The Gruber Family from Mlynov and Mervits

Collage of Gruber Family Members

(Back to the beginning ...)

The Gruber Family Story Continued

Contents

Origin of Mordechai Gruber, | Overview , | Children of Mordechai and Perel, | Overview of Family Tree, | Details and Sources, | The Line of Yaakov Gruber, | The Line of Yosef Moshe Gruber, | The Line of Bracha Gruber, | The Line of Yisrael Gruber, | The Line of Chana Gruber, | The Line of Rikel Gruber, | The Line of Sura Gruber, | The Line of Miriam Gruber, | The Line of Leah Gruber

The Origin of Mordechai Gruber

As discussed already, a boy named “Mordko” Gruber, age 4, is listed in the 1850 population survey of Mlynov as the younger brother of Rivka Gruber in household #12. While it is tempting to imagine that this Mordko Gruber, the brother of Rivka, is the ancestor remembered by Gruber descendants as Mordechai Gruber, the 1858 population survey for this same household (#12) reports that he died in 1855 at the age of about 9.

There is no other male in the other larger Gruber household, in either 1850 (household #13) or in 1858 (household #14), who had a Russian name that was the equivalent of Mordechai. Nor was there a Gruber household in Mervits in either of those years. We are thus left with several different scenarios about the Mordechai Gruber’s origin, the third being perhaps the most tantalizing.

1) Mordechai Gruber was from a Gruber household in another town (as mentioned, there were no Grubers listed in the surveys of the Mervits population for 1850 or 1858).

2) Mordechai Gruber was born in Mlynov after the 1858 population surveys into one of the two households. (If so, perhaps he was named for the Morko Gruber who died in 1855. Perhaps he was another son of Moshe and Sura and still a sibling of Rivka. Or perhaps he was born into the other large Gruber household after 1858.)

3) Rivka’s brother, Mordko Gruber, listed in household #12 did not really pass away in 1855 but went into hiding to avoid conscription.

The third theory has some merit to it and is worthy of further discussion. Tsar Nicholas I was brutally conscripting young Jewish boys as a way to “Russify” them during his rule. The conscripted youth would be separated from their families and placed in “Cantonist” military schools. Jewish boys could be conscripted between the ages of 12-25 as left to the discretion of the Jewish Kahal (communal body) to choose the conscripts.

The 1850 revision in Mlynov in fact shows a number of young boys "on the run" or their "whereabouts unknown." Tsar Nicholas who implemented the worst version of the practice, died in 1855. His son Tsar Alexander II rescinded the conscription of young Jewish boys in 1859, one year after the 1858 population survey. It seems plausible that the young Mordko Gruber went into hiding in 1855 and came out of hiding after the practice ceased and went on to become the Mordechai Gruber remembered by descendants. But this remains just a plausible hypothesis.

The Family of Mordechai and Perel Gruber

Sources for the Gruber Family Tree

What we know of the Mordechai Gruber line comes primarily from descendants of survivors supplemented by some details in the Mlynov-Muravica Memorial book, some American immigration records and some Yad Vashem records. The bulk of the Gruber family tree was documented online by Naomi Tomer, wife of Yosef Tomer (birthname Teitelman), a great-grandson of Mordechai Gruber, who survived the Shoah along with other members of his family.

Naomi gathered information about the intertwined Gruber and Teitelman family trees presumably from survivors of the family including Rachel (Gruber) Teitelman, a granddaughter of Mordechai Gruber, and her sister Sonia (Gruber) Teitelman also Mordechai’s granddaughter.

In what follows, Naomi’s work is referred to as the “Gruber-Teitelman Family Tree.” Dena Tomer, a daughter-in-law of Asher Teitelman, also documented the life story of Asher Teitelman, which includes additional memories and information about this family line’s survival. (Download: Dena Tomer, Asher [Happy] is the Man).

Mordechai Gruber and Perel’s 9 Children and Grandchildren

A passing comment in an essay written by Mendel and Sonia Teitelman about the poor lives of Mlynov and Mervits residents mentions the livelihood of Sonia's grandfather, Mordechai Gruber. They write:

Another livelihood provided by the Mervits estate was the leasing of a dairy farm. My wife Sonia's grandfather, Mordkhe Matis [Gruber], may he rest in pace, had maintained one. Afterwards it was managed by my Uncle Yankev Gruber, may God revenge his blood. The milk was brought by Oyzer (Tomish). In my grandfather's house, they kept the milk in primitive earthen milk-pots until they made butter and cheese, also primitively, and the products were brought to Dubno. ("Poor Lives", original p. 231-32, English p. 216).

According to the Gruber-Teitelman family tree, Mordechai and Perel Gruber had nine children, six girls and three boys. Although the exact dates of their births are not certain, the Gruber-Teitelman tree implies the birth order below.

Of their children, their daughter Rikel and her children followed her husband to America in the 1920s. The rest of the siblings and most of their children were still in Mlynov and Mervits when WWII began. As a result, most did not survive. Based on available data it appears that 60 descendants of Mordechai and Perel were murdered in the ghetto liquidation or in the year or two immediately following under the German occupation.

The following table provides a thousand foot view of Mordechai and Perel Gruber's children, with further details and supporting evidence following.

Mordechai and Perel Gruber's Children / Descendants:Details And Sources

An asterisk (*) indicates the person was killed in the ghetto liquidation or under the German occupation.

1. Yaakov Gruber* (2 perished) (~1870-1942)

Very little is known about Yaakov Gruber who appears to have been the eldest child of Mordechai and Perel.

A record in Yad Vashem submitted by Mendel Teitelman, whose wife Sonia was a nephew of Yaakov’s, indicates that Yaakov may have been born in 1870, though a hand-written correction on the date makes it difficult to read. Yaakov’s place of birth is listed as Mervits (Muravica) and he is described as a merchant.

His wife’s name on the record appears to be Welli or Veli [in Hebrew וולעי] and her surname at birth appears to be Shutsky. However, the family tree put together by Dina Tomer has a question mark following the wife’s name and appears to be Walya or Valya Sokrinikov (ווליה סקריניקוב). Yaakov and his wife Walya are listed without children in the list of murdered Mervits martyrs in the Memorial book (p. 441 original, p. 417 English).

Sonia and Mendel recall with horror that Sonia's uncle Yaakov Gruber and wife were among those residents of Mervits who were moved into Mlynov ghetto in May 1942. They wrote:

The mixed situation held on until just before Shavuos in May 1942. Then an order suddenly came that the Jews from Mervits and from the surrounding area, meaning from the villages, should all move to Mlynov. Starting in Shul Street[19] until Kisil Yoel's, and until the synagogue near the puddle, the area was fenced off with a heavy barbed wire and isolated from the general population. Only two gates would allow Jews to be taken out for labor. A decent pen cannot in any way describe how the Jews from all the other Mlynov houses had to press themselves together like herrings in houses that had been already emptied of furniture, bedding, and household things; this tragedy I cannot describe in any way. I was also present where my sick brother Yankev-Yoysef z”l, with his family, and my old uncle Khayim-Mayer z”l, with his children and families, and my uncle Yankev Gruber z”l, with his wife, and more people, were forced into the ghetto. Nobody in the world could picture such things. ("Tragic Tales," original p. 331, English p. 330).

