It is my desire to share my genealogical accomplishments with anyone who feels the deep passion which comes from asking the questions, "who are my ancestors and where is my extended family?" I hope to lead readers down my path of exploration, where I found family members who were 'always out there, but never known to me'. My wish is that my discoveries, methods, stories and historical accounts will INSPIRE anyone who wishes to begin the wondrous adventure of bringing his Family Tree and its 'roots' to life.

How Will I Know Where I'm Going, If I Don't Know Where I've Been?

A Genealogical JourneyBy Elizabeth Ruderman Miller

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Elizabeth Ruderman Miller
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-5103-7

Contents

Author's Note....................................................vDedication.......................................................viiMy Mother........................................................ixPreface..........................................................xiiiAlways Out There, But Never Known To Me..........................1Shtetl Life......................................................3Passport To Freedom..............................................7Grojec, Poland...................................................11Jewish History In Eastern Europe.................................13If I Were A Rich Man.............................................17Brothers and Sisters.............................................29Grysk, Kriesk, Kraisk?...........................................31The Diaspora.....................................................35The Name Game....................................................39The Wedding Photo................................................45Home, Sweet Home.................................................49Coming To America................................................51New York Is A Wonderful Town ....................................57Random Acts Of Kindness..........................................63My Dad...........................................................69But We're Cousins ...............................................75Connecting History...............................................107Genealogy Without Documentation Is Mythology.....................113The Power Of Whitepages.Com......................................119A My Name Is Abe.................................................125Don't Wait Too Long..............................................129All In The Family................................................137Israel Connection................................................141Last, But Certainly Not Least....................................147Epilogue.........................................................159

Chapter One

Always Out There, But Never Known To Me

Who were my ancestors? Where did they come from? What were their occupations? Where is my extended family? As I took this wondrous adventure of trying to bring my roots to life, I realized that you can gain strength from your heritage with the knowledge you gather each time you 'meet' another ancestor or family member. WE ARE CUSTODIANS OF OUR FAMILY'S MEMORIES. It is our responsibility to pass along the stories which we discover by means of the genealogical process.

I LOVE being a detective. Perhaps, I missed my true calling. Then again, I may not have appreciated the process years ago. Not having been a jig-saw puzzle fan, I may never have enjoyed the fascination of assembling the pieces and solving the mysteries of my genealogical hunt. When I did become preoccupied with the search for my families, I felt NOTHING would interfere with the discovery of clues and evidence which would solve my family mystery.

I do, however, want to warn readers that not everyone contacted will have the same exuberance about finding unknown family members. Although disappointing, you must respect their decision. At first, I found it difficult to accept a NO. You are not going to entice everyone or change their minds. Yes, you will have holes in your Family Tree. It's their loss, not yours.

I am fulfilling a dream by leading you through my exploration to find my family members who were always out there but never known to me until I undertook the journey of a lifetime. In the process, I found new family friends and the history of those whom I, unfortunately, will never meet in person. These connections to our family I will pass down to future generations, so that their place in our story will not be lost again or forgotten.

When I embarked upon this genealogical quest in the summer of 2006, I had no idea of the successes that I would amass by 2009. I had an insatiable interest in the historical time period of my ancestors. I know that the next time I see 'Fiddler on The Roof', I will view the story through more personal eyes. Little did I dream that what I believed was a very small ancestral line would become the extended Family Tree which has grown and continues to flourish with each new generation.

Shtetl Life

A shtetl was typically a small city, village or town with a large Jewish community which was located largely in Eastern Europe. Shtetls were primarily found in the 19th century Russian Empire's restricted Pale of Settlement and in the Kingdom of Poland. It was in these villages, now lost to history, that the remarkable culture of the Ashkenazi Jews flourished until its demise during World War II.

Most residents were poor, superstitious and resistant to change. They followed Orthodox Judaism despite outside influence. Their Yiddish language became synonymous with the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European shtetls.

Many of our thoughts invariably drift to scenes from "Fiddler on the Roof" as the quintessential story of life in a 19th or early 20th century shtetl. While there was music and dancing, the townspeople were tailors, butchers, fishmongers, shopkeepers, peddlers and dairymen, who worked long, hard days just to sustain their poor lives. Each shtetl was led by a Rabbi who was respected by all Jews in the community.

Shtetls operated on the idea that giving to the needy was not only to be admired, but was essential and expected. The problems of those who needed help were accepted as a responsibility both of the community and of the individual ... on earth, the prestige value of good deeds is second only to that of LEARNING. The rewards for benefaction are manifold and are to be reaped both in this life and in the life to come. As summarized in "Pirkei Avot" by Shimon Hatzaddik's 'three pillars': on three things the world stands. On Torah, on service (of God) and on the acts of human kindness. It is this Tzedaka or charity that remains a key element of Jewish culture.

While wealth was a secondary status, learning and education were the ultimate measures of worth in the shtetl. A hard working person was admired in the community, but he who studied was considered most valuable of all.

My Ruderman ancestors resided in Kraysk or Kraisk - now part of Belarus, then it was in Lithuania. With a mere seven hundred residents, this was certainly one of the smallest of the shtetls recorded in the First All Russian Census of 1897. There are few records in existence for Kraisk, none the less, I do hope one day to discover my great grandfather's occupation. I would assume, however, that he may have been a butcher, farmer or dairyman, as my grandfather was a butcher for most of his life in America.

On the other hand, the Bornstein and Hiller families lived in the larger, more thriving community of Gritse, today's Grojec, Poland. Thanks to the stories left by my grandmother, Annie, and grandfather, Sam, I have a clearer picture of the lives they led in Gritse.

Grandma Annie (Chana Yetta) and her mother, Bubba (Grandma)Dina Borensztejn were skilled with a needle and thread. They created beautiful table cloths, towels, and the like. Grandma Annie told stories of how she and her mother had a 'push cart' which they took from town to...