Feb 13, 1914 (#24435, SDNY): glazier, of 131 Pitt St; b. Jan 25, 1889, Galicia, Austria; Hamburg → New York on the SS Cleveland, Aug 15, 1910; renouncing Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria.
NARA via Ancestry

Max Hertz Soffer WWI draft card — Max Hertz Soffer's WWI draft card — June 5, 1917: 44 South Hammels Ave, Rockaway Beach; self-employed glazier; single; exemption claimed: 'Yes — Heart Trouble.' The Soffers were on the peninsula by 1917.
NARA via Ancestry

1917 Soffer-James marriage certificate — Max Hertz Soffer × Anna James marriage certificate — Sept 30, 1917, at the bride's family home, 1516 Charlotte St, Bronx (cert #3816); Rabbi Fabian London officiating. Names Max's parents Samuel Soffer + Rebecca Rubinfeld and Anna's parents Louis + Rose James.
PDF — NYC Municipal Archives free scan ↗

Harry Heinrich Engel WWI draft card — Harry Heinrich Engel's WWI draft card — June 1917, Tompkins County NY: farmhand for William Marley on Freeville RD 16; b. Jan 12, 1896 in 'Toporowty, Bukowina, Austria' (Toporoutz — today Toporivtsi, Ukraine); Austrian citizen; claimed no exemption, and served.
NARA via Ancestry

Marriage certificate (Bronx #3816), 1917 — names his parents Samuel & Rebecca — Marriage certificate (Bronx #3816), 1917 — names his parents Samuel & Rebecca
On the tree card of Max (Hertz) Soffer (b. 25 Jan 1889 – d. 30 Jun 1968)

Declaration of Intention, Tompkins Co. NY, 1915 — Declaration of Intention, Tompkins Co. NY, 1915
On the tree card of Harry (Heinrich) Engel (b. 12 Jan 1896 – d. Jan 1983)

1937 Petition for Naturalization (New Haven) — 1937 Petition for Naturalization (New Haven)
On the tree card of Jennie Engel née Green (b. 18 May 1898 – d. Nov 1969)

1920 SS Rotterdam manifest (as Scheindel Grün) — 1920 SS Rotterdam manifest (as Scheindel Grün)
On the tree card of Jennie Engel née Green (b. 18 May 1898 – d. Nov 1969)

Pictures

Aharon Shmuel Lamm — matzevah, Israel — husband of Esther (née Engel), Elsie's older sister; the Lamm family settled in Israel.
Family photo

Eliahu Soffer matzevah, Israel — Eliahu Soffer's matzevah, Israel — 'R' Eliahu Soffer son of R' Moshe Yosef… upright and good-hearted… honored his father and mother with love all his days.' Died erev Shabbat, 4 Iyar 5768 (May 9, 2008). A grandson's bar-mitzvah invitation rests among the stones.
Family photo

Matzevot of Esther and Aharon Shmuel Lamm in Israel — Esther (Engel) Lamm & Aharon Shmuel Lamm — the matzevot in Israel of Elsie's older sister Esther and her husband. Esther's stone names her 'Esther bat R' Tzvi' — confirming her father Harry Engel's Hebrew name as Tzvi.
Family photo, 2026