(Sources: Gruber-Teitelman family tree family tree and Yad Vashem record submitted by Mendel Teitelman).

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2. Yosef Moshe Gruber (2 perished) (?-1926)

When Yosef Moshe Gruber (?- 1926) married Shifra Teitelman (? – 1914) two very large families intertwined with one another. Yosef Moshe had 8 siblings. Shifra had five. The number of first cousins in the next generation was huge. To further complicate matters, two of their daughters (Sonia and Rachel) married Teitelman first cousins intensifying the merger of these two family lines. We know quite a bit about this family because those two daughters (Sonia and Rachel) survived, one of their sons (Yitzchak) made aliyah in the 1930s, and a number of grandchildren also survived.

Shifra and Yosef had 6 children together (see below). Shifra died in 1914 before Yosef Moshe. The family tree indicates Yosef Moshe may remarried a woman named Tzirel Wurtzel (alt Vortsel) and had a seventh child, a daughter, named Dvorah.

In an essay on Mervits being rebuilt after WWI, Yosef's daughter, Sonia and her husband Mendel, mention in passing that Yosef Gruber together with other men was involved in the creation of the first synagogue in Mervits.

In time, the former inhabitants of Mervits, as in other shtetlekh after the First World War, started to return to their old homes after being wanderers during the war. They built small huts, and Mervits once again had the appearance of a shtetl. As usual, the growing population started to concern itself with a second synagogue, because the first was already too crowded, and there simply was not enough air to breathe. . .

As is known, our shtetl had many types of Chassidim. Being in such a tight place created so-called differences more than once, due to various Chassidic traditions, until, through the initiative of a smaller group, a decision was accepted to take steps to build a second synagogue. Said and done. Jews threw themselves with enthusiasm into the job and conquered all the financial and physical difficulties, and the synagogue building was constructed. (This was in addition to the first, which the few families, like my father, Reb Avraham Aryeh Teitelman of blessed memory, my uncles, Reb Chayim Mayer Teitelman of blessed memory, Reb Mordkhe Teitelman of blessed memory, Reb Yoysef Gruber of blessed memory , my brother Yankev-Yoysef Teitelman of blessed memory, and Note Raykhman of blessed memory, had built earlier). Many of the worshippers surpassed their own efforts and abilities to complete it. ("Community Buildings in Mervits," p. 110 original, p. 103 English)

Yosef's grandson, Asher Teitelman, recalled only a few memories of his grandfather, even though he lived so close:

I was not fortunate to know my grandfathers and grandmothers. On only one occasion did I see my grandfather Yosef Moshe – my mother’s father.

Grandfather Yosef Moshe lived in Mervits. One day not long after we moved into our new house, he came to us. This was in the summer of 1926. I was about 6. I remember a tall man impressive with a gingy [red] beard. He entered the house and sat down heavily in the big living room. He suffered from asthma and his breathing was labored... After a few months in the winter, Sonia (the sister of Mother) came to us and announced that grandfather Yosef had passed away in his house. Mother prepared to leave and go to the funeral, but I broke out in bitter crying. I grabbed her and begged her not to go. She sat me down on her lap, tried to calm me down and gave me a vial of perfume as a present. She left the house and I continued crying for a long time.

Quite a bit is known about Yosef Moshe and Shifra's children and their families since their son Yitzchak made aliyah in 1936, two adult daughters (Sonia and Rachel) survived as did a number of grandchildren, as discussed below.

Survivors Sonia and Mendel Teitelman. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 325 original. Along with Sonia's sister, Rachel, and her husband Nokhum Teitelman, they made their way to displaced persons camp of Bad Gastein.

Sonia (Gruber) with husband Mendel Teitelman (front right) and Rachel (Gruber) with husband Nahum Teitelman (front left) with their children, Shifra (back left) and Yosef (back right) and niece Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 480 original, p. 480 English)

Sura Shichman (married name Vinokur), daughter of Chaika (Gruber) was the sole survivor of her family. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 479 original, p. 481 English)

The teacher Ben-Tzion Gruber and his family [left]. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book. ( p. 457 original, p. 439 English).

See more detail about Yosef Moshe's children and the sources of our knowledge below. You can also read more about Sonia and Rachel's experiences as part of the Teitelman story.

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3. *Bracha Gruber (8 perished, none survived)

Beracha Gruber (daughter of Mordechai and Perel Gruber) married a man named Mordechai Liberman. They had six children and the entire family perished including one grandchild in the ghetto liquidation. The Gruber-Teitelman tree has a different birth order than implied in the list of Mlynov martyrs (p. 436 original, p. 406 English). Some additional information is available from Yad Vashem records filled out by Yosef Tomer (née Teitelman), nephew of Beracha and husband of Naomi Tomer who put together the family tree.

The summary below follows the order in the family tree with notes on how the sequence differs in the martyr list and supplemented by information in the Yad Vashem records.

The Gruber-Teitelman family tree and the Mlynov martyr list have a separate order of the Liberman children. The tree lists them in the order shown above. The Mlynov martyr list has the following: "Mordechai, Beracha [Gruber] his wife; Asher, Eidel, Rivkah, Miriam, Chaya."

Aisik appears there as head of his own household, though the family tree shows he was a son of Mordechai and Bracha as well. A Yad Vashem record indicates Aisik's wife, Etil, was about 28 years old when she perished. Their son, Rafael, was age 6 when he perished.

A photo from the Memorial Book below shows Eidel / Idel (Yehuda) Liberman standing on a street in Mlynov in 1936. Idel, referred to in Hebrew as "Yehuda son of Mordechai" by survivor Yehudit Mandelkern, recalls his accidental incarceration when he was swept up with 10-15 Polish men during a roundup six weeks after the German occupation in July 1941. She wrote, “The Germans misled the families of the prisoners and even accepted packages that were intended for them [from the families], but it became known, that in fact, they murdered all of them immediately after the arrest ("Life Under the Occupying German Government," p. 288 original, p. 270 English).

Yehudit Mandelkern also recalled that Bracha and Mordechai's daughtr Rivka Liberman was among the number of youth who tried organizing resistance following the establishment of the ghetto "Immediately following the establishment of the ghetto, the feeling prevailed that this was the prelude to the general liquidation. A number of youth, among them my brother Moshe Mandelkern, the brothers Shlomo, Yaakov, and Yitzhak Nekunchinik,... Rachel Liberman, Rivka Liberman, Liuba Chizik, Hannah Veiner, Zelig Pichniuk and others, tried organizing resistance." ("Life Under," p. 290 original, p. 272 English)

Yehuda (Idel) Liberman, 1936 on Rubinska Street in Mlynov. He was rounded up with Polish men six weeks after the German occupation and murdered. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 280 original, p. 263, English)

Idel Liberman (3rd from left) as a young boy before 1928 (Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 461 original, p. 445 English, and notes there). Photo courtesy of Audrey Goldseker Polt.

After Idel was killed in July 1941, Sonia and Mendel Teitelman recalled that Idel's father (Sonia's uncle), Mordechai Liberman, was conscripted with several other respected men of the community for the Judenrat, the Jewish council established by the Germans to try to legitimize their decisions. Mordechai was apparently indirectly responsible for saving the lives of Nahum Teitelman and his niece, Nahum's wife Rachel (née Gruber) by helping Nahum get a coveted job outside the ghetto. Such certificates authorizing work outside the ghetto became a lifesaver later.

