Re: [SJR: msg #2132] Digest for sokiryany-jewish-roots@googlegroups.com - 4 updates in 1 topic

[lauren calihman]

Hello landsmen!

In response to the inquiry about immigration to New York City, my grandfather Smil (Sam) Calihman emigrated from Sokiryany to Paris in the early 1930s, and then left Paris for New York City (the Bronx) just after Kristallnacht in late 1938. 

In New York, he married my grandmother Mollie Kleinman, who was from from an adjacent Bessarabian town called Lipkan. The fact that a Securener and Lipkaner met and wed in New York leads me to believe that immigrants from Bessarabia at large tended to congregate with each other, and not just within their individual town landsmanschaften.

Additionally, does anyone have a sense of whether there was a pipeline from Sokiryany to France and, if so, why? Could it relate to familiarity with Romance Languages via Romanian?

I would very much like to see scans the from the Securener Relief Society pamphlet. Thank you in advance for sharing. 

Good to speak with you. Shavua tov!

Lauren Calihman, NYC

On Thu, Jan 26, 2023 at 9:26 AM <sokiryany-j...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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Securaner Society NYC

"Staci Steen [Feigenberg]" <staci....@gmail.com>: Jan 25 02:52PM -0800 Hello everyone, thank you for letting me join. My great grandparents immigrated from Sokiryany to NYC around 1920. I recently found a brochure from 1939 which my grandmother had saved, on the “First Securaner Relief Society” in NYC. I also found a journal entry that stated that my great grandfather was raised by the town’s Mill Owner, Eta Goldberg. Does anyone descend from any of the members of the society listed below? If so, they are all in the brochure. Also, does anyone have any additional information about First Securaner Relief, the town mill, or anything of the sort?   Raise Schneider Dora Schuchalter Sam Schneider Goldie + Max Morgenstein Rivka Schiller Max Brownstein Sarah Schlossman Jack Weiss Dina Rothberg B Braunstein Pearl Rosenberg E Trachtenbrot Ida Veined Sadie and Sam Lifanitz (my ancestors) Lina and Nathan Grubman Tilly and Morris Gack Isadore Wolman Sarah Lenkofsky Molly Rosenbaum Morris Badler PH Farbman George Tondatnic [image: 325648001_927031231623818_7195210245524489402_n.jpg][image: 325856824_1896496570695115_8327688041393610414_n.jpg][image: 325923343_2049384681938049_4115847536114984144_n.jpg][image: 326034972_859226355355053_5236273766275857414_n.jpg]

Avraham <avre...@gmail.com>: Jan 26 01:01AM +0200 Staci, what you sent are simply GEMS. Thank you so much for joining ! Did all you post come from this Securener Society ? Are these ALL the docs / photos there you have to share ? Please do share everything with us. The names you listed - are the names of the individuals in which document ? Does the list cover everyone or some are still missing ?   Thanks a lot, it was worth waiting years for that :-)     On Thu, Jan 26, 2023 at 12:54 AM Staci Steen [Feigenberg] <

"Staci Steen [Feigenberg]" <staci....@gmail.com>: Jan 25 04:44PM -0800 All of those pages are from within the same Securaner Relief Society brochure/pamphlet. There are a few other pages in it like ads but no other details on the society itself. I left it at my parents' house to fully digitize later, but I will have them look when they can, to see if there is anything more to share. I think the list is just everyone who had titles in the society. It looks like my great grandmother was head of the social committee, and great grandfather was secretary.   Would love to hear if anyone else had ancestors who immigrated to NYC and may have been a part of this society! Apparently they held meetings for decades - my mother born in 1962 remembers attending a few of them!   On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:02:01 PM UTC-5 Avreimale wrote:

"Staci Steen [Feigenberg]" <staci....@gmail.com>: Jan 25 06:42PM -0800 Here are 2 more pages of names: [image: IMG_4315.jpg][image: IMG_4316.jpg]   On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 7:44:28 PM UTC-5 Staci Steen [Feigenberg] wrote:

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[Serge Gurvil]

Hi Lauren,

The main reason why a number of Jews from Bessarabia emigrated to France and mainly Paris

was that France was the land of the free, the very country of The  Human Rights and a place for 

leftits when not communists to live a life and hope to build a better future. Not only make money.

