Only 3 hours 15 minutes from Perth to Sydney, but 15 and a half hours to Dallas!
I left Perth at 5:15 am and arrived in Dallas at 2pm the same day. A 13 hour time change!
A nice and warm 38C – 100F day in Dallas.
My first time here, and the first time I’m meeting my Texas family.
I was met at the Dallas – Fort Worth Airport by Gene Itzkowitz, my second cousin on our mothers’ sides. Gene and his wife, Vicki are hosting me here in Dallas.
This must be Texas!
Alli and her younger son Gene
Here is my relationship chart to Alli, my mother’s first cousin and the last of her ZELDIN generation. They never met.
Allis’ paternal Bak grandparents – Leib and Naomi
Alli’s dad, Avram BakAlli and her late husband JuliusAlli’s sister Luba & husband JashaAlli’s family. The mother Sonia in the frontAlli’s family in Memel, LithuaniaAlli, Morris Back and Harry BockMy mum, Ray and my grandfather Socher ZeldinBack of the photoGene & Vicki with their daughter, Marny and her husband Cody
Alli is a Holocaust Survivor and has her testimony recorded at USHMM as well as the Spielberg Foundation.
The USHMM link is here:
Oral history interview with Alli Itzkowitz – Collections Search – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
St Pancras railway station (/seɪnt ˈpæŋkrəs/ or /sənt ˈpæŋkrəs/), also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus located on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden.
Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide – Wikipedia
The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide (German pronunciation: [ˈviːnɐ ]); is the world’s oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the persecution of the Jews under the Nazis, it was transformed into a research institute and public access library after the end of World War II and is now situated in Russell Square, London.[2]
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is an area of Central and West London in which many of the city’s major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues, including West End theatres, are concentrated.
Selfridges is a Grade II listed retail premises on Oxford Street in London. It was designed by Daniel Burnham for Harry Gordon Selfridge, and opened in 1909.[1] Still the headquarters of Selfridge & Co. department stores, with 540,000 square feet (50,000 m2) of selling space,[2] the store is the second largest retail premises in the UK,[1] half as big as the biggest department store in Europe, Harrods.[2] It was named the world’s best department store in 2010,[3] and again in 2012.[4]
First Bunnings in the UK. Bunnings was started in Perth, Australia. Ten minute walk from Neil
<
►
>
Sausage Sizzle
Around the Nunnery
<
►
>
Go Fly A Kite
The Town
<
►
>
Bicycle Rack at Station
Reading Material
Read the character names on these pages – amazing coincidence – Roly Poly Bird saves Jill! Roly Poly is what the grandkids call me!
<
►
>
St Albans – Wikipedia
St Albans /sənt ˈɔːlbənz/, /seɪn … / is a city in Hertfordshire, England, and the major urban area in the City and District of St Albans. It lies east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, about 19 miles (31 km) north-northwest of London, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Welwyn Garden City and 11 miles (18 km) south-southeast of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north, and it became the Roman city of Verulamium. It is a historic market town and is now a dormitory town within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area.
Mahane Yehuda Market (Hebrew: שוק מחנה יהודה, Shuk Mahane Yehuda), often referred to as “The Shuk”,[1] is a marketplace (originally open-air, but now at least partially covered) in Jerusalem, Israel. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market’s more than 250 vendors[2] sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; and housewares, textiles, and Judaica.[3][4]
HadaraFrom Orla, Poland to Volksrust, Transvaal, South Africa
<
►
>
Moshe
<
►
>
Nachum Mendel & Moshe Zalman Rabinowitz
Personal Journeys: From One Photograph to Journeys of Research and Discovery – Avotaynu Online
All I ever knew was that I am named after my great-uncle Moshe. Moshe died in a motor accident, six weeks before his planned wedding. The date of his death is unknown, but it was sometime between the late 1920s …
The Hurva represents the community that my 3rd great grandfather, Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref (Salomon) established in 1811.
