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KRAMER from Yashnitz...
LINDNER & Eichel from Rohatyn...
SCHEINER & KANDEL from Dubiecko & Strzyzow...
STECHER and TRACHMAN from Zmigród...


by Phyllis KRAMER, V.P. Education, JewishGen, Inc.

When I was 13 I created my first tree along with a scrapbook of photographs for my grandmother; over time my mom told me the history of both sides of the family; from these stories came my family genealogy and my postion with JewishGen...but until recently, I never had a web site for my family; well, it's time! I'm delighted to begin this project and I would love to hear from anyone who has something to correct or add.

I am grateful to those who came before me; who battled the old world and the new to create a better life for their children...this is really their story. They shall not be forgotten...

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The STECHERS of ZMIGRóD

Great Grandfather: LEIB STECHER (1858-1927)

Leib married Golda TRACHMAN circa 1879 in Zmigród. When the shittach was made, Leib said he wouldn't marry till he saw the bride; it was arranged for him to ride his horse by the garden where Golda was walking. She was beautiful!
Although many of his children emigrated to the U.S., Leib only came to the US in 1921, but returned because it was not religious enough for him (although granddaughter Malka said he returned to be with his favorite daughter, Scheindel).

Leib is listed in the 1926 and 1930 Polish business directories under JaJa-handel (oeufs) - an egg dealer. Leib had two houses one of which was a shop (gevelb), mostly for grains, where he bartered with local farmers. After Golda died, Leib remarried a redhead around 1910 (never found out her name) but they had no children. She came to the U.S. with Leib, but remained here with her daughter when Leib returned to Poland.

The Stories

In Europe they called my grandmother Gittaleh Shikah; she was being watched by older sisters Tillie and Zelda, but she managed to get to a cask of liquor. Drank so much they found her unconscious and thought she was dead. Golda came with a mirror (how clever); holding it under her nose she declared her daughter alive, and promptly put her in the bed. Gussie didn’t eat solid food for two month!

Why did my grandmother come here? The story was that Gussie & Tillie came to US because the air was better! But the sisters knew that Tillie was in love with a baker from Zmigród and the baker's family didn't have "yichas"; so Tillie followed him to America, bringing her kid sister along with her. Tillie and Ben married, lived in Hartford and raised 3 children. That's Tillie & Ben on their 50th anniversary!
Many celebrations were held in that huge hartford home with the parquet floors that Tillie was so proud of. Here are more photos of their 1948 anniversary. That's my mom and aunt Goldie on the right.

But where are you Richie? I've looked everywhere. Please contact me if you read this.

I won't put in the names, as privacy is important...but here is a collection of relatively recent photographs from the STECHER Family, including our Israeli branches:

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Great Grandmother was GOLDA TRACHMAN

Her parents were Herschel and Leah (Leie) TRACHMAN from Zmigród. Her siblings were Morris born 1865, Schmiel 1866, Sarah 1868, Jenny, Fanny 1860 and Lillie. (Details below).

Grandma Golda ran the business in Zmigrod; grandpa Leib was busy riding around to all the rabbis as he, like his peers, was a student. Women didn't resent this, they were proud of husbands well learned; in the gevelb the polish peasants brought in eggs and grains, were paid off in barter, probably groceries and household items.

Leib and Golda STECHER had 14 children:

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Leib STECHER'S Brother

Leib STECHER had a brother Hersch STECHER from the Zmigród area.
Hersh married Pesche SCHUSS in New York City (the Schuss family was from nearby DUKLA): Herris and wife settled in NEWARK NJ. They had 8 children: (girls pictured at left)

I have contacted over 15 of Hersch's descendents (at least one from each branch). Lots of stories there too...Herris appears to have had 4 wives...and left a legacy of some broken dreams.
But I've connected with Nan Rudin, Mary Rusinow and Beth Corets...and they have grown from fellow genealogists to good friends.