THough there was no official count of them in teh early '30s, they were said to be in the region of 

30 000 (mainly in Paris and the suburbs). 13K immigrants called  Romanians by the Police were 

Jews actually.

There were several local organisations regrouping Bessarabians - students, welfare,...-, however

as a fact very small membership and too tightly under police control.    

Background: within a family existed various opinions, thoughts and dreams and a sense that we

must decide and move from Bessarabia to escape poverty, discrimation and try and build a new 

family and new roots. Because they knew that they were gone with a single ticket. Some moved 

to Palestine since those were sionists or in search of a place to live and work in the holy land, that

possibly would become their own land.

Some moved to the USA and Brazil, as the former generation already paved the way and shipping

cos advertized their reasonable costs. Moreover the "young" countries were in need of workforce

hence "welcoming" Jews or not was not really a problem. There were no quotas for them in those

places at the time.

Most of those who moved to France obtained a visa from the French consulate in Kichinev and took 

the train from  there (through Germany) to Paris. Until the early '70s  there was no significant unem-ployment in our country, therefore new comers were welcome, though xenophobia and antisemitism were rampant within the population. Because in the early years of the Revolution in the Soviet Union,

communists  and Jews were friends, communists in Romania were very much active hence persecu

ted by  the  Securanza. For reasons you would imagine there were a great number of Jews active in

the Communist Party understanding that as such (Jews) there was no future for them in the Kingdom 

of Romania eventhough they could graduate at the University (against all odds) - they would not recei

ve a decent job - or as a simple railroadtrack employee or an oil  company worker  they  would be re-maining desperately poor. Those people did not wish to escape  from the shtetl but the miserable  life

and a no future situation. To tell the truth those were not the most religious kind, they were more the

ones to think a new star is born, can be a chance for us to make our dream come true, we know we 

are on the right side, that is a hope bigger than one's destiny, we are fair, we are good people fighting against evil - if there is no evidence of God magden david would always be within their hearts and in 

any case not something to hide.                      

Those Bessarabians /Romanians, especially the communists Jews among them were the first to raise and fight against the Nazis. After opposing the collaborationist regime of Petain they initiated the armed

struggle shooting officers and soldiers of the occupying german forces in Paris. When de Gaulle thought that was not the right way and a fight that military men only should run, Jews (mainly  communists  but not only) knew well that they were the first on the list - by hundreds  and thousands and  tens of thou-sand, departing from Paris.  

Allow me to add one thing: nowadays, most  fortunately  there  would hardly be nobody to ignore the Holocaust  and the reasons why, but not  enough great tribune has been given  to those Jews (again 

among them many women - since a Jew is a Jew, man or woman) who risked their lives and lost their lives for a free France and a free world.  And  this  was not short sighted politics  or only the ideals of communism but because they were good people - guided by the teachings of their parents I am sure. (the Gorovitz Slioma and Mariam of Sekouryany/Secureni). This is the first lesson I learnt from them. 

By the way, does anyone know something about the Gorovitz    

   

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[Serge Gurvil]

Hi Lauren,

The main reason why a number of Jews from Bessarabia emigrated to France and mainly Paris

was that France was the land of the free, the home country of The  Human Rights and a place for 

leftists when not communists to live a life and hope to build a better future, not only make money.

Though there was no official count of them in the early '30s, they were said to be in the region of 

30 000 (mainly in Paris and the suburbs). Among 13K immigrants called  Romanians by the Police 

10 K were Jews actually.

There were several local organisations regrouping Bessarabians - students, welfare, activists,...-, however as a fact with very small memberships and too tightly under police control.    

Background: within a family existed various opinions, thoughts and dreams and a sense that they

must decide and move from Bessarabia to escape poverty, discrimation and try and build a new 

family with solid roots. Because they knew that they would be gone with a single ticket. Some 

moved to Palestine since those were sionists or in search of a place to live and work peacefully in 

the holy land, that possibly would become their own land - as Hertzl mentioned.