Nahum Teitelman wrote “Because I had been a grain merchant, and because I had a little 'Protection,' my uncle Mati Liberman of blessed memory added me onto the list of the workers at the grain outlet, and I started to work back in the town at the repositories.” This role ultimately helped save Nahum's life. ("In the Depths of Hell" p. 323ff original, p. 305ff English).

There was another Liberman family that perished. They are listed in the Mlynov martyr list: Yehezkiel, his wife Doba, Rachel their daughter. At the time of the Memorial Book publication their son Herschel was listed as living in Canada. There is no explicit indication in the martyr list that this Liberman family was related to the family of Mordechai and Perel. However, there is a photo of Yehezkiel Liberman and his family in the Memorial Book (p. 468 original, p. 459 English). The caption reads "Mutia (called [with the title] 'staroste') and Yehekiel Liberman and their families, of blessed memory."

It seems possible, perhaps even likely, that the surname Liberman applies not just to Yehekiel but also to Mutia.^[1]If so, this photo may also be of the family of Mutia (Mordechai) Liberman and perhaps Yehekiel Liberman was his brother. If so, the women and children in the photo include Mordechai's wife Beracha (Gruber) and her young children.

Possibly a photo of Mordechai Liberman's family with family of possibly his brother Yehezkiel Liberman. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 468 original, p. 459 English.

Sources: Gruber-Teitelman tree, Yad Vashem records submitted by nephew Yosef Tomer/Teitelman, essays and photos in the Memorial book)

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4. Yisrael Gruber [6 perished, 1? survived]

Yisrael Gruber (son of Mordechai and Perel Gruber) married a woman named *Tova [surname unknown]. They had two children: Shmuel and Henich (alt spelling Hanoch) Gruber. Yisrael apparently passed away before the Shoah which is why he is not listed with his wife Tova in the list of Mlynov martyrs (p. 433 original, p. 401 English) who perished in the liquidation with her son Henich and her sister-in-law Freida.

Their other son, Shmuel Gruber (1898-~1942), is listed separately in the list of Mlynov martyrs with his wife Charna (née Goldseker) (1898-~1943). Shmuel and Charna had two sons, Shimon and Yisrael. The son Shimon was probably named for Charna’s father Shimon Goldseker. The story of their end is told below.

There may also have been a third son, Yaakov Yosi, who left Mlynov for Odessa in a humorous story recounted below.

Shmuel, Charna and two children and Shmuel’s younger brother Henich made it to the bunkers that were dug near Karolinka (not far from Mlynov), as recalled by survivors Yehudit Mandelkern Rudolf ("Life Under the ...," p. 291 original, p. 272 English) and her sister Fania Mandelkern. Fania recalled running into them not long after she escaped the ghetto.

We wandered around for several hours. We met Henich (Hanoch) Gruber. I knew that he and his older brother Shmuel were among those who created the bunker with my brother. He surreptitiously told me that he couldn't reveal the location of the bunker while we were still together with the large group, because the place was too small. It was difficult for us to break free from the group. Finally, in the evening, we got away, first myself, and afterwards, my sister. Hanoch Gruber brought the two of us to the bunker. ("In the Valley of the Shadow of Death" p. 293 original, p. 277 English)

Fania continues, "When we got to the bunkers, I found my brother Moshe there, my sister Yehudit, and the Gruber family: Shmuel [Gruber], his wife Charna, their two children, and Hanoch the brother of Shmuel, the one who had brought us." Later, their bunker was discovered (p. 294 original, p. 277 English)

When the Germans arrived, they detected the partisan guard and killed him. When the other partisans heard the shots, the men returned fire and retreated. Myself, my brother Moshe, my sister Yehudit and the Gruber family — hid near a spring in a place of dense undergrowth where there were no trails. We decided to remain there during the day and at night to return to the bunker. About 6 am in the morning, my brother told me to go up on the hill to see what was going on in the area. I saw two armed Germans approaching towards us. I immediately ran back to alert our people. Shmuel Gruber went up to check and to verify if indeed they were Germans coming. They saw him, shot him and wounded him. He fell and the Germans took him wounded with them to interrogate him. When we realized this, we all ran in single file in the opposite direction. ("In the Valley..." p. 298 original, p. 281 English)

When they returned to the bunkers in the evening, they learned from farmers in the area that the Germans captured Gruber alive and wounded, and that they discovered a bunker with 13 Jews, and also captured them alive and took them for the purposes of interrogation.

Towards morning, we decided to return to see if despite everything someone remained alive. Fania's brother, Moshe, had been there, and her sister Yehudit, and she wanted to return whatever the cost. We thus returned slowly with extreme caution. Suddenly, we heard voices of our Jewish friends, seeking one another.... we met all the other survivors, among them Yehudit, sister of my wife, Fania, who succeeded in sheltering in an abandoned house in the forest under a crate. She was 12 years old, small and thin, and thanks to this, succeeded in hiding under that very crate. David Holtzeker explained that Moshe, the brother of Fania, was taken alive by the Ukrainians and they killed him... Among the others who died in that same attack there were: Shlomo Nekunchinik, Charna Gruber [née Goldseker], whose husband Shmuel was killed earlier; their two children, ages 5 and 7 survived with Hanoch Gruber – the brother of their father, and they perished after this. ("In the Valley...," p. 300 original, p. 285 English)

Shmuel Gruber and wife Charna (née Goldseker) Courtesy of Irene Siegel and Audrey Goldseker.

Shmuel Gruber and wife Charna (née Goldseker) boating on the Ikva River. Courtesy of Irene Siegel and Audrey Goldseker

One of Shmuel and Charna's sons, Sept. 4, 1934. Courtesy of Irene Siegel and Audrey Goldseker.

Was Yaakov-Yosi a Brother of Shmuel and Hanich Gruber?

It appears that Yisrael and Tova Gruber may have had another son named Yaakov Yosi, though his name does not appear in the Gruber-Teitelman tree, nor in the martyr lists. Yaakov-Yosi was a young man who was the main character of a story recounted for the Memorial book by Shmuel Mandelkern who was a Zionist activist in Mlynov in the early 1920s before making aliya.

According to his humorous and illuminating story, Shmuel and several young men from Mlynov, including the budding famous poet Yitzhak Lamdan, were early advocates of Zionism in the shtetl. They wanted to send someone to Mandatory Palestine / the Land of Israel as a proof point to their elders. So they chose a young poor young man, named Yaakov-Yosi Gruber. Recalling that effort, Shmuel Mandelkern wrote, "We choose for this good deed (mitzvah), for various reasons, Yaakov-Yosi Gruber, son of Mr. Yisrael Mordechai's [i.e., Mordechai’s son Yisrael] from Mervits, one of the Hasids 'burning with passion' for the Maggid from Trisk who was from a very venerated and famous family."

The young men kept the plan secret for fear their efforts would be thwarted. Heroic efforts enabled them to raise money to send Yaakov-Yosi to Odessa for Zionist training. Off Yaakov-Yosi went to Odessa while the young men pretended that Yaakov Yosi had been drown in the Ikva River. But the joke was on the young men who sent him. Yaakov-Yosi told his parents the game plan from the beginning. Yaakov Yosi never planned to make aliyah afterall. They simply let the young men raise the money to send him to Odessa where he planned to stay.