Hersh and Peshe's children:

One last puzzle...did Hersh have had a son by a former marriage; we found a Herman STECHER (born before 1890), in the reconditioned motors business in Philadelphia, whom cousin Baerish/Bernard Stecker was quite friendly with.

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Judith STECHER, Leibs' older sister, married Mendel DEUTSCHMAN in Zmigród. They had 5 children, Rifka (born 9/25/1867), Schmeil "Sam" (born 1/15/70, married Sophie HOCHNER), Ben (born 1879 married Maisminal KORN), Majer (born 11/12/88), Tcheite (born 6/21/81, married ZELL). Sam and Ben settled in Easton, Pa. I've visited with granddaughter Catie who lives in Ashville, North Carolina.

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Leib STECHER'S Cousins

I looked in vain for years for the family of Samuel STECHER, with whom my grandmother lived in 1900 (cousins in the 1900 census). I never found Samuel STECHER again. He seemed to have disappeared from the earth. But I broke through this brick wall when i was contacted by a fellow researcher on JewishGen's Family Finder, who was looking for STECKLER from the same shtetl... Zmigrod...and when we exchanged trees, it appeared that Samuel Stecher had changed his name to Zanvil Steckler (we never found out why). That lovely photograph below is Zanvil and his family

And...that's how i met my good friend, and Stecher descendant Jonathan Cohen. Together we tracked down the 1929 hand drawn tree on the right. And that is how Jonathan and I became aware of the STECHER Family Circle.

We deduced that Leib's father Samuel and Fischel were brothers's (see Fischel's tree above) and were invited to the Stecher family reunion in 1999 in Florida...representing Leib's side of the family!

Just recently i met the patriarch of the LEHR family (one of the branches of the tree above). Doc LEHR returned to Zmigrod last year; (his story is on the web page devoted to our ancestral town of Zmigrod; click here to go to http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/zmigrod/zmigrod.htm . Doc Lehr is very interested in researching our ancestors before the 1800s, but alas, we have not been able to do that. The vital records which our researcher uncovered do not go back further than the 1870s.....maybe someday?!? We recently connected with a frenchman who had a LEHR in his family from Warsaw...and wouldn't you know it...the Polish JRI-P vital records index told us he was born in ZMIGROD!! So we know there's a connection, but we don't know what it is...yet. Can anyone out there help?

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Golda TRACHMAN STECHER'S Siblings

Golda TRACHMAN's brothers and sisters emigrated earlier to the US and settled in Chicago and Joliet, Illinois. When my grandmother first came here, she stayed with them:

I visited with grandson Herb TRACHMAN in Los Angeles and have been fortunate to meet great-granddaughter Judith KROCKEY in Arizona.

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TRACHMAN, TEITELBAUM and JUST Cousins


A cousin, Fanny JUST, married Jacob TEITELBAUM (a butcher from RZESZOW), and settled on the lower east side. Mom said "we always visited Tanta Fanny". Children were Isidore (owned Teitelbaums' Furniture Store which was on 57th Street in NYC and in then moved to the Bronx), Sam, Shifra (married Lou UNGER), Nettie (married Morris HOFFERT) and Rose (married Dave HABER, children: Ruth Haber BORAX, Vivian Haber NELSON and Leonard HABER)

Other TRACHMAN cousins from Dukla emigrated to NYC and included Esther TRACHMAN (born 1876, married Abe GEIGER), Fichu TRACHMAN (married PACHER of the Brooklyn supermarkets).
Jacob TRACHMAN (1867-1938, married Leah and Hanna SOLOMON from DUKLA, was a grocer) This was interesting as Jacob followed the age old custom of marriage. Jacob's first wife died and he then married her sister; sounds very controlling, but think about it...makes sense for those days where marriages were arranged by the parents; and it keeps the children within the family; securing a second marriage to a caring woman.
Want to know about this shtetl? Go to
ZMIGROD


