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

Strange discovery

Few days ago, while talking with Eva online, I realized that Niuka (my grand father) and Eva' father (Bolek,) met in 1957 or 1958 at Lyon. I was so surprised. In addition, it seems that Mina had met my grandfather too, in Lyon. But we never knew the existence of this part of the family (children and grandchildren of Henriek).

I always had the impression that Gregory's letter (around 1993) was the first bond between the different branches of the family. I would have liked so much to know why my grandfather didn't speak about his family. Why he and his brother Tomek didn't even speak with each other. To answer to your question, Gal, I don't think that the list of names is drawn up chronologically. Niuka was born in 1899, Henriek in 1900. I don't know Ala's year of birth. In your History Thesis, you spoke about Murray as "the son of my grandmother's eldest brother, Pinkas". Did Murray have brother or sister?

So, I don't have unfortunately other information.

I'm happy to know a new cousin from America : Gwen

Anne

Discovering my Family

Hello! I am Gwen (born Rozines), living outside of Albany, New York - in the U.S. My father was Nathan Rozines, the fourth of five children born to Henryk and Rachel. I have an older sister, Sharon.

I am originally from Rochester, New York, where I lived nearby to my grandmother (Rachel), and my Uncle David, Aunt Sylvia, and cousin Greg. Even though we lived near to each other, I learned very little about my father's past in Europe until after his death in 1991. As a result, I feel disjointed about the Rozines family, and I'm thrilled to be able to use this blog as a tool to become acquainted with all of you!

I have been married to my husband, Paul, since 1993. We have 2 sons: Noah and Brady. I'm trying to make sure that our boys know more about our family history than I did!

Questions...

How wonderful to read what all of you have written. I have questions for Anne (or anyone else):

The list of names of Ala and Niuka (Nachem?) and Henry's brothers and sisters - is that in the order in which they were born? I've always wondered where my grandma Ala fell in the order.

Is Rivka the Hebrew/Polish name for Rachel or Rebecca? I think it's Rebecca - that's the name I remember hearing from Ala when I asked about her mother.

I remember having lunch with Niuka in Paris when I was there at the age of... 20? Or was it when I was 15? (Anne, when did he pass?) He looked very elegant in his winter coat. He had a lot of questions about my grandmother, mostly about whether she had enough money when she passed. My grandmother worried about money a lot too, about whether there was enough. I suppose after all our family had been through during the war, that's not surprising. Have others in the family had this experience with the older generation(s)? I don't worry about money so much as about whether there will be enough... food, work, etc. Maybe it's just in my genes. :)

Love to all,

Gal

New members, new country

Hello, here a message from France, writing with 4 hands by Anne and Johan. We must to get into the habit to speak English. I let Eva and Gal to correct me. We are very few of us in France. My father Maurice (his wife Henriette), my brother Pierre, his son Arnaud (24 years), and my three children Johan (8 years), Sarah (3,5 years), Elina (15 months).

Our grand father was Niuka, born in 1899 at Lodz, brother of Ala, (the Gal’s grand- mother), and Henry’s brother who give us a lot of cousin !.

We have at least the same two great grandparents Abraham Rozynes, born at Lodz in 1865 and Rywka Rozynes, born Dudeltchik. I think they are married in 1889.


We have two characteristics:
orthography of our name seem to remain intact (Rozynes)
my children are first Rozynes "Jews Vietnamese" (Johan says : it’s very important for him and her daughters)

For those who that interests, here the list of the 10 children of Abraham and Rachel, such as me transmitted the my grandfather:
Pinkas
Rosa
Henriek
Bela
Ala
Massia
Ida
Niuka
Sara
Tomek

Johan is very exciting to know all is family around the world

Love to you all

Anne and Johan

All my family...........

