HOW COULD YOU? 😢
Our beautiful cousins appear photographed as lovable babies. Their legacies mercilessly were cut short, and I have a burning desire to tell their story.
Grandaunt Fruma, my grandfather’s younger sister, was undeniably filled with joy when her first grandson, Isia Khasin, was born to the eldest of her five children in 1931. The picture shows a beautifully formed, healthy-looking baby boy in an adorned ceramic water bowl.
Picture on title page taken in 1931 of Isia Khasin, grandson of my father’s sister Fruma Muravina
3-2-22 A Facebook genealogy group member was kind enough to translate the Yiddish on the card:
As a keepsake the youngest of our troop, Izi Chazen.
We gift this photograph to the sister and brother in law,
R. Marowinen (?) [Note: R. Muravina]