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The KRAMERS of Jasienica Rosielna (Yashnitz)

Great Grandfather Abraham KRAMER (~ 1863--~1942) lived in Jasienica. Abraham was a peddler, very common in those days. And he had 4 wives (not so common)
--Heni WISNER (c 1865 - 1895), Esther BEIM (c 1860-1901), Carolyn, and Ruchel.
Two of his children emigrated to the United States, Ella KRAMER (born 1899, married Joe Hoffman) and Jacob KRAMER (born 2/84, married Annie LINDNER, whom he met on the boat). Jacob was a talmudic student; here he was a tailor, like many other Jewish immigrants. .

My two grandfathers, Jacob KRAMER and Abraham Scheiner, came from the same area; it was said that at my parents' wedding...Abraham embraced a KRAMER cousin, as they had last seen each other in Chaydah (Hebrew School), 40 some years before. At that wedding too, they celebrated by remembering Jasienica, known to the Jews as Yashnitz, a dairy town, for which Yashnitzers (omelets) were named.

Annie and Jacob had 4 children: Rubin (my dad), Daniel, Carrie (married Morris Sobel) and Emanual (Mickey). That's my dad Ruby and his brother Denny on the right>>. All raised wonderful families in the New York area. We even have a famous descendent, the drummer of Aerosmith, Joey KRAMER.

There were other KRAMERs who emigrated from Jasienica, and it took over 10 years to make the connections: they include Dora KRAMER (born 1889, married Samuel KLEVE), Fani (born 1895) married Efroim SPEVAK, and Amelia (born 1897).

I knew from my sister's memories, that aunt Ella HOFFMAN visited KRAMER cousins in the Bronx. Many years later I had lunch with a lady who remembered Aunt Ella, as she had lived with them in JASIENICA after her mother died and her father remarried. (that's Ella and niece Carrie KRAMER on the left; they adored each other!). That was an exciting afternoon as we shared what we knew of the Beck, Weiss, Kramer and Hoffman families!

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My KRAMER Cousins: The Third & Fourth Generation

I won't put in the names, as privacy is important...but here is a collection of photographs from the KRAMER Family:



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Want to know about Yashnitz? Go to YASHNITZ I have a tree of all the KRAMER/Beim/Wisners and would be happy to share that with anyone interested.
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The SCHEINERS of DUBIECKO

The KANDELS of STRZYZOW

Josef Scheiner

Great Grandfather Josef SCHEINER was born in DUBETSK in 1858. Josef married Frieda Necha KANDEL circa 1880 and settled in her shtetl, Strzyzow. (details below)

When the shittach was made, Jacob Kandel promised his future son-in-law that he would make him the Schochet in Strzyzow. Something went wrong. I never found out what, but the story came down that another son-in-law became the Schochet. For more on the KANDELS, click KANDEL .

A few years later, Josef SCHEINER took his wife and son and emigrated to the United States; there he became a schochet. Joseph had a red beard and was a very clever man.

He also had beautiful voice; neighbors would listen to sedar through the window; one pesach it was cold, and neighbors called to ask window be opened so that they could listen to his sedar. Joseph's sons Sam and Abe were tenors (supposidly Abe made two records with Belle Baker but i've never been able to locate them).

My great grandfather Josef SCHEINER (born 1858) was the eldest son of Naphtuli SCHEINER and Sarah GREENBERG. His siblings were Channuch (born 1868) who emigrated to Israel, and Tsipora (born 1870) who came to New York. (details below)

The American SCHEINERs:

Josef SCHEINER, b. 1858 Dubiecko, Galicia, m. 1880 Strzyzow, d.1930 224 E 4th St, New York
m. Frieda KANDEL, b. Nov, 1860 Strzyzow, Galicia, d. Oct 15, 1931 NYC

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My Cousins: The Second Generation of SCHEINERS

I won't put in the names, as privacy is important...but here is a collection of photographs from the Scheiner Family:

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Tsipora SCHEINER'S family from DUBETSKO

Joseph's sister, Tsipora SCHEINER married Yechial ROTHAUS from Dubiecko (they kept the Scheiner surname) and emigrated to the United States; here she celebrates her 50th wedding anniversary in 1936.

