The origin of the Janowski (incorrectly spelled Yanovsky) family in Lunna is unknown at present. The first identified ancestor is Dov Janowski who had two sons, Shmuel-Haim and Binyamin ("Niema"). There is another relative, Moshe Janowski, who with his wife, Devorah-Breine, had two daughters, Freidke and Chaya. Freidke Janowski married Shmuel-Haim Janowski, and Chaya Janowski married into the Sorin family.

The Family of Shmuel-Haim, Son of Dov Janowski
(Submitted by Shmuel-Moshe Janowski, a Grandson of Shmuel-Haim)

Shmuel-Haim Janowski was most likely born in Lunna about 1860, at the time under the rule of the Tsar. He and his wife Freidke, daughter of Moshe Janowski, had four children who were born in Lunna; Shepsl-Shabtai, Yitchok-Yitche, Malka, and Dvorah.

Shepsl-Shabtai Janowski, a painter in Lunna, was a quiet unassuming man. He prayed in the Mithnagdim shtibl where Shimon Alpershtein, the shochet, functioned also as the Rav. Shepsl married Rachel, the daughter of Zeev Kaplan from Wolpa. His father, Shmuel-Haim, gave him the "Sidur Rachel" as a wedding gift (which includes a prayer for the wellbeing of Tsar Alexander Nicolai and is, at present, in the possession of his older son Shmuel-Moshe). The "Siddur Rachel" is posted on the Jewish Ceremonies page. Rachel Kaplan-Janowski, who assumed a mother role at age eight, was resourceful and intuitive. Shepsl and Rachel had five children; Sara (b. 1920), Shmuel-Moshe (b. 1921), Ester (b.1925), Rivka (b. 1930), and Dov (b. 1931). After Yitche, his brother, immigrated to Portugal for economic reasons, Shepsl left his wife and three older children in Lunna and followed his brother. He returned to Lunna four years later and he and Rachel had two more children — Rivka and Dov. Despite the lack of communication and being illiterate, Rachel Kaplan-Janowski insisted on immigrating to Palestine. In 1936, the family left Lunna and reached Lisbon by way of Berlin and Amsterdam. They stayed in Lisbon four years in order to financially establish themselves, but were less successful. Reportedly, at the time, they had a close relationship with Hershl-Tzvi Janowski and his most gracious wife, Rashke Sorin, who previously immigrated from Lunna. When Shepsl and Rachel decided to immigrate to Eretz Israel Yitche, who was trusted in Lisbon by Jews as well as Gentiles, helped them to present themselves as “Capitalists” before the British Consul. Only then were they granted certificates to enter Palestine, at the time a British mandate. Once in Palestine they settled in Tel Aviv. Shepsl Janowski died in 1959; Rachel Kaplan-Janowski passed away in 1964.

Sara Janowski-Breitman, their oldest daughter, died in 2000 and left three children: Eitan, Zivah, and Ronit. Shmuel-Moshe Janowski has two children: Aliza and Zeev. Esther Janowski, the founder of the Renanim School of Music in Tel Aviv, had no children and died in 1963. Rivka Janowski-Popper died in 1995 and left three children: Chana, Dudi, and Roni. Dov Janowski has two daughters: Shavit and Nogah.

Yitchok-Yitche Janowski-Joanes immigrated to Portugal at the beginning of the 20th century and established a successful business in Porto and later in Lisbon. He was most generous, compassionate, and trustful. He and his wife Nusia Terlo have two sons, Alexander and Shmuel Joanes, who were born in Portugal and still live there. Yitche Janowski died in 1973.

Malka Janowski married Yitchok-Yitche Novak who was a baker in Lunna. Reportedly, as much as she was kind, Yitche Novak was disagreeable. The couple had four children: Moshe (who drowned in the Niemen River), Heniya, Brindle, and Freidke. They were all murdered in the Holocaust.

Dvorah, the youngest, was mute, never married, and lived with her sister Malka. At a young age, on a Saturday, she suffocated and died on the way to Grodno where medical help was sought.

From the Collection of Shmuel-Moshe Janowski

The Family of Binyamin, Son of Dov Janowski
(Photos from the collections of Raszke and Herschel Janowski,
Chaim Sorin, Moses Janowski, Berl Janowski, and Hannah Kostenbaum.)

Binyamin, son of Dov Janowski, was born most likely about 1860 in Lunna, at that time under the rule of the Tsar. He prayed in the "Mitnagdim" shteibl (the "new" synagogue). Below is a document verifying that Binyamin, son of Dov Janowski, purchased two seats at the new Beit Midrash; one seat for himself in the men's section, and another seat for his wife (name currently unknown) in the women's section. The places of the seats in the synagogue and the conditions of the purchase are specified in the agreement document. In particular, Binyamin is allowed to sell the two seats to other persons, subject to the approval of his seats' neighbors. The agreement was signed in Lunna in 1882.

Binyamin Janowski had two sons: Tzvi-Herschel (Hirsch), born in Lunna on Aug. 18, 1880 and died in 1939 in Portugal; and Arie-Leib, born around 1880 and died in 1912. Pictured below is a Yahrzeit document of Aryeh Leib, son of Binyamin Janowski.

Note: In Lunna's Jewish cemetery there is a matzevah of Zeev Aaron, son of Binyamin Janowski, who died in 1922. It could be that this is another brother of Herschel-Tzvi and Aryeh-Leib, both were sons of Binyamin Janowski.
There is also a matzevah of Binyamin, son of Dov, who died in 1912. It is likely that it is the tombstone of Binyamin, son of Dov Janowski. [Notice that the transcription posted belongs to headstone #203 and not to #204].