Recalling that the joke was on them, Shmuel Mandelkern wrote:

Our Yaakov Yosi remained in Odessa. He married, participated in WWI, was wounded and was left with a physical disability, and we said to ourselves that God had punished him for his betrayal of the Zionist idea. And if one asks, “what became of the commotion that Yaakov Yosi's family was supposed to make in Mlynov over his sudden disappearance?” – the answer is this: this schlemiel was smart enough to catch the wise in a trap… apparently, matters had all been agreed with his parents that he would exploit this opportunity to go forth into the world at large, and go to Odessa, without it costing him a penny. Perhaps he also thought that he would emerge from the affair with great wealth… "(In those days … Yaakov-Yosi goes to the Land of Israel (or doesn't go…)."

Sources: List of Mlynov Martyrs, Family history of Baltimore Goldseker family, Essays of Yehudit and Fania Mandelkern, Yad Vashem record for Charna submitted by Asher Teitelman.

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5. *Chana Gruber (~1887-1942) (4 perished, 1 immigrated or survived)

*Chana (alt Hana) Gruber was born in about ~1887 according to a Yad Vashem record submitted by her nephew Asher Teitelman. Asher was not sure if she was born in Mlynov or Mervits but she lived in Mlynov, was widowed, and had two children. He estimates she was 55 when she died in liquidation placing her birth year around 1887.

According to the Gruber-Teitelman family tree, she married a man named Shimon Weisfeld (alt spelling Veisfeld ווייספלד) who apparently died before the War. That is why Shimon is not listed with the rest of his family in the list of murdered Mlynov martyrs (under Hebrew letter vav p. 435 original, English p. 434).

The Mlynov martyr list indicates they had 3 children , two of whom perished: Eliyahu and Pearl (alt Penina) and one child, Meir, who was living in the US at the time the Memorial Book was published. It is unknown at this time if he immigrated before the War or was a survivor.

According to the Gruber-Teitelman family tree, Meir married a woman named Rivka and they had two children: Penina and Hana. The daughters are apparently named for his sister and mother.

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6. Rikel Gruber (1881-1952)

Rikel Gruber (daughter of Mordechai and Perel Gruber) is called "Gitel" in the Gruber-Teitelman family tree. However, she is remembered by relatives in America as Rikel. What we know of Rikel and her husband Gedaliah Helman/Gelman (1876-1951) comes from memories of Gruber relatives, the Memorial book, and US migration and census records. In America they became Joseph and Rebecca Alman. A photo of them also appears in the Memorial book with the surname Gelman and several possible references to them in the Memorial book use the surname Helman (G and H being interchangeable in Russian names at the time). In the Gruber-Teitelman tree they were remembered with the surname Helman.

Gedaliah and Rikel Gelman (Alman) Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, original p. 477, English p. 475)

Gedaliah and Rikel had four daughters before their migration to the US: Beatrice, Sylvia, Bertha and Rose. "Gedale Ellman" arrived from Rotterdam in New York on Feb. 19, 1914. His record indicates he birthplace and last residence was "Morawetz, Russia" and that his wife Ruchel Ellman was still back in Mervits at the time. He was headed to a brother-in-law with the surname Sadler in Springfield, Massachusetts.

WWI intervened before Rikel and her daughters could join Gedaliah in Springfield, MA. Their immigration record shows "Ryszla Elman," age 40, departed Le Havre, France with her three youngest daughters,on Nov. 25, 1922 on the SS La Savoie. They arrived in New York on March 7th. The three daughters with Rikel were Szejwa (later Sylvia Heafitz) age 12, Brandla (later Bertha Jacobson) age 10, Rejzia (later Rose Greenberg), age 9. They listed their last residence as Rovno where they may have been evacuated during WWI.

Gedaliah and Rikel's eldest daughter, Bejla (Beatrice) was already married according to her migration record when she and her husband “Pejsach Stzejnberg ” (Pesach Steinberg) departed Antwerp on Nov. 21, 1923 on the SS Minnekahda and arrived in NY on Dec. 1st. The manifest lists Bejla as age 22 and her husband Pejsach as a baker, age 28.

The Almans later sponsored the US migration of the surviving family of Rikel's niece, Pessia Steinberg (née Wurtzel). Living survivor, Gerald (Zelig) Steinberg, recalled that the Alman family were relatives of his mother and the Gruber-Teitelman tree shows that Rikel was Pessia's aunt.

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7. Sura (alt Sooreh) Gruber

Sura Gruber (daughter of Mordechai and Perel Gruber) was born in Mervits and married Zelig Wurtzel from Mervits. Zelig is sometimes transliterated "Zailek" and he is occassionally called "Zelig Ulynik" in the Memorial Book.

Sura and Zelig had six children. Of their children, only their adult daughter, Pessia, survived with her husband Getzel Steinberg and their son Zelig. Their survival story is told in detail as part of the Mervits Steinberg Family Story and in a book length narrative written up by Getzel's niece. The family migrated to Springfield, Massachusetts after the War with the help of Pessia's aunt, Rikel Alman.

Survivors Pessia (Wurtzel) with husband Getzel Steinberg, son Zelig (Gerry) and rescued child Aviva Feldman

Another grandson of Sura and Zelig (son of their daughter Esther and her husband Rabbi Yosel David Milhalter) was in the Russian army and survived the War. He later migrated to Israel. Milhalter descendants are living in Israel.

What we know of of this family before and during the War comes from episodic references to them in the Memorial book, Yad Vashem records, survivors' memories, some of which has been documented as part of the Wurtzel Family Line of Zailek. There are some inconsistencies in the family memories as we shall see.

Zelig was remembered as a mill owner. It appears Zelig and Sura passed away before WWII because neither are listed in Yad Vashem records or in the list of matyrs. By the 1930s, if not earlier, some of the grandsons are being called Zelig suggesting that the patriarch of this line had already passed away. Below is a high level summary of what is known followed by a more detailed account.

Read more about the children of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel or return to the top.

8. Miriam Gruber (?-1953)

Almost nothing is known about Miriam Gruber at the time of this writing. She appears as one of the children of Mordechai and Perel Gruber in the Gruber-Teitelman tree. No other record has been located to date. It is thus assumed that Sonia or Rachel Teitelman (nee Gruber) identified her as an aunt to their sister-in-law, Naomi Tomer who put together the tree.

According to the tree, Miriam Gruber married a man named Moshe Polikov (פוליקוב) and they had one daughter Rachel Polikov who married Avraham Liber Ben-Tzvi. No record has been located confirming that Rachel Polikov was a daughter of Miriam Gruber or what became of Miriam.

Records from Israel shows that a "Ester Ruchli" Liber Ben Tzvi was born in 1905 in "Kolodenze, Poland" and married a man named Avraham Liber Ben Tzvi, who was born in Luck (Lutzk). His naturalizaiton record shows that he was naturalized in Mandatory Palestine in 1937 at which point they had three children: Yodko-Ide born in 1927 in Boremel, Ela Duvid, born in 1931 in Boremel and Zipporah born in 1940 in Afula Israel. "Ester Ruchli" passed away in 1993 and is buried in Israel in Kfar Yehezkel Cemetery, Kfar Yehezkel, Israel.