Scheiner Family Stories

I remember my sister and i (on the right) meeting her grandchildren and seeing the home made films from this celebration, and recognizing my grandparents. But the story told to me was that my grandfather wasn't happy at the wedding as they were seated in the back, and left soon after the ceremony. Sounds like many a story i have heard before!

Another interesting story is that two of Tsipora's sons, Jack and Louis, fought in World War I...but on opposite sides! One was drafted into the army in Austria, the other had immigrated to the United States.

An Interesting Letter!

In 1989, a Scheiner cousin, Beatrice Scheiner Schoedes, received this letter from Kalman Scheiner, the son Channuch Scheiner, the nephew of Tsipora and Josef Scheiner. It tells an interesting story (albeit some of the "facts" are incorrect):
"Thank you very much for the letter. I am happy to learn that you have a family circle of cousins (there should be in the tens of cousins from the Scheiners family. I will try my best to help you...
My grandfather (your g. grandfather) Naftuli Scheiner, lived in the city Dubiecko near Przemysl. He had two sons. Josef Scheiner the oldest went to the USA in 1878, a few years later came back to Dubiecko, took a wife and went back to USA. In NY he was a shooter (editors note: schochet)...Had 6 sons. All meried with children and grandchildren. The wife of uncle Josef left for US with great bitterness because the mechitunem were against the shiduch. So she swore that they will never here from their son. And so was it. My father used to write letter after letter but no answer. She took care of the mail. He was working all day and she burned all the mail from the family.
After about 30-40 or even 50 years a grandchild got a letter and by a miracle handed over to her grandfather. This was in 1927. We received (my father) a letter from his oldest brother. This letter was a gance megille. He never new if somebody lives from his family to answer him as soon as possible, but he never got anymore letters from US."

Who knows what gems of truth are in this family story?
Want to know about this shtetl? Go to DUBIECKO.

Here's an addition...to this tale...in the early 2000s, in Florida, i found out a friend's family came from the same area in Galicia. We exchanged notes and indeed, there is a SCHEINER in her family from Dubiecko too! We are related...and someday we may find out how!
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The KANDELS of STRZYZOW

My ggm Freida Necha is very special to me; i am named for her. I treasure the candlesticks she brought with her from Europe. Recently i gave cousin David Scheiner our grandfathers tallis and gave his son Brett Scheiner his great great grandmother's candlesticks, trusting they will stay in the family for generations to come.

Frieda KANDEL was born Nov, 1860 in Strzyzow, Galicia; her parents were Sara Langsam and Jacob Kandel. Jacob had a hebrew school (Chaydah).

Frieda followed her husband Josef Scheiner to the United States in November of 1898...with daughter Sarah. Joseph was living in Oliphant, Penna (near Uniontown, Fayette county) though I've never found out why. Immigrants settle where there are others they know, but i cannot find anyone who ever lived in this town. But when i do, i'll bet its family!

By 1900, the family was rooted on Ridge Street, on the Lower East Side of New York City.

Freida had a sister, Rose/Ruchel KANDEL, b. 1867, Strzyzow who married Micheal SCHIMMEL (1857Strzyzow--1942 Bronx).
Their children were:

It was from Rose's death certificate (on the right) that I learned that their parents names were Jacob KANDEL and Sara LANGSAM. The Langsams were a large family from Rzeszow, but so far, i've been unable to find the connection.

Another possible relative: We wintered in Savannah in the 90s; a wonderful neighbor told me her maiden name was KANDEL; we did some genealogy research together and found that her grandfather, Philip KANDEL, was born in Rzeszow...only 15 miles North of Strzyzow; we researched the family: 3 sons of Zvi Kandel: Philip, Jacob & Benjamin (born 1872-7); we know we are related, by temperament at least, by blood very likely. But we haven't nailed it...yet!

