Hello Czernowitzers, First, I would like to say how much I enjoy reading how you help each other in your quests. I was also able to experience that help, and I am grateful for it.
I am writing a book about the life of Josef Weissmann together with his granddaughter. Josef was born in Bojan in 1886, grew up in Czernowitz, studied in Vienna from 1910 to 1915, worked as an engineer in Leipzig and died in 1943 in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Much is known about the years after 1915, but almost nothing about his family. We know that he is the son of the restaurateur Osias Weissmann and Zirl (Zilli) Klinger. We would like to learn more about the lives of his siblings. Thanks to this email group, we have already contacted a descendant of his sister Sara Birnbaum-Weissmann. Today I hope to find people who can put me on the track of two other sisters, Fanny and Charlotte (Lotte) Weissmann. Fanny was born on July 15, 1898 in Czernowitz. We know from Josef's letters of 1922 that he had a sister who ended up in America. This could be Fanny. On July 25, 1930, a Fany Weissmann, then 32 years old, arrived in New York on Ellis Island, with her 31-year-old husband Ghers Selter and her 8-month-old daughter Ruhlea. It is remarkable that this Fany already had an American passport at that time, which indicates that she has previously lived in America. They came from Bessarabia (Romania). The immigration document stated that Ghers Selter’s mother Ester lived in Brooklyn (NY). From that moment on, there is no trace of this couple. I no longer come across them in the census or in genealogical sources. The couple may have ended up in South America. I can't find them there either. Although it is not certain that this Fany is Josef's sister, I am still curious if someone can give me tips on how to track her and her husband and daughter. Charlotte (Lotte) Weissmann was born on February 24, 1901, in Czernowitz. Her brother Josef's diaries (1918) show that she had two children at a very young age. Her husband's first or surname was presumably Walter. On January 21, 1928, Charlotte married Marcus Schajowicz/Schajovici. He was born on January 21, 1897, as son of Maier (Meyer) Schajowicz and Dwoire Bauman. Charlotte and Marcus had a son named Herman Schajowicz on January 6, 1930, in Czernowitz. On May 9, 1936, the name Leon was added to his first name Herman. The Schajowicz family lived in the Stradu Petru Rares / Dr Wolangasse. This street later became part of the ghetto. Stradu Rares was also mentioned by Josef Weissmann in 1918 as the place where he visited his sister Charlotte and Walter. I have no idea what happened to Charlotte and her husband Marcus Schajowicz/Schajovici and their son Herman Leon. If anyone has any suggestions for further research, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading. Jan Deelstra Leiden, the Netherlands ******************************************************************************* This moderated discussion group is for information exchange on the subject of Czernowitz and Sadagora Jewish History and Genealogy. The opinions expressed in these posts are the opinions of the original poster only and not necessarily the opinions of the List Owner, the Webmaster or any other members or entities connected with this mailing list. The Czernowitz-L list has an associated web site at http://czernowitz.ehpes.com that includes a searchable archive of all messages posted to this list. Beginning in 2021, archived messages can be found at: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To send mail to the list, address it to <[email protected]>. To remove your address from this e-list follow the directions at https://it.cornell.edu/lyris/leave-e-lists-lyris To receive assistance for this e-list send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