9. Leah Gruber

According to the Gruber-Teitelman tree and Yad Vashem records, Leah Gruber married Azriel Kleinberg (קלינברג). They had seven children all of whom perished. The Beresteczko Memorial book p. 548 lists "Azriel Kleinberg and his family" without specifying who else perished. Also listed is Moshe Kleinberg, his wife Yenta and their children, which may be the Moshe remembered as one of Azriel and Leah's sons. Several grandsons and a great-granddaughter are known to have survived. The Gruber-Teitelman family tree conflicts with a few oral family memories as discussed below.

A photo preserved by Shoshana (nee Feldman) (1913-1999) of her parents, Rachel (Kleinberg) and husband Meir Feldman (seated left). Their daughter, Shoshana, appears as young girl seated center next to her brother Yosel. Photo was taken circa 1915. Possibly other Kleinberg siblings in backrow with husbands seated in chairs

A photo of Rachel (Kleinberg) and husband Meir Feldman (seated left) with children Shoshana and Yosef seated center). Courtesy of Etti Nattiv.

Esther Kleinberg

This Esther Kleinberg married Arieh Borenstein (בורנשטיין) according to two Yad Vashem records filled out by their son, Asher ^[2] The record confirms Esther's father was Azriel (i.e., confirming Esther was daughter of Azriel Kleinberg who married Leah Gruber).

The records indicates that Esther was born in about 1896 in Beresteczko and her husband Arieh was born in 1891 in Mizoch, where they settled. They had three sons, Asher, Meir and Yaakov. According to family traditions, the boys' mother Esther died young when Meir was about 5. They were building a house and she was sitting in the backyard and something fell on her and tragically killed her. Meir grew up in the home of one of his mother’s sisters who married a rabbi. It seems likely this was Rabbi Yosel David Milhalter, who married her cousin (not her sister) Esther Leah (Wurtzel), in Mizoch as discussed above.

The record Asher submitted seems to indicate that his parents and a brother, Yaakov, age 15, perished in the Mizoch ghetto liquidation. Asher and Meir both survived.

According to Meir's daughter, Ettai Nativ, her father Meir escaped as a young boy when the Germans came to Mizoch and he fought with partisans living in the forest. Meir met his wife Tzvia in Israel. She came in late 1946/47. They went to live in Tel Yosef adjacent to Ein Harod

Rachel Kleinberg

Yad Vashem records filled out by a daughter, Shoshana (Feldman) Talesnik (1913-1999), indicate that her mother Rachel Kleinberg married Meir Feldman. Meir was born in Boremel, Poland, in 1880 to Shimon and Mikhal Feldman. He was a merchant and had a flour mill. During the War, they lived in Beresteczko, Poland. They had five children: Shoshana, who made aliyah in 1935 before the War, Yosef (1906), Pepa (born in 1916) and two other daughters, according to the obituary of Shoshana.

Rachel, Meir and Pepa (born in 1916) perished during the War in Beresteczko according to records. Yosef and his wife Neli were in the Mlynov ghetto. They managed to get out of the ghetto before its liquidation. Because their daughter Aviva was so young, they couldn't take her into hiding with them. They placed her with a Polish family in another town. Sadly, Yosef and Neli did not survive. The story of how they perished and how their daughter Aviva was rescued is told in the "Steinberg Family Story from Mervits."

Frida Kleinberg

A Yad Vashem record filled out by her niece, Shoshana (Feldman) Taleshnik indicates Frida Kleinberg was born in Beresteczko (today Berestechko), Poland to Azriel and Lea. Prior to WWII she lived in Beresteczko and perished there.

Fishel Kleinberg

Fishel married his first cousin, Gitel Wurtzel, and the family is discussed there along with a photo of Fishel.

Eta Kleinberg

It seems likely that Eta Kleinberg is the same "Eta Kleinberg" listed as the wife of Srulik Wurtzel in Yad Vashem records. If so, then a sister and a brother (Eta Kleinberg and Fishel Kleinberg) married first cousins who were also brother and sister (Gitel Wurtzel and Srulik Wurtzel).

Assuming this Eta Kleinberg is the one who married Srulik Wurtzel, they had three daughters, Fefe (or Pepe) age 16 (implied birth year 1926), Leah 12 (implied birth year 1930), and Azriel age 9 (implied birth year 1933). The entire family perished. We know a bit about their terrible end. For a summary of Eta's family, see the discussion of Srulik Wurtzeland family. *Eta Kleinberg Maybe married first cousin Srulik Kleinberg

(Revert back to overview of Yosef Moshe and Shifra...)

The Children of Yosef Moshe Gruber and Shifra (née Teitelman)

*Chaika (alt Chaya Haya) Gruber (8 perished, 1 survived)

Chaika Gruber (~1890-1942), daughter of Yosef Moshe and Shifra, married *Yaakov Shichman (alt Sheckman). Of their seven children, only their daughter Sura Shichman survived. Children who perished included: *Avraham, *Mordechai, *Asher, *Yosef, *Azriel, *Shimon. Survivor Sura Shichman (married name Vinokur) wrote about her family’s last moments in her Memorial book essay, "Nazi Crimes in the Volyn Neighborhood" (original p. 449, English 431) and more details are provided in the life story of Asher Teitelman, Chaika’s nephew. Asher submitted a Yad Vashem record for the family and estimated Chaika was 52 years old when she was murdered, placing her approximate birth year in 1890.

Sura Shichman (married name Vinokur), daughter of Chaika (Gruber) was the sole survivor of her family. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, original p. 479, English p. 481)

Rachel Gruber (1894-1980) (5 survived, 2 perished)

Rachel Gruber, daughter of Yosef Moshe and Shifra, married her first cousin Nokhum (Nahum) Teitelman (1890-1976). They had five children. Asher (1921-2009), Shifra (1928- ?), and Yosef (1931-2015) survived the ghetto liquidation and made aliyah after the War. Two of their sons, *Efraim Fischel (1923-Oct 1, 1942) and *Shlomo Ben Zion (1925-Oct 1, 1942) were murdered fleeing the ghetto a day before the liquidation, a story told by Nahum in the Memorial Book "In the Depths of Hell" (original p. 322, English p. 305) and recounted by Asher in his life story.

Sources: Rachel and her husband Nahum and son Asher contributed essays to the Mlynov-Muravica Memorial book. Asher’s life journey was later documented in a book length narrative by his sister-in-law Naomi Tomer. Read more about the Teitelman family story.

Sonia and Mendel Teitelman.Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, original p. 325

Upon arrival to displaced persons camp Bad Gastein. Survivors: sisters Sonia (Gruber) with husband Mendel Teitelman (front right) and Rachel (Gruber) with husband Nahum Teitelman (front left) with Rachel and Nahum's children, Shifra (back left) and Yosef (back right) and a niece Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, original p. 480, English p. 480)

*Ben Zion Gruber (1900-1942) (3 perished, none survived)

Ben Tzion (or "Bentzi") Gruber, son of Yosef Moshe and Shifra, was born in 1900 in Mervits according to a Yad Vashem record submitted by Mendel Teitelman (his brother-in-law). He married Gitel Tova Marguiles and they had a daughter Yehudit. According to the Yad Vashem record he perished in Lutsk, though his wife and daughter died later in the ghetto liquidation. A photo of them appearbs in the Mlynov-Muravica Memorial book.

