Warszawski and Blatt family members at gravesite of Sura Necha Blatt, neé Warszawski,
in Belchatow cemetery, probably at the unveiling (abt. 1932)
(on left): Sura Necha's sisters, Frana (in front) and Rifka Warszawski
(next to tombstone): Zvi (aka Herschel) Blatt, her husband
(in front of Zvi and next to him): their daughters, Dvorah and Ethel Blatt
(on Ethel's left, with beard): Yankel Warszawski (see Belchatow Yizkor Book p.134)
A translation of the inscription on the stone reads:
"Here lies a woman, old, modest,
a woman of valor, a crown to her husband,
fearing of G-d
Sura Necha
daughter of Yechiel z"l [of blessed memory]
wife of Reb Zvi HaLevi [the Levi] BLATT
died on 25 Shevat 5692"
[February 2, 1831]
(Photograph provided by Claudia Weiss Greve, Sura Necha's great-grand-daughter;
translation provided by Hadassah Lipsius)
Photographs of Sura Necha and her husband Zvi:
Sura Necha Blatt, neé Warszawski and Zvi (aka Herschl) Blatt
(Photograph provided by Claudia Weiss Greve, great-grand-daughter --
they are her paternal grandmother Rose's grandparents.)
Photograph of Rose Blatt in Belchatow
Rose Blatt Weiss (1890-1974),
born in Belchatow, emigrated in 1914 to the U.S.,
where she married Jacob Weiss (1886-1934)
(Photograph provided by Claudia Weiss Greve, grand-daughter.)
Some family history and recollection of life in Belchatow:
My paternal grandmother, Rose Blatt Weiss (1890-1974), was born in Belchatow and immigrated to the United States in 1914. Her parents were Sura Necha and Zvi Blatt. Sura Necha's parents were Sheyna and Chieval (Yechiel) Warshawsky (Warszawski). She had at least two sisters, Frana and Rifka (in photograph).
Sura Necha and Zvi Blatt had five daughters and one son. The family was poor, and the girls worked in the lace-making trade. Rose said that her father was "not a doctor, but like a doctor." Their son Richard and their daughter Ruthie, my great uncle and aunt, both spoke of their social club in Belchatow. They called it the Kultur Klub. This club was both a social place for entertainment (including singing, plays, poetry, and literary readings) and a political organization for leftist activity. A photo of the club appears in the Belchatow Yizkor Book [p.137] (published in Argentina in 1951). My great uncle Richard owned a copy of the book, which unfortunately has been lost to the family since his death over 15 years ago in California. I had seen the book a number of times and know that there was at least one group photo that included my grandmother, Rose Blatt, at about age 12.
Three daughters -- Rose (my grandmother), Ruthie, and Annie -- immigrated to the U.S. prior to WWII. Richard remained and was a camp survivor; he later moved to Belgium, then France, and finally to California. Two other daughters -- Ethel and Dvorah (in photograph) -- remained in Belchatow with their parents.
These photographs are about the only memorabilia I have of my grandmother and her family. It is my understanding that the cemetery photo was sent to my great aunt Ruthie. On the reverse side is a hand-written inscription in Yiddish, the translation of which reads: "Dear Daughter Feige Rochel -- A memory of your mother and your dear father, to wish you and your children -- may you be inscribed for a good year."
These are my memories of my grandmother and her family. Thank you for placing them on the web site.
Claudia Weiss Greve
June 23, 2005