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Want to know about this shtetl? Go to STRZYZOW


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The EICHELS and LINDNERS of Rohatyn

My great grandmother Dora EICHEL was born in Rohatyn in 1862. She married Reuven LINDNER (i finally found out that he was born in Burstyn, 10 miles south, in 1858); the photo is circa 1893-my aren't they a handsome couple! I know the first two children were born in Burshtyn, the third claimed Budapest, and many of the others were born in the US, as the couple came back and forth many times; Charles was even born on the boat! He's the adorable baby.

Reuven, I was told, was a "dayan", but one who travelled from town to town (is that possible?). We do know that son Izzie's bar mitzvah was moved up to 1904, as Reuven had to return to Europe, supposidly seeking a cure for his ailments. I don't know where he died either, but Dora returned to the States in 1906, with the children.

Dora's father, Anschel EICHEL was a tailor who specialized in making uniforms for the Pravoslav priests and monks. We can trace the Eichels back to Yitzhak Eichel, who lived in Hamburg at the end of the 18th century; he was a scholar who published a textbook of the Yiddish language and was a pupil of the German philosopher Kant.

Here is the EICHEL family tree: Anschel EICHEL married Beile BERLIN in Rohatyn around 1850. Their children were:

  • Charlotte "Scheindel" EICHEL who married Eisig GARTNER and settled in BOLEKOV. Some of their children came to the U.S. but those who remained were killed in the Shoa.
  • Yaakov EICHEL whose son Abraham EICHEL married Sarah BARBER and emigrated to the U.S.
  • Esther EICHEL who married Hersh Berlin, and some of their children emigrated to the U.S.
  • Dora EICHEL who married REUVEN LINDNER (my great grandparents-details below)
  • Abraham Leib EICHEL, about whom we are not certain...but through JRIP we found a birth certificate, and through fellow researchers we found this man marrying Perl GITTMAN in STRZYZOW, another city of Galicia.
  • Daniel EICHEL who married Rachel HAUSMAN from Bolekov; he studied baking in Rohatyn, was raised by his elder sister Scheindel after Beile died; his children emigrated to Israel, produced the Bolechov Yizkor book in Israel; and the family prospers there today. We knew of these cousins, but couldn't locate them for many years, as they had changed their surname to ESHEL. I finally found these cousins through the wonderful expertise of Batya UNTERSHATZ and her wonderful Search Bureau in Israel. Granddaughter Rachel had a history of the Eichel family that went clear back to the 1700s, when one of the EICHELs was a student of Kant, and wrote a book on the Yiddish language. One of these days i hope to meet all the grandchildren.


  • Hersch/Harry EICHEL, the youngest, and the son of Anschel's second wife Riwe RUBINFELD from Bursztyn, emigrated to the United States, married Esther STAMLER from ZUPNIK, and raised a family in Brooklyn (photo at right). I am grateful that Harry's youngest son, Morty Eichel (pictured at left) was a fount of information and stories of the family; I miss you Morty. Maybe you could have put together the WEICHes and the WEISSes, whom i am convinced came from Rohatyn and are somehow related.

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Want to know about ROHATYN? Go to ROHATYN
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The LINDNER Family in NYC

Reuven LINDNER and Dworsha EICHEL had 9 children; the first two, born in Burshtyn, Galicia (now Ukraine) did not live past infancy, and died in nearby Rohatyn.
The surviving 7 children are pictured at a 1944 celebration: (from left) Mark, Pauline, Jack, Sadie, Izzie, Annie (my gm) & Charlie.