Ben Tzion was remembered as a beloved teacher by Moshe Iskiewicz

And last but not least, our teacher and educator, Ben Tzion Gruber, z”l, from Mervits, who roamed to far-off Odessa to learn in a well-known Hebrew high school (gymnasium). He was not only a great teacher, but also, in essence, an outstanding educator to his students, whom they totally venerated. I remember he dressed meticulously, walking stooped with his walking stick and all of him evoking honor. (Impressions and Memories," p. 89 original, p. 88 English)

In a tribute to Ben Tzion, Eliyahu Gelman (p. 241 original, p. 221 English) recalls that at the time Bentzi's literary talents rivaled those of Yitzhak Lamdan later to be the famous poet:

Bentzi preceded his friend — the poet of the future [Yitzhak Lamdan] — in writing stories that were sponsored by Bialik but which nonetheless he did not publish, and they remained handwritten in his possession. He returned to the small town and settled there. He married the beautiful Genia Margulis and his life was no different from that of other people of the town. He was a grain trader. But I always saw him as the classic enlightened Hebrew man (maskil), a man of much knowledge, in Tanakh and its interpreters, in Hebrew and Yiddish literature, Russian and general [subjects]. He was brighter and sharper than all the others. Why did he stay and not get carried away with the aspirations of his friends [to go to the Land of Israel or pursue other dreams]? This is a mystery that has no answer.

Sonia and Mendel also recalled that "Ben Tzion Gruber" was a student of Bialik, ("People in a Shtetl", p. 92 original, p. English). They remember his murder within the first few weeks of the German occupation, about the same time that Rabbi Gordon was murdered as well as refugees from a town called Turka further east. ("Tragic Tales", p. 329 original, p. 312 English)

In the first weeks also came about the events of the refugees from Turka who were in Stomorgi. Tragically, they were denounced by a Christian and murdered. Murdered with them were the Rabbi of Mlynov, Gordon, of blessed memory, Mendl Lumer of blessed memory, Muravitsky the barber of blessed memory, and the people from Turka whose names I do not remember, unfortunately, except for a few... Also at the same time my brother-in-law Ben-Tzion, son of Yoysef Gruber, of blessed memory, was killed in Lutsk, where about 2,000 Jewish youths had been murdered. His wife Gitl with her child Yehudis z”l came running to us in Mervits, thinking that there it was more protected. They also perished in the general murders of the Mlynov ghetto.

The teacher Ben-Tzion Gruber and his family [left]. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book. (original p. 457 , English p. 439).

"Sonia" (Esther Sonia) Gruber (1900–1980)(2 survivors)

Esther Sonia Gruber (remembered as just “Sonia”), daughter of Yosef Moshe and Shifra, married her first cousin Mendel Teitelman (1900 or 1905-). Both survived the ghetto liquidation and made aliyah after the War. They had no children. Sonia and Mendel were the most prolific contributors to the Mlynov Memorial book and with Sonia's sister Rachel were sources for the Gruber-Teitelman family tree.

Read more about Sonia and Mendel Teitelman.

*Nuta (or Neta) Gruber (~1910-1942) (4-5 perished)

*Nuta Gruber, son of Yosef Moshe and Shifra, married *Miriam Sherman. Nuta was born in 1910 or 1908 in Mervits according to conflicting Yad Vashem records. He married Miriam Sherman from Mervits, the sister of Moshe Sherman. Nuta and Miriam had two children who perished: Yechiel age 10 (birth about 1932) and Shifra age 8 (birth about 1934).

In April 1942 under the German occupation, Sonia and Mendel recalled how matzah was made for Passover secretly in the home of Nuta and Miriam's home.

The baking of Matza during the German occupation in Mervits took place at Nuta’s home (That was at my brother-in-law Note Gruber, may he rest in peace. His house was slightly hidden by trees on Mikhalovske's land. (p.183 original, English p. 167. ) [Source: Mendel and Asher Teitelman both submitted Yad Vashem records.

The family managed to escape from the ghetto. Survivor Sura Shichman (daughter of Nuta's sister Chaika) was a young girl when she went into hiding with her family and the family of her uncle Nuta Gruber. She recalled:

It took practically our entire fortune to secure a position for me as a maid in a neighboring shtetl for Master Bialkovsky. With his help we did manage to get not only my whole Shichman family out of the ghetto in a wagon covered with straw, but also my Uncle Nute Gruber with his wife and two children. We paid a Ukrainian farmer, Rituk from the village of Kutsa, to hide everyone until we would be liberated. "Nazi Crimes" original p. 449, English p. 449]

Sonia and Mendel remember them surviving beyond the ghetto liquidation but then being discovered p. 316

Passover 1943 we had bad news about another group of Jews who were discovered; their own protectors had turned them in: Srolik Zelig's [Zelig's son Israel] with his wife and children, Note Raykhman and family, my brother-in-law Yankev Shekhman with his family, my brother-in-law Note [Gruber] and wife and child, Yoysef Neli and Motl Feldman from Berestechko, Zelig Shekhman and his two sisters... and many more Mendel and Sonia write: original 336/ 316 English

The list of Mervits martyrs documented in the Mlynov-Muravica Memorial book seems to suggest there was a third daughter whose name was not remembered.

Yitzchak Gruber (adopted surname Hofri in Israel) (1910-2008)

Yitzchak Gruber, son of Yosef Moshe and Shifra, married Sarah Hornstein (1915-2008). Yitzhak made aliyah to the Land of Israel (then still Mandatory Palestine) in 1936. There he married Sarah Hornstein and they had three children: Micah Hofri, Devorah Hofri and Ruti Hofri.

Asher recalled that:

Sometime after his father [Yosef Moshe] passed, uncle Yitzhak, the youngest brother of my mother, came to live with us. He was about 19, an orphan from both parents. His other sisters were married. Family members succeeded in arranging an exemption from being mobilized with the army. He went to Zionist training [hachshara] and in 1936 he made aliyah to the Land of Israel.”

[Sources: Gruber-Teitelman family tree, Asher Teitelman Life Story]

*Dvorah Gruber (1917-1942) (4 perished)

Dvorah Gruber appears to have been a daughter of Yosef Moshe’s second marriage after Shifra passed away in 1914. She married Meir Shmuel Kubrik [alt spelling Kibrik or Kobrik]. In Yad Vashem records, she is identified by nephew Asher Teitelman, as born in Mervits in 1917. A record submitted by a sister-in-law Rachel Meiri, identifies her as born in 1914 in Boremel, a daughter of Yosef Moshe Gruber and his second wife Tzirel. The list of martyrs for Mervits in the Memorial Book (original p. 443) indicates that Dvorah, her husband “and the family” perished suggesting there were children, though their names are not provided. The Gruber-Teitelman tree lists two children whose names are not known.

Dvorah Kobrik (née Gruber)Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, original p. 480, English p. 480)

Return to the summary of Yosef Moshe and Shifra's family line or back to the top.

(Revert back to overview of Sura and Zelig...)