<
►
>
The Hurva
<
►
>
Hurva Synagogue – Wikipedia
The Hurva Synagogue, (Hebrew: בית הכנסת החורבה, translit: Beit ha-Knesset ha-Hurva, lit. “The Ruin Synagogue”), also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid (“Ruin of Rabbi Judah the Pious”), is a historic synagogue located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel (Hebrew: הַכֹּתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי (help·info), translit.: HaKotel HaMa’aravi; Ashkenazic pronunciation: HaKosel HaMa’arovi; Arabic: حائط البراق, translit.: Ḥā’iṭ al-Burāq, translat.: the Buraq Wall, or Arabic: المبكى al-Mabkā: the Place of Weeping) is an ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a relatively small segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall, known also in its entirety as the “Western Wall”. The wall was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple begun by Herod the Great, which resulted in the encasement of the natural, steep hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount, in a large rectangular structure topped by a huge flat platform, thus creating more space for the Temple itself and its auxiliary buildings.
Yad Vashem International School For Holocaust Studies
<
►
>
<
►
>
<
►
>
The Partisan Memorial area
<
►
>
<
►
>
Tehilla, Jane & Allison
Yad Vashem – Wikipedia
Yad Vashem (Hebrew: יָד וַשֵׁם) is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the dead; honouring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future.
Featured on the new JewishGen Success Stories site:
Click on the image or source link below to read the article.
Finding Mr. Katz – Success! Stories of Connection
This story is a sequel to From One Photograph to a Journey of Discovery, my research into the tragic romance of my great-uncle Moshe Rabinowitz and Paula Lichtzier, recently published by JewishGen.
Join us for the next meeting of the Israel Genealogy Research
Association (IGRA).
Eli Rabinowitz will be speaking on “In the Footsteps of Zalman Tzoref:
Tracing 200 Years of Litvak Family History and Legacy”.
This presentation follows Zalman Tzoref’s footsteps and goes beyond!
In 1811, Tzoref left Keidan, Lithuania for Jerusalem where his mission
was to rebuild the Ashkenazi community in the Old City. Eli will
discuss Tzoref’s life and achievements through his 20,000 descendants.
In 2011, Eli returned to the town, now called Kedainiai, and
re-established his family connections with Tzoref’s birthplace. He
will also speak on how he has become active in building bridges in
this town.
Eli Rabinowitz, born in Cape Town, has lived in Perth Australia since
1986. An economist by profession, Eli is involved in a wide range of
Jewish community activities, including filming events, research,
education, arranging exhibitions and lecturing on Jewish cultural
heritage and family history. Eli writes and manages 75 Kehilalinks
websites for JewishGen, and blogs on Jewish life, his extensive
heritage travel and photography. He also arranges customized Litvak
heritage tours and has published stories in various genealogical
publications.
Location: Bet Fisher, 5 Klausner Street, Ra’anana
Doors open at 19:00 Meeting begins at 19:30.
Cost: IGRA members-Free Admission Non-members-NIS 20
The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) is bringing new technology, new energy and new excitement to genealogy in Israel, and across the world. In order to receive increased access to the Israel Genealogy Research Association’s web site, and to stay informed on the society’s activities, be sure to register for this site. Registration is free. Press the big “Register Now” button to the right to register now!
A reminder that there are a number of South African KehilaLinks pages which can be found on the JewishGen’s KehilaLinks project web site. (The KehilaLinks project provides a set of web pages which commemorate the places throughout the world where Jews have lived.)
The full list of South African KehilaLinks pages can be found at:
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Asia.html
The list now includes the following towns: Benoni, Bloemfontein De Aar, Cape Town, Germiston, Graaff Reinet, Grahamstown, Kwekwe (Que Que) in Zimbabwe, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Muizenberg, Oudtshoorn Pietersburg, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Springs, Stellenbosch, Uniondale, Upington, and Witbank.
Eli Rabinowitz, who has created and maintains most of these KehilaLinks sites, is currently in the process of setting up the following new pages: Paarl, South Africa; Maputo, Mozambique; and Mauritius, Africa.
Eli invites you to send him your stories, memories, photos, family biographies, and articles on Jewish life in any of these places, or for any of the existing pages. As examples of the kind of material he is looking for, Eli suggests you refer to the following links:
For reference, the KehilaLinks project home page can be found at:
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/
and
Lions Shul is a special place
The Lions shul is Johannesburg’s longest standing synagogue, still a vibrant, active, and dynamic congregation. The 108 year old synagogue is in pristine condition and the chavershaft (solidarity/equality) is warm and family-oriented. The services are inspirational and the ambiance magnificent.