Some moved to the USA and Brazil, as the former generation already paved the way and shipping

cos advertized their reasonable costs. Moreover the "young" countries were in need of workforce

hence "welcoming" Jews or not was not really a problem. There were no quotas for them in those

places at the time.

Most of those who moved to France obtained a visa from the French consulate in Kichinev and took 

the train from  there (through Germany) to Paris. Until the early '70s  there was no significant unem-ployment in our country, therefore new comers were welcome, though xenophobia and antisemitism were rampant within the population. Because in the early years of the Revolution in the Soviet Union,

communists  and Jews were friends, communists in Romania were very much active hence persecu

ted by  the  Securanza. For reasons you would imagine there was a great number of Jews active in

the Communist Party understanding that as such (Jews) there was no future for them in the Kingdom 

of Romania eventhough they could graduate at the University (against all odds) - they would not recei

ve a decent job - or as a simple railroadtrack employee or an oil  company worker  they  would be re-maining desperately poor. Those people did not wish to escape  from the shtetl but the miserable  life

and a no future situation. To tell the truth those were not the most religious kind, they were more the

ones to think a new star is born, can be a chance for us to make our dream come true, we know we 

are on the right side, that is a hope bigger than one's destiny, we are fair, we are good people fighting against evil - if there is no evidence of God magden david would always be within our hearts and in 

any case not something to hide.                      

Those Bessarabians /Romanians, especially the communists Jews among them were the first to raise and fight against the Nazis. After opposing the collaborationist regime of Petain they initiated the armed

struggle shooting officers and soldiers of the occupying german forces in Paris. When De Gaulle thought that this was not the right way and a fight that military men only should run (he was based in London and the french army had been defeated, the France Libre with Leclerc was moving forward from south to north in french african colonies but not yet an army to compete with the enemy), Jews (mainly  communists  but not only) knew well that they were the first on the list - by hundreds  and thousands and  tens of thousand, trains departing from Paris to the East, preferably Auschwitz.  

Allow me to add one thing: nowadays, most  fortunately  there  would hardly be nobody to ignore the Holocaust  and the reasons why, but not  enough great tribune has been given  to those Jews (again 

among them many women - since a Jew is a Jew, man or woman) who risked their lives and lost their lives for a free France and a free world.  And  this  was not short sighted politics  or only the ideals of communism but because they were good people - guided by the teachings of their parents I am sure. (the Gorovitz Slioma and Mariam of Sekouryany/Secureni). This is the first lesson I learnt from them. 

By the way, does anyone know something about the Gorovitz of Secureni, they lived in Radu Negru Street and disappeared in July 1941 when the romanian fascist army and the Nazis invaded Bessarabia ?

 Thank you

Serge   

   

NB: at the time Jews in Bessarabia were bilingual when not trilingual speaking Yiddish at home first and also hebrew when more educated but also romanian (or broke romanian) or russian. Those who could receive a high school education had an opportunity to learn proper romanian, french and german.

My father as an example could read and write yiddish, romamian, french, german and russian and also understand hebrew. 

Since romanian language was a late learning for a lot of them I do not think that the "connection" between the two languages was not building any pipeline between Bessarabia and France.   

[roberto.a...@gmail.com]

Hello Serge!

super insightful!

Are there current secureni groups here in Paris?

I didn’t know there was a big number 

Roberto Abramovich

+33 7 8223 5318

On 29 Jan 2023, at 12:33, 'Serge Gurvil' via Sokiryany Jewish Roots <sokiryany-j...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sokiryany-jewish-roots/1826540046.1372720.1674992004978%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Serge Gurvil]

Roberto,

As far as I know there would be only one organisation remaining:

--> Association des descendants de Bessarabiens - 66 rue du Rendez-vous in Paris (12)

I could not find any being part of the CRIF (Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives en 

France) regrouping dozens of existing jewish org. based in France. 

Until 1983, 3 were remaining: 

Association française des Bessarabiens en France / Amicale bessarabienne / Solidarité bes

sarabienne

The first one was the "successor" of the Association des émigrés Bessarabiens en France,  

dissolved in 1939 by the Police. That one was the place for communists jewish activists.