The Children of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

Srulik Wurtzel (1897-1942), son of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

Wurtzel brothers (l to r): Moshe, Yosef, and Srulik and friend, Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 471

Srulik Wurtzel (~), son of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig (Wurtzel)

It may be that the mill that Zelig owned was taken over by his son Srulik (Yisrael) who is remembered as owning a flour mill. Srulik was born in 1897 in Mervits according to a Yad Vashem record filled out by Mendel Teitelman, the husband of Srulik's first cousin, Sonia. The record indicates he married Eta Kleinberg. It seems likely this is the same "Eta Kleinberg" who was daughter of his aunt Leah (Gruber) and Azriel Kleinberg. If so, she was his first cousin. It thus appears that a brother and a sister (Srulik and Gitel Wurtzel) both married first cousins, who were also a brother and a sister (Fishel and Eta Kleinberg).

Srulik and his wife had three daughters, Fefe (or Pepe) age 16 (implied birth year 1926), Leah 12 (implied birth year 1930), and Azriel age 9 (implied birth year 1933). The entire family perished. We know a bit about their terrible end.

Srulik's mill was largely responsible for the survival of Srulik's first cousin, Rachel, her husband Nahum Teitelman and three of their children. Because Nahum worked in a mill previously he was assigned to work in the mill of Srulik Wurtzel and thereby got a work certificate that later enabled him to leave the ghetto and survive. Nahum recalled:

I was lucky. As a former owner of a mill, I was grouped with the six families who were employed in Yisroel (Srolik) Wurtzel's mill. There I succeeded in being a “useful worker” as was Srolik Wurtzel, of blessed memory, his brother Mayer of blessed memory, his brother-in-law Fishel [Kleinberg], of blessed memory, and his cousin Yoysef Feldman, of blessed memory, from Berestechko. (In the Depths of Hell," p. 330 original, p. 313 English)

Apparently Srulik and family managed to survive past the ghetto liquidation, probably because he worked in a mill and had a certificate to leave the ghetto as well. Work certificates helped a number of ghetto captives escape and survive. Survivor Bunia Steinberg (sister-in-law of Surlik's sister Pessia) recalled bumping into Srulik and his family when they went into hiding and then learning their subsequent fate. It was just a day or two after news of the liquidation reached them in hiding. The family that was hiding them had just kicked them out of their hiding place for fear of their own lives. Bunia, her brother, and sister-in-law Pessia went back on the road. Bunia wrote in her testimony in the Memorial book:

After wandering the entire night, we were exhausted. It was pouring. We fell asleep in the hut. 15 Jews were hiding at this Christian's place. Among them were my sister-in-law Pessia's brother Srulik Wurtzel [Vortsel], his wife Ite, and their three children — Pete [alt Pepe] (the oldest), Leye, and Zelik. (p. 359)...." ("Wandering During the Terrible Catastrophe," p. 392 original, p. 359 English)

Later after they left and found another new hiding place, Bunia recalled that they received the very bad news that "15 Jews had been killed, about whom I already spoke. Srolik Wurtzel with his wife Ite were murdered on the spot with their three children...." (ibid, p. 394 original, p. 361 English)

Possibly referring to the same murder, survivor Chaya Moses Fisher recalled a Ukrainian who saved her life, but who ironically was "that same “righteous man” wiped out the Wurtzel family even though he also worked with them." My Family, (p. 419 original, p. 383 English)

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

Yosef Wurtzel (~1895-1942), son of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig (Wurtzel)

Yosef Wurtzel was also mentioned several times in survivors' testimony in the Memorial book, though he does not appear in the list of siblings remembered by Pessia's family. Yad Vashem records submitted by Mendel Teitelman (husband of Sonia, his first cousin) confirm Yosef was a son of Sura and Zelig and describe Yosef as a merchant and estimates his birth year as 1895.

The record indicates Yosef was married to a woman with the surname Berger, and that they had five children whose names Mendel didn't remember but whose ages were 17, 15, 14, 10, 8. The Gruber-Teitelman family tree, following the list of Mervits martyrs (under Vav, p. 442 original, p. 404 English), gives the surname of his wife and four sons: "Yosef son of R. Zelig Ulynik from Mervits, Rachel his wife daughter of R. Chaim Berger; [their children] Mordechai, Zelig, Gedaliah, Yaakov."

A Yad Vashem record submitted by Pinhas Berger, a relative of Yosef's wife, Rachel, also describes him as a merchant and estimates that Yosef was born in 1898. The record gives the names and birthyears of two children which match names in the martyr list: Yaakov Shimon 1934 and Zelig 1939.

Yosef Wurtzel was remembered by his aunt Sonia and her husband Mendel Teitelman, in their essay, "Poor Lives," (p. 239 original, p. 219 English) as one of the wagon drivers in Mlynov among those who "worked 18 hours a day carrying heavy burdens on their backs!

His wife Rachel Berger was daughter a well-respected man named Chaim (alt Khaim) Berger. He had one of the Mlynov hotels/inns where travelers could rest and feed their horses (p. 479). Mendel and Sonia also are membered fondly for hosting one of the early Zionist educators who came to town in the 1920s. Mendel and Sonia Teitelman and Boruch Meren remembered Chaim Berger as a member of one of the large families in townChaim was the treasurer of the synagogue. His brother Yosel was president of the Jewish kehilla in the shtetl. ( see "Small Shtetls, Large Families," p. 256 original, p. 236 English and The Goldsekers," p. 246 original,p. 227 English).

Survivors remember Yosef Wurtzel and his wife Rachel at various points under the German occupation. Nahum Teitelman (husband of Yosef's aunt Rachel) recalled going to Yosef's home shortly after the Germans occupied Mlynov.

Soon several Germans marched into our house. They asked what we were doing there, and who we were. At first they said they were searching for weapons, but they meant something else. They started to bother [my daughter] Shifrele, even though she was still a child. We bought off the villains. We then left our home to go to Zelig's [son] Yosef, Chaim Berger's son-in-law. We observed Shabbes Parashat Chukat there. It was the third of Tamuz [June 28, 1941].("Life Under..." p. 315 original, p. 300 English)

Yosef Wurtzel was also with Nokhum Teitelman when the Nazis took them away to be interrogated and to impose a confiscation quota on them.

One evening, having come back tired from work, unable to straighten up from having tied up wheat, a German burst in the door and ordered: “Come!” I had to go. To where I did not know.

To where I did not know. My wife and children were crying, certain that I would be shot, because that was nothing new. The German who took me also took Yosef Wurtzel, Khayim Berger's son-in-law... We marched in threes. We were taken through the town to the house of attorney Revtshinski. There they started to ask us what our occupations were, and many more questions until late at night. Back home they had no doubts that we had been murdered, because practically every day several people were taken to the Mantyn Forest, and they were shot.

After sitting there several hours, I was the first one to be called in. The result: I had until tomorrow 12:00 to deliver 120 cakes of good soap; if not, I would be shot...Yoysef Wurtzel: 3,000 cigarettes. And we were escorted home since we were not permitted in the streets after 6:00 pm.p. 303("Life Under..." p. 318 original, p. 303 English)

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

*Esther Leah Wurtzel (~1890-1942), daughter of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

*Esther Leah Wurtzel married *Rabbi Yosel Duvid Milhalter (1888-1942) and had one child, according to the family memory of survivor Gerry Steinberg, son of Esther's sibling Pessia (Wurtzel). This placement in the family tree appears correct, even though the the Gruber-Teitelman tree documented in Israel places Esther in the family tree as a daughter, not of Sura (Gruber) Wurtzel, but of her sister, "Leah (Gruber) Kleinberg (her family discussed below).