A video about the synagogue can be found at:
A description of the synagogue on the Johannnesburg KehilaLinks page can be found at:
The story of how Eli Rabinowitz finally found his first cousin, Zara Smushkovich, after being separated for over 35 years
We love hearing stories of families reunited through Geni. Recently, Eli Rabinowitz finally found his first cousin Zara Smushkovich after being separated for over 35 years! The discovery was made thanks to the help of a friendly person on Facebook who found the family tree on Geni.
Zoe Nit Keynmol was written as a poem in Yiddish by 20 year old Hirsh Glik in the Vilna ghetto in 1943.
The words are powerful and inspirational.
It is the anthem of the Survivors. Our goal is to teach it to the next generation of school students so that the legacy can continue!
I have found translations in 14 other languages with some variations within these languages – see Lyrics below.
You can recite it as a poem as it was originally written!
Here is Freidi Mrocki, a teacher at Shalom Aleichem College in Melbourne, reciting Aaron Kremer’s English translation.
Zog Nit Keynmol – The Poem
Here is an idea for your school students or youth group: Recite the poem, Zog Nit Keynmol, written by Hirsh Glik 20, in the Vilna ghetto in 1943. Do it in your own language! And then SHARE it with …
Here is a combination of Yiddish, Hebrew and English.
Here it is being sung by the Herzlia School Vocal Ensemble in Cape Town during an online class with five schools in the Former Soviet Union in Kiev, Chisinau, Vilnius, Kedainiai and Kalvarija.
For more languages and versions, click on the link:
Lyrics
Lyrics in Different Languages English Aaron Cremer’s version Lithuanian Žydų Partizanų Daina arba Partizanų Himnas Mes Esame Čia Niekad nesakykite kad jūs išeinate į paskutinį kelią… Tik nie…
We invite you, your school choir or group to sing or recite Zog Nit Keynmol, the Partisan Song. Please record it then share on YouTube, Facebook or Vimeo or send to me by Dropbox and I’ll pos…
Menu Zog Nit Keynmol – Main Page – scroll down The Legacy of the Partisan Song Hirsh Glik by Phillip Maisel Schools & students sing or recite the anthem, record it and post it on…
Traces and Memories of Jewish Life Connecting to our Litvak Shtetls
Eli Rabinowitz’s presentation has been compiled from six visits to Litvak lands.
His collection of photos and stories showcases:
– the shtetl, where most South Africans originated
– the people on the ground memorialising the shtetl
– the Tolerance Education Centres in schools
– the use of online resources to advance your own heritage research
“How will our children know who they are, if they don’t know where they came from?” —John Steinbeck
Eli Rabinowitz (ex- South Africa) is involved in Jewish community activities, filming events, photographing, researching, lecturing internationally and blogging on Jewish life and heritage. He presented at the IAJGS 2015 conference in Jerusalem. He manages 76 KehilaLinks websites for JewishGen. He led the first JewishGen Virtual Heritage Tour of Europe. Eli lives in Perth, Australia.
WHEN: Sunday 5 February at 7.30pm DONATION: R90.00 (including refreshments) VENUE: Clive M Beck Auditorium Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre (RCHCC) cnr Glenhove Rd & 4th Street Houghton, East of the M1 BOOKING: Hazel or René (011 728 8088/8378) After Hours (011 728 8378) email: rchcc@telkomsa.net or rene.s@telkomsa.net www.greatpark.co.za
Eli Rabinowitz’s presentation has been compiled from six visits to Litvak lands
His collection of photos and stories showcases:
– the shtetl, where most South Africans originated
– the people on the ground memorialising the shtetl
– the Tolerance Education Centres in schools
– the use of online resources to advance your own heritage research
Gardens Synagogue – Nelson Mandela Auditorium
8 February 2017 at 7:30 pm
My Upcoming Talks at the Great Park & Gardens Shuls
Traces and Memories of Jewish Life Connecting to our Litvak shtetls The Great Park Synagogue RCHCC, Johannesburg 5 February 2017 at 7:30pm and The Nelson Mandela Auditorium at the Gardens Shul, C…