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The 1947 photograph on the right is the next generation; the American children of these immigrants:

  • Mark LINDNER, the oldest, born 1881 in Budapest (so he claimed, but i'm not sure), was quite the man! He wrote plays but is best remembered as an actor; he was known as the "Man of 1000 Faces". Mark was the first to move to Los Angeles in the 1930s. He was most famous for the play he wrote for Mae West, "Diamond Lil". He married a cousin, Tillie LINDNER, pictured at the right.

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  • Jacob LINDNER, born 1894 on River Street in Patterson, NJ (I'm not sure even he knew the place and date) married Fay ROSE and was a vaudeville producer and talent agent. In 1951 Jack and Mark had a television show “The Bowery” (it didn't last long in those early days of slapstick).
    We knew Jack had a grandson, but didn't even know his first name! A few years ago, when FindUSA was available, i was finally able to track Jack's grandson to Wisconsin and contact him. It was a heartwarming reunion...he thought he was the last of the LINDNER line......We exchanged memories and photographs and i feel i have a friend altho very far away.

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  • Sadie LINDNER, born 1893 in Galicia, married Irving TANNER (originally TARNOWER or TARNAFKER fro Kansuga, Galicia). Irving had a mens clothing store, 'Modern Haberdashers' on Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn. Children Rita and David. My sister and I had dinner with David in 2010! He has written many books and is still lecturing!

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  • Izzie LINDNER, born on Norfolk Street in 1890, married Bertha BERMAN, children Julius "Jay" and Gertrude "Gerti" who married Jerry LIEBERMAN. Izzie LINDNER went to school in Budapest, with sister Annie; he also had a haberdashery and he was famous because he would sweep the store at night and somehow he became very superstitious; he would wash hands after dealing with nuns. I remember the cousins club where my parents partied with all their cousins in the 1950s and 1960s. It was Gert who gave me the wonderful photograph of Harold's bar mitzvah.

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  • Annie LINDNER (my gm) married Jacob KRAMER...my grandfather. Unfortunately he died quite young (age 49) and my dad, the oldest, went to work to support the family. Dad began by working for his uncle then took his own "line" as a travelling salesmen, eventually opening up Jambi Incorporated, his hosiery business. We dearly remember the business slogan the 'sox with sox appeal'!
    I remember well my uncles Mickey and Denny and aunt Carrie (who married Morris SOBEL, pictured below). Mickey married Doris SCHWARTZ, Denny married Bea REMIS who had a pocketbook and jewelry store next door to his haberdashery. Mickey was in the marketing business, and son Joey is quite famous as the drummer for Aerosmith!

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  • Pauline LINDNER married Philip KINDLER; children Rhoda and Arnold. I spent a lovely afternoon with Rhoda's daughter sharing family stories.
  • Charles LINDNER, or "uncle Charlie" as i remember him, was the patriarch of that generation; he was devoted to his mother, Dora. At left is a wonderful photo of mother and son. Charlie stayed behind in WWI and created a silk tie business which supported him in grand style (on the Grand Concourse); Charles married Sadie SCHWARTZ (we called her SadieCharlie, to differentiate her from sister-in-law, Sadie LINDNER) and they had 3 sons: Robbie, Manny, and Harold. That's Dora pictured with Charlie's son Robert Lindner, who went on to become the famous psychologist and author of "Rebel Without a Cause" and "The Fifty Minute Hour".

    Fortunately I was able to contact all of Charlie's grandchildren and am friendly with many today (see photos below).

    My Cousins: The Third Generation of LINDNERS

    I won't put in the names, as privacy is important...but here is a collection of photographs from the LINDNER and EICHEL Families:

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    Reuven LINDNER'S Brothers: Moishe Aaron and Saul

    Reuven LINDNER had 2 brothers who were very close; my aunt Carrie told me that as children, all the cousins lived at 1103 Washington Avenue in the Bronx. (quote): We each lived on a different floor: Auntie Chipper lived on ground floor, Izzie on another, Charlie on another. Long narrow halls, big rooms.

    The family gave support to Dora when she returned in 1906 after Reuven died.