A Yad Vashem record submitted by Asher Borenstein identifies himself as a neighbor of Esther and her husband in Mizoch (alt Mizocz), a town about 25 miles from Mlynov. Asher was in fact a cousin of Esther's, a grandson of Leah (Gruber) Kleinberg, as we shall see later. Asher estimated that Esther was born in 1891. He assumed she was born in Mizoch where he met her but he appears to have been mistaken. Another record identifies her birthplace as Mervits. Asher also submitted a record for their son Yeshayahu (transliterated as Iszajau in the Yad Vashem database), who he estimated was born in 1920. This is one of the sons who apparently was in the Russian army.

The Yad Vashem record indicates the family was murdered in the liquidation of the Mizoch ghetto, which sources indicate occurred on Oct. 13 or 14, 1942, five or six days after the Mlynov ghetto end. Since the family perished in Mizoch, they naturally do not appear in the Mlynov or Mervits matyr lists.

Another Yad Vashem record submitted by the organization of Mizoch survivors (and citing a son) describes Esther Leah as a daughter of Zelig and Sura Wurtzel, born in "Muravice." In the Hebrew Yad Vashem records, the family surname is spelled with a "gimel" (מילגטר) and is transliterated as "Milgalter" since the g and h were frequently interchangeable in Russian at the time, as in other Mlynov names (Goldseker/Holtzeker, Gelman/Helman).

It appears that this is the same family listed in the Mizoch martyr list of the Mizoch Yizkor book transliterated as "Malgelter" (מלגלטר in the original): If so, it appears they had three children: The martyr list includes: Joseph David (Yosel Duvid), a ritual slaughterer, Esther, Yishayahu "mute," Micael, and Golda. A Yad Vashem records filled out for a Micael Milgalter by a surviving brother (name unreadable) places his birth in 1922. It is believed the surviving brother's name was Yaakov and descendants are living in Israel.

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

Meir (or Meyer) Wurtzel (1910-1942), son of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

Not much is known about Meir Wurtzel. He is not listed in the Gruber-Teitelman family tree from Israel, but he is remembered as one of the children of Sura and Zelig by survivor and son of Pessia (Wurtzel) Steinberg. This family is also listed with the Mervits martyrs, (p. 442 original, p. 417 English) as: "Meir Wurtzel, his wife Rachel and the family."

A Yad Vashem record submitted by Mendel Teitelman (wife of Meir's first cousin Sonia) indicates that Meir Wurtzel was born in 1910 in Mervits and was a merchant. He married Rachel Lakrits (alt Lakritz, Lakic, Lakrits or Lokrits) and they had two daughters age 8 and 6, of unknown names. During the German occupation, Meir was remembered working in the mill with his brother Srulik and with Nahum Teitelman, as quoted earlier. The specific circumstances of their death is not known. A photo of a woman labelled "Rachel Lakrits" appears in the Memorial book (p. 479 orginal, p. 481 English) and could be Meir's wife.

Photo of a Rachel Lakrits, possibly wife of Meir Wurtzel, Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book", p. 429

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

*Gitel Wurtzel (?-1942), daughter of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

Gitel Wurtzel married her first cousin, Fishel Kleinberg (alt Kleinburd) from Berestchecko. According to a Yad Vashem record submitted by Mendel Teitelman, Fishel was born in 1895. His parents were "Leah (Gruber) and Azriel/Israel Kleinberg." His mother, Leah (Gruber) Kleinberg was a sister of Gitel's mother, Sura (Gruber) Wurtzel.

The Yad Vashem record indicates Gitel and Fishel had three children, 2 daughters, age 10 and 8, and a son, age 6. Their names appear in the list of "Mervits martyrs," (p. 444 original, p. 421 English): "Fishel, his wife Gitel, their daughters, Sarah and Leah, his son Zelig."

Fishel Kleinberg with daughter (second row far left) working fields at home of farmer Bialkosky. Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book, p. 429

A photo from the Memorial book shows Fishel Kleinberg and his daughter with a household of farmers where Fishel Kleinberg worked. The caption on the photo reads "During field work next to [the home of] Chotka Bialkosky." Survivor Zelig (Gerry) Steinberg (son of Sura [Gruber] Wurtzel), who was born in Mervits, recalls his parents telling him this photo of workers on a gentile farm near Mlynov included his mother's brother-in-law Fishel Kleinberg, second row far left with a daughter.

The home of the farmer named Bialkosky incidentally is also mentioned by survivor Sore Shichman-Vinokur (daughter of Chaika [Gruber] Shichman, “Nazi Crimes in the Volyn Neighborhood,” p. 449. Sore secured a a position as a maid in Bialkosky home after the ghetto was set up andand he helped her entire family escape the ghetto and go into hiding, though they did not survive.

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

Pessia Wurtzel (1907-1942), daughter of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

A great deal is known about Pessia Wurtzel since she survived with her husband Getzel Steinberg (1907-2003) and son Zelig (Gerry) (~1937- ) named for his grandfather. A great deal of what we know about this Gruber line and about the end of Mlynov and Mervits comes from the memories of these Steinberg survivors.

Gerry reports that his father, Getzel, had to wait seven years (like the biblical character Jacob) for the hand of Pessia in marriage. Since she was the youngest, she couldn't get married before her older sisters.

What we know about this Steinberg family before the War and their survival experience is told in under the Steinberg Family Story from Mervits and in a full length narrative of that experience that is cited there. In addition, Pessia's larger Wurtzel family line is documented under The Wurtzel Family Story.

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

*Moshe Wurtzel (?-1942), son of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel

Very little is known about *Moshe Wurtzel and his wife *Miriam (surname unknown). Moshe is not mentioned in the Memorial book and the family does not appear in the list of martyrs. According to survivor Gerry Steinberg (son of Pessia Wurtzel) this family had one child.

Return to the summary of Sura (Gruber) and Zelig Wurtzel's family line or back to the top.

Notes

[1] Earlier when I was translating the Memorial Book captions, I did not put together the connection that "Mutia" might be a nickname for Mordechai Liberman. His brother-in-law, Nahum Teitelman, in his essay calls Mordechai "Mati". Given the wording of the caption under this photo it can be the case that Liberman is also the surname of "Mutia [with the title] staroste," and thus referring to Mordechai Liberman. ↩

[2] The version of the Gruber-Teitelman tree from Israel descendants appears to be mistaken listing this Esther Kleinberg as marrying David Yosel Milhalter. As noted earlier, it is believed that that Esther Leah had the surname Wurtzel and was a daughter of Sura. Her sister, Gitel, married Fishel Kleinberg (a son of this Esther Klein see below). ↩

References / Additional Reading

Read more about the "The Teitelman Family from Mlynov and Mervits."

Read Asher Teitelman's story as told by Dina Tomer, Asher [Happy] is the Man:The Asher Teitelman Story)

Compiled by Howard I. Schwartz
Updated: July 2024
Copyright © 2021 Howard I. Schwartz, PhD
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