Tzvi-Herschel, son of Binyamin Janowski, married Raszke-Leah Sorin, who was born in Lunna on January 10, 1887 to Avraham-Hirsch and Chaya née Sorin (see below for more information about the Sorin family). The Engagement Contract ["Tenaim" Agreement] between the two sides is posted on the Jewish Ceremonies page.

Herschel Janowski (he spelled his name as Janowsky) served in the Russian Army in two wars: in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-5) and in the First World War. He was taken prisoner in Germany in World War I. Shown below are two photos, one of Tzvi-Hirsch Janowski and the other of a letter that he sent to his brother-in-law from a POW (prisoners of war) camp in Germany. His address was: POW 1/W, Commando no. 4, 101 Infantry Regiment, Munster. In this letter Hirsch writes that his health is quite good. He is grateful to his brother-in-law for the parcel that he sent him and for the money that he transferred to Raszke (Herschel's wife). He asks his brother-in-law to send him a picture of him and his wife Hannah, and to write him more often. The letter was sent to Chaim Sorin, who was Raszke's brother and whose wife was Hannah (née Halpern)

Children of Raszke and Herschel Janowski
Moses (b. 1912 in Lunna), Berl (b. 1913 in Lunna), Rachel (b. in Lunna), and Hannah (b. in Lisbon).
Pictured below are four documents saved by Raszke and Herschel Janowski:
(i) Birth records (recorded in the family diary) of Herschel Janowski's children;
(ii) A document of verification that Berl Janowski, born on December 14, 1913 to Hirsch Janowski and Raszke née Sorin. This document states that the book with all the birth records has been taken to Russia. The witnesses were Leib Murawski and Leib Goldin from Lunna. The document is dated April 2, 1929 and is signed in Lunna by Rabbi Sz. Alpersztein [Shimon Alpershtein]. At that time Shimon Alpershtein, the shochet (slaughterer), functioned as a Rabbi in the "new" synagogue where the Janowski family used to pray;
(iii) A document of verification that Berl Janowski, born in 1913, was single in 1921. The witnesses are: Mendel Spector and Motel Murstein from Lunna. Beneath are the seals of the Lunna municipality and of Mayor J. Szwed. The document is dated October 6, 1934;
(iv) A document of verification that Berl Janowski is no longer a citizen of Poland. The document was issued in Warsaw on February 15, 1939.

The Janowski family lived in Lunna until 1922 and then moved to Lisbon, Portugal. They traveled to Warsaw by train, then to Berlin, Hamburg, and finally, Lisbon by boat. Raszke's brother, Chaim Sorin had been on business in Lisbon and felt it offers a good life for Jews. Along with bringing the family to Lisbon, Chaim saved countless numbers of families during the Holocaust by placing ads in both The Heint and The Moment (Jewish newspapers in Warsaw) encouraging Jews to move to Lisbon. Aside from ultimately saving many families, this selfless act also contributed to the growth of the Ashkenazic community in Lisbon.

The Janowski family stayed in Lisbon for twenty years where they were in the diamond business. Before World War II the Nazis were very active in Lisbon, and Berl, son of Herschel Janowski, was very active in anti-Nazi activity. He was placed on a list to be taken if Nazis were to march into Portugal. During the war Franco gave refugees permission to cross Spain. Salazaar of Portugal let refugees enter Portugal and stay for thirty days. The Janowski family intervened with police to allow refugees to stay longer. The immigration office sent all Jewish refugees to the Janowski home. Herschel and Raszke Janowski got beds, mattresses, anything they could to help people. They also gave opportunities for people to make a living for themselves by giving merchandise for them to sell on their own.

Herschel Janowski died in Portugal in 1939 and was buried in Lisbon's Jewish cemetery. The Janowski family never received Portuguese citizenship. Their Polish citizenship, having been revoked, made them citizens of nowhere. For unknown reasons, Raszke Janowski kept her Polish passport. The Janowski family managed to get a visa to the United States through connections to the American consulate in Lisbon. They left Lisbon in August 1941 on the Portuguese cargo ship Niassa. It was a fourteen-day trip to the America. Raszke Janowski received her certificate of Naturalization on June 2, 1947. She died in New York on February 12, 1957.

Additional Information About the Children of Herschel and Raszke Janowski
(i) Moses Janowski married Rosza Katz and had three children: Aaron Janowski, Benjamin Janowski, and Battyah Janowski Gottschaulk;
(ii) Berl Janowski married Selma Slone from New York. Their children were Louis Janowski and Helen Janowski-Davis. Moses and Berl were huge and involved Zionists. They attended the United Nations' vote for the State of Israel at The General Assembly in Flushing, New York on November 27 and November 28, 1947 and, together with Dr. Heller in Lisbon, started the Zionist social group Hechaver. Berl was also an active member of the Irgun;
(iii) Rachel Janowski married Israel Waldman and had four children: Herschel Waldman, Gilda Waldman-Guttman, Anne Waldman-Gober, and Vivian Waldman-Kestenbaum;
(iv) Hannah Janowski married Jacob Kostenbaum.
Moses and Berl Janowski continued in the Diamond Industry in New York and became well-known leaders of the Industry in Antwerp, Tel-Aviv, New York, and Bombay.

Note: The List of Donors in 1872 mentions Yitzchak Janowski. It is currently unknown how he is related to the family.

SORIN FAMILY