If you are interested in learning more about jewish Bessarabians in France before WWII and

also Bessarabia in the '20s and '30s, you will find a lot of details in the following study published

in PAris by l'Harmattan:

Exisl bessarabiens by Danièle Bruhman (a french historian whose uncle was a famous great 

"resistant" fighter against the nazis when a leader of the FTP-MOI). 

With regards.

Serge

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sokiryany-jewish-roots/9A201C05-3DF3-46D6-A43A-32A752092D12%40gmail.com.

[Avraham]

By the way, Serge and other french members:

this thread rang a bell and I managed to find mentions to articles published on Bessarabia AND Secureni I recalled I have once came across.

Here they are. I tried in the past to contact a Izidoro Blikstein who I thought would be the author of such papers (a brazilian, since some are in Portuguese), but do not see I ever got a reply on that.

7.	BLIKSTEIN, I. . L'Holocauste Bessarabien: Le Sault des Victimes et la Permanence de I Antisémiti. Bulletin trimestriel de la Fondation Auschwitz, 2001.

8.	BLIKSTEIN, I. . Secureni, Bessarabie: Un Paradigme de I'Holocauste. Bulletin trimestriel de la Fondation Auschwitz, 2000.

9.	BLIKSTEIN, I. . Primo Levi: A Semiótica do Aniquilamento em Auschwitz. Herança judaica, São Paulo, v. 120, p. 28-36, 2000.

10.	BLIKSTEIN, I. . Un Modèle Particulier D'Holocauste: La Marche de Secureni (Bessarabie) vers.. Bulletin trimestriel de la Fondation Auschwitz, 2000.

11.	BLIKSTEIN, I. . La crédibilité des témoignages des survivants et le négationnisme au Brésil: le cas des publications de la "Editora Revisão". Bulletin trimestriel de la Fondation Auschwitz, 1999.

12.	BLIKSTEIN, I. . Secureni, Bessarabie: un "paradigme" de l'Holocauste?. x, 1999.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sokiryany-jewish-roots/429195413.1929110.1675076026376%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Avraham]

A remark on my last message: only one such paper is in Portuguese, so the assumption these 2 I. Blikstein are the same person is now less probable.

[Avraham]

Sorry for the unnecessary mails, but I did research correctly back then, and the author is brazilian:

https://pesquisa-eaesp.fgv.br/en/professor/izidoro-blikstein

Will try to contact him again.

[Serge Gurvil]

Dear Avraham,

Thank you for your input.

I have been searching through the net and found that as a fact the Fondation Auschwitz in Brussels 

(Belgium) still very active had been publishing a quaterly bulletin from 1982 till 2008 which numbers 

can be purchased from them or downloaded fron their website:

Welkom op de Auschwitz Stichting site - vzw Auschwitz in Gedachtenis / Bienvenue sur le site de la Fondation Auschwitz - M?moire d'Auschwitz a.s.b.l. / Welcome to the website of the Auschwitz Foundation - Remembrance of Auschwitz

Welkom op de Auschwitz Stichting site - vzw Auschwitz in Gedachtenis / B...

I did so and could download the contents of Izidoro Blikstein (Jewish Study Center of the University of Sao Paulo / Brazil) "the Secureni death march" published in Bulletin n°68FR July to Sept 2000.

Such is a brief analysis of the context of the march that finished almost all the jewish population of Secureni through endless moves from one place to another without any preset idea or goal but to kill

from exhaustion (or bullets or ...) as many as possible. This has been detailed by Michael Stivelman 

in the yizkor books that we can read in Jewishgen.

Though this was not adding any specific information about my grandparents, it is good to read and 

quote what serious work has been published on the shoah from the inside. A necessary REMINDER.

Best regards

Serge   

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sokiryany-jewish-roots/CABcex_ubTno_LGzE7gbiu65rgcE5bSiPTtJZ-mN9X0btmtEGnQ%40mail.gmail.com

.

[Avraham]

Added Izidoro's 3 Secureni articles to our Publications section

https://sites.google.com/view/veverke-genealogy/sokiryany/files/publications

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sokiryany-jewish-roots/1596035005.2030546.1675081537564%40mail.yahoo.com.