Lithuania

Josef was not connected specifically to Birzh, but rather was a chronicaller of the whole Litvak community:

Josef wrote many entries for the Hebrew book Encyclopedia of the Jewish Communities in Lithuania (Pinkas Hakehilot-Lita) acting also as the associate editor; this book, edited by Professor Dov Levin, was published in Hebrew by Yad Vashem in 1996. Josef and Dov were the primary chroniclers of Lithuanian Jewry in the recent years.  This book is the primary source of information on the Litvak community.

Josef was the assistant editor of the book Encyclopedia of the Jewish Communities in Lithuania (Pinkas Hakehilot-Lita) documenting over 500 Litvak Jewish Communities. Josef utilized his research to write expanded articles in English in three volumes, documenting 102 Litvak communities: “Preserving Our Litvak Heritage Volumes I and II,” and “Protecting Our Litvak Heritage.” 

He and I extracted articles from the three above books in English and created 23 Kehila Links pages all in Lithuania, Birzai being only one of them.

 Here is a picture of him from the Preserving series:

Josef Rosin, 92 in Haifa 

11 November 2014

I am saddened to inform the family that our cousin Josef Rosin, has passed away at home in Haifa at age 92 on November 11, 2014 after a short illness.  He was a prolific documenter of the Litvak Jewish communities.  He was an incredible man who accomplished much in his life.

Josef was the great-grandson of Elka Rosin, who, as a widow, married the widower Hillel Naividel, the great-great-grandfather of many of us in the Krelitz and Ellis families.  They had a daughter Pesha Naividel (Zapolsky), who was an ancestor of the Zapolsky, Wenokur and Gans families. Elka and Hillel lived in the early 1800s in Yurburg, Lithuania.  So Josef was related to many of us either directly or as a “step” relative.  Many of Josef’s Rosin family immigrated to Albuquerque and New York, and others who remained in Lithuania were unfortunately Shoah victims.

Josef was born in Kybart in western Lithuania, not far from Yurburg, in 1922.  From 1939 he was a student at the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Kovno (Kaunas) University until the war interrupted his studies in June 1941.

Josef then lived in the Kovno Ghetto for more than two and a half years until the beginning of February 1944 when he escaped into the woods of Belarus shortly before the Ghetto was liquidated, fought with the partisans in the forests alongside the Bielski brothers. There he met (Prof.) Dov Levin in the forests, with whom he would later write Encyclopedia of the Jewish Communities in Lithuania (Pinkas Hakehilot-Lita).

Josef was the assistant editor of the book Encyclopedia of the Jewish Communities in Lithuania (Pinkas Hakehilot-Lita) documenting over 500 Litvak Jewish Communities. Josef utilized his research to write expanded articles in English in three volumes, documenting 102 Litvak communities: “Preserving Our Litvak Heritage Volumes I and II,” and “Protecting Our Litvak Heritage.”  In 2013 he published his memoir, “My Journey to Freedom: Kybartai to Haifa.”  This book is an updated version of his memoir that was offered at a Yurburg family reunion a number of years ago.

After the war, in August 1944 he returned to Kovno. At the end of March 1945 Josef left Lithuania and after the tribulations of illegal travel through Poland, Slovakia, Rumania, Hungary, Austria and Italy, he arrived in Eretz Yisrael on October 24, 1945 on a ship of "Ma'apilim" (Illegal Immigrants) – a story not unlike that of the book and movie Exodus.  During the stay in Rumania Josef met and married Peninah (nee Cypkewitz) from Wloclawek who had made a similarly difficult journey from Poland.

In autumn 1946 Josef started studies at the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Technion in Haifa. He completed his studies in 1950 earning the degree of Engineer. In 1958 he received the Masters of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Technion. From 1952 until his retirement in 1987 Josef worked at "Water Planning for Israel" (Tahal). For more than twenty years he held the position of Head of the Drainage and Development Department of that firm.

From 1987-1994 after retiring, Josef wrote many entries for the Hebrew book Encyclopedia of the Jewish Communities in Lithuania (Pinkas Hakehilot-Lita) acting also as the associate editor; this book, edited by Professor Dov Levin, was published in Hebrew by Yad Vashem in 1996. Josef and Dov were the primary chroniclers of Lithuanian Jewry in the recent years.  This book is the primary source of information on the Litvak community.

I was most fortunate to contact and meet Josef nearly 15 years ago. I worked with him to produce his English books that we both felt needed to be published. I often had email conversations with him weekly.  He was extremely helpful in my research into the family history providing us with much insight about the communities we came from. We had several visits together in Israel. Each one was very special to me. He consistently provided me with encouragement and supported the genealogical work I do. He had high standards I tried to live up to them.  I never wanted to disappoint him.

Fania Hilelson Jivitovsky wrote to me that “Josef was my father's first cousin. He was the one who met us when we first came to Israel from Lithuania.  He would come to see us at our Ulpan every week, and our first real Seder in 1972 was at his home. 

He leaves his wife, Peninah, two children Ami (Los Angeles) and Elyia (Israel), five grand-children and two great-grandchildren.

He will be sorely missed by me and by the community of Jewish genealogists, for he opened many historical windows and allowed us to learn about our heritage and our rich history.

Joel Alpert

Joseph Rosin

A Tribute by Joel Alpert