Beyla Cohen, the daughter of Tsvi Zev Cohen and his wife Riva, was born in Kalarash around 1872. A marriage was arranged for her with Jacob Waxman, with whom she had two children: Iser (born 1888) and Chaika (born 1892). Jacob wanted to leave Kalarash and go to America, but Beyla refused to go with him, so they divorced amicably and he went to New York by himself. Beyla remained in Kalarash and supported herself, Iser, and Chaika by running an inn.
It was Beyla's quick thinking that saved her own and her children's lives when they were caught in the Kalarash pogrom of 1905. They fled town on a train that, fortunately, had been standing in the station. Within the next year, Beyla sent her son Iser to his father in New York. She married again, to Yussel (Joseph) Einbinder. In 1908, Joe Einbinder and his stepdaughter Chaika (Ida) went to New York. Beyla continued to live in Kalarash, determined to keep the inn until she was sure that Joe could make a living in New York. A year later, she sold the inn and joined her family in New York.
Bella (as she became known in New York) was active in the Kalarash landsmanshaftn organization and served as the first president of the Kalarasher Bessarabier Progressive Ladies Auxiliary. She was a very generous woman who always kept a knippel [knotted handkerchief with money in it] pinned inside her bra, with money for charitable emergencies. She often would spend her own money to buy food for a needy family, then tell them that it was from the landsleit organization.
Bella and Joe lived on Rivington Street in Manhattan, then moved to Williamsburgh. In her later years, Bella had a small stand where she sold eggs given to her by her son-in-law Jacob Wiesenthal, who was in the egg business. Joe Einbinder died in 1943 and Bella died in 1952. They are buried in the Kalarash plot in Mt. Hebron Cemetery.
Credits: Photograph, text, and page design copyrighted © 2007 by Helene Kenvin. Page created by Helene Kenvin. All rights reserved.