Jane Reben
Chatsworth, CA

Support the work of the Belarus SIG

Dear All,

As many of you may have noted on the Internet: yesterday marked the
sixty-fifth anniversary of the liquidation of the Minsk Ghetto.
Fittingly Professor Barbara Epstein's magisterial work The Minsk
Ghetto 1941-1943 has just been published by the University of
California Press and is available through Amazon amongst other
outlets. It is compelling, authoritative and thought provoking
offering fresh insights into the ghetto and Jewish resistance in
Belarus. You will find it worthwhile for your own reading and I
suggest that you urge your local library to make it available.

--
Best regards,

Frank

Franklin J. Swartz
P.O. Box 100
Minsk
220074
Republic of Belarus
fjs@voluntas.org

Following on from my earlier email about information about the records
of the UMBA I am reporting the fruits of my enquiries.

Having spoken with the helpful staff at Washington Cemetery, Brooklyn I
was given a contact address for a Mr Gene Singer. I was told by the
cemetery that the contact details they had were from 1994 and they could not
guarantee that I would make contact with him. Using a well know website
I was able to establish that he lived at the address I had been given for
him. It transpired that he is an employee of the United Hebrew Community New
York(a burial society). I was asked to submit my request in writing which I
did. This was the response I received from the burial society
Executive Director David Jacobson - Please be advised that the United Minsker
Benevolent Association dissolved more than 40 years ago. They, prior to
that time, sold the few remaining graves to Washington Cemetery. The
cemetery, thereafter, sold the graves to my organization,the United Hebrew
Community of NY. We were not provided with any details or records of the Minsker
nor do we have any knowledge about their previous members, Officers or
descendants Sorry that I cannot be of assistance to you. On further
enquiry Mr Jacobson confirmed that he had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the
UMBA records.

Prior to receiving Mr Jacobson's email, I received the following
information
from Gunnar Berg, an archivist with YIVO - I have looked through the
YIVO Archives landsmanshaftn collection catalogs, but have not found an
organization with the name you gave us. Perhaps this group is still
operating? We only have records from defunct groups.

I suppose another cemetery may have other contact details and I will try
and follow this up when I get a chance, but I thought I would share the
results of my labours so far.

Best wishes,

Richard Gilbert
Hertfordshire, England

GINSBERG, GILBERT, LEMPERT, LAMBERT, MOLINSKY, MALINSKY, MORLEY,
VANDT/WAND,
LUSTIG, LEVY, JACOBS, SCHREIBER/SCHRIEBER, SHAFLIN/ SHAFLEN/SCHAFFLER

Isaac and Rosie had the following children that I know of:
Rebecca, born circa 1870, married to Abraham Goldstein
Chana-Tsypa, born on April 27, 1882
Lena, born circa 1886, married to Abraham Speigel (original surname, probably Moscovic)
Arthur (Aryeh), born in 1889, possibly married to an Anna in Boston
Harry (Hirsch), born in 1891

Isaac and Rosie passed away in London in 1911 and 1909 respectively. Arthur and Harry lived in the United States insofar as I know. Rebecca and Chana I have no idea about other than that probably Rebecca stayed in Boston. My great-great grandmother moved to London where she spent a good deal of her life and moved to the US (again) in 1948 when my grandmother and her family came over and moved to Florida. Lena passed away in Miami in November of 1965.

If anyone knows anything about this family, please let me know.

Thanks,

Michael Waas
Sarasota, FL

Researching: LEVENSON, BLUMBERG, GLASER (Piltene/Courland), AMDUR, SEGAL, LEVINSON (Belarus), WAAS, PRINS, PEREIRA, KINSBERG(EN) (The Netherlands), REBI, ANGEL, AMARILLO, DE VIDAS, GABAY, FRANSES, MIJAN, KABILI, MIZRAHI (Ottoman Empire)

I am seeking information on the ancestry of my great-grandfather Joe
(Zusia) MINOCHIN (alternative spelling MENUCHIN), who moved from Minsk
to America circa 1900 and was a kosher butcher in the Bronx, USA. He
died January 1st, 1918 resulting from a slip on the ice in the Bronx
at the age of 53.

Wife: Minnie (also from Minsk, maiden name unknown)

His father and mother: Zalman MINOCHIN and Leah (nee WOLF)

He had 5 daughters and no sons. Of the daughters were:

Bella GOLDSTEIN: daughter Kate, Son George
Anna GOLDENBERG: sons Albert, Irving and Paul (my father)
Jenny MENDELSON: sons George and Bernard
Rose INNERFELD: (Rose died in the flu pandemic of 1918, leaving her
infant daughter Miriam to be raised by her grandmother and sisters).

Joe MINOCHIN was related to the violinist Yehudi MENUIN.I have been
trying to determine that exact relationship, and my research points to
him being first cousins with Yehudi's grandfather, Yitzchok Isaac
MENUCHIN, although I have been unable to corroborate this.

Any information or assistance will be very much appreciated!

Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE (April 22, 1916 – March 12,
1999) was a violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing
career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Jewish parents in the
United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the
United Kingdom in 1985. He is commonly considered one of the twentieth
century's greatest violin virtuosi. [1]