Keeping the Connections Going

You're right, Greg. I always wondered why Murray or my mom (Orit/Henriette) never told me I had so many cousins, and it took Maurice in France showing me your letter to connect with you and the cousins in Israel. We definitely can't keep that pattern going... it's not a good one. Dahlia and I loved meeting Julia and her family, and the cousins when we were in Israel (what a wedding!!!) We're in Cincinnati, OH for another 3 years. Maybe we need to organize an east coast family reunion... L'Shana tova to all Rozineses out there...

Okay, okay...

I was just notified about this post and had a good time reading it. The 2010 Rozynes/Rozines family is technically savvy. We all have cell phones and the Internet. The excuses are numerous why many of us are not in contact with each other - maybe we just want it that way? I say that we are keeping the "ROZYNES" family tradition going for yet another generation in that many of us don't talk to each other or know of many recent events in each of our lives. Yeah, I know some of us do have contact but I'm saying not everyone. We might be following the model of our our relatives and the story is as follows: Two brothers in a family of five did not see each other for over thirty-five years because they never made an effort to travel to see each other. Period. The last time they saw each other was 1947. Then one brother died and the option was over. We've all had male Rozines' pass away much to young. Let this be a note to the wise, if you want to see/talk or have any relationship with family members, do it soon. Like now.
~The Only Male Cousin

Israel - June

Hello, Family!

Julie,

My mom, Eva, my sister, Jennifer, and I are headed to Israel in June for Eran Nissim's wedding- Haia's son. Are you going??

The wedding is June 24 so I hope we can see you around then!!

I also enjoy following your accomplishments on Facebook. Congratulations on everything!

Love,
Eileen

Hi from Julie

Thanks Gal, for restarting this blog! Gal now lives a few hours from me, and brought her adorable daughter Dahlia for a visit. My kids were excited to meet their cousin and I loved seeing the newest generation.

I'm Julia (Rozines) DeVillers, daughter of Sam and granddaughter of Rachel. I grew up in Albany and visited with Gwen, Sharon, Greg and families in Rochester.

I now live in Columbus, Ohio with my husband and two children: 13-year-old Quinn (whose middle name is Rachel after my grandma) and 9-year-old Jack. My father Sam passed away in 1990. I'm a children's book author.

My twin sister Jennifer Roy lives in Saratoga NY with her husband and son Adam Samuel. She wrote a book called YELLOW STAR our aunt Sylvia's childhood in the Lodz Ghetto (Greg's mom.) The prologue talks about the Rozines family. I'll post her website so you can see more about the book: www.jenniferroy.com.

Our younger sister, Amy, is married lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

My family and I will be spending a year overseas in Tbilisi, Georgia. We're moving in March and our first trip from there will be Israel (probably in June). My daughter also is begging to go to Paris, so hopefully we will see many of our family members over this next year!

Happy Birthday Ala

Today would have been my grandmother Ala (Aloisia) Rozynes Faitlowicz's 94th birthday. She passed 22 years and about one month ago. Every year on or around this day, I visit the place where her body rests at Hills of Eternity Cemetery in Colma, CA. Colma is a gray and windy place just south of San Francisco, and there's not much there except many cemeteries, some big stores like Costco, and some mobile home parks. And yet it's kind of pretty there, especially the place where she's buried which is on top of a hill. I've enjoyed spending time there over the years, either alone, today with my sister Sharon, I think once with my daughter Dahlia when she was a baby, once with my husband David, mostly on my own. Sometimes I've brought a journal and written to her while there. She is very much with me all the time, not just on her birthday. Her strength runs through my veins. Her chutzpah and sharp sense of humor reminds me that I can do anything and to always remember to laugh.

Here's a great story about Ala, which my dad told me once: She was visiting us from Israel, and as usual when she did, she took over the kitchen for the 2-3 months she stayed with us. My dad worked in computers internationally and had a group of European colleagues over for drinks. Ala prepared snacks and brought some into the living room for them. One of my dad's friends from Germany said something to her in German, without thinking that she might not understand. He commented on how good her food was. Quite casually, as she walked from the room, Ala replied in German, something like "Thank you" and maybe more. This man asked her, astonished, where she'd learned to speak German so well. And just as casually, as she rounded the corner to the kitchen, she replied, "In Auschwitz!" He didn't know what to say...

My grandmother was a very special woman. I continue to miss her, and yet I feel her with me and I know she would be proud of the life I've built. She'd also love to know that my husband is on the road to becoming a rabbi. Now that would've made the Nazis cringe, and I know she would like that. When I went to Auschwitz in 1994 and walked along the tracks into Birkenau, toward what were the crematoria, I felt Ala there with me and I started laughing loudly. My friend who was with me couldn't understand what I could possibly find funny. I replied, "They tried to kill us. They tried to kill my family, and they killed many of them. But look, I'm here, two generations later. And one day I'm going to marry a Jewish man and we're going to have Jewish children, and they will have Jewish children. Ha! That's what makes me laugh."

Looking forward to connecting/reconnecting

Hi from Sharon, Gwen's older sister. (Thank you, Gwen, for fowarding Gal's invitation.) I'm still Rozines -- no husband or children so far. I haven't had a chance yet to read the previous posts carefully, but I wanted to echo Gwen's feelings about connecting and learning more about everyone. I regret not making an effort to connect in the past, particularly since Eva has made repeated efforts, so I am happy to have this new opportunity. I live outside of Boston and have a small guest room, so if anyone is coming to this area, you are welcome to stay with me.

A History of the Lodz Ghetto

Dear family,

I've put my college honors thesis - which I wrote on the Lodz Ghetto and part of the Rozynes family story - on its own blog for any who are interested in reading it. It's long and heavy but also interesting, especially the parts about our family's particular story. It was the best I could do in my search for more knowledge about my family story. I always find myself wishing I'd asked more questions when I was younger, when Ala was still alive.

The link to the website is on the top left of our blog, or you can find it at www.lodzghetto.blogspot.com.

Let's hear it for survival and long-lost family. :)

Gal