hi its mina from Israel..........thank you gal ......
I am the oldest cousen living in Israel... My mother is dora Rozynes that is living with my father Moseh Orman in Israel I have a sister chaya also in Israel she is yanger then me.... bouth of us got mareid and have childern I have 3 boys and she have one girl and one boy....my grandmother was Rechell and my grandfather was Hanry Rozynes.
as you know I am the only one who met evrybady ...I know all the family from Amrica and from France even my grandfathers brothers from Lion ...on 1972 I was visiting there and was luky to know Newka his sun Mories that still live there and I sow him last sumer in Paris when he was visiting his dother Ann....my mother dora is first cousen with Mories and they are first cousen with Orit Gals mothter that never come to see my mother in Israel (very sad) .
all my cousens from Amrica love you all ...sorry if my English is bed next time Gal will visit me and she will write every thing about evryone.....all my cousens Eva Yola Janifer July Ami Greg Qween and Therry sending you my love
and you linda from Maimi thank you and miss you.....love mina.

Hello family!

Hello everyone, I am Eileen, the daughter of Eva. I live in San Diego, California right now and I am headed out to Israel in August for the wedding. I have not been there for 24 years...I am 25 years old now. :) I look forward to meeting everyone and learning about my family that I don't know!

And I am learning Hebrew right now as well =)

Eva's Corner

Hi all: I guess it must be my age, getting sentimental, by now I know most of my family some of you I met personally through the years and some I still have yet to meet, but very few of you.
The last generation of the 1st cousins is dwindling down, the ones that were around were mostly the Henrik Rozines family and here there is one direct descendant left in Israel Dora, mother of Mina and Haia, she's first cousin with Maurice and Henriette (Orit) unfortunately she never met either one of them, a little sad, but what can I say, things happened and that 's how it turned out.
As Gal, I also, went for a family finding when I came to USA and met almost all of you guys and girls, mostly girls, it seems that this generation of cousin's is mostly girls except Gregory who is my first cousin and Philip who is cousin once removed, something like that. The rest of you are girls, correct me if i am wrong in here somewhere. the next generation has more boys, but not me, I have two girls as well.
Anyway, as you all know me, I am Eva daughter of Boris or Baruch Rozynes who changed his name after the war to "Rozynek" and he was the son of Henrik Rozynes who married to Rachel and I still cannot pronounce her family name, someone will come to my rescue for that one.
I have a sister Yola who also lives here in Maryland, and I have two daughters Eileen 25 years old and Jennifer 24 years old this May 15, 2007.
let's hope this generation will revive the connection that was lost in the last.

Introductions

Hello family!

I wanted to write an entry on our new family blog. I recently got in touch with Eva Connors, thanks to cousin Anne Rozynes in Paris. I've known Anne for years, as well as her father Maurice Rozynes. I also knew Maurice's father Nuka (Nachem) Rozynes, who was my grandmother Aloisia's (Ala) brother. I never met him, but Ala had another living brother named Tomek (Tobias) Rozynes. And I knew Ala's nephew Murray Rozines, who lived in Miami with his wife Milly, both of whom visited us often in California. All four had survived the war, but I knew there were others - 10 or 11 children in all?

In 1994, I travelled to Europe and saw Maurice, and he gave me a copy of a long letter he'd recently received from a Greg Rozines living in Virginia. Greg had put together quite an impressive family tree, and all of a sudden I discovered I had a huge family I'd never known about. Later that year in Israel, I met Mina and Chaya. And in 1995, I met Greg and Eva's sister Yola in Virginia/DC. I know there are a lot more of you I have yet to meet. I look forward to meeting some at Chaya's daughter's wedding in September in Israel - I will be living in Israel with my husband David and our daughter Dahlia from July 2007 through May 2008 - perfect timing.

I don't know why I am just know meeting you all. My mother apparently knew Eva and Yola back in Israel in the 60s. And I know Murray went to many of your bar mitzvahs and weddings. But neither my mom nor Murray ever told me about anyone else when I asked if we had more family. I did not know about your ancestor - Henrik - who was I think the oldest in the lineage of siblings of my grandmother, who was among the youngest. Ala passed in 1985, but I know she would be happy to know I am reconnecting with family. It feels extra important after so much loss.

I'll write more later, but wanted to post this for now.

Love to you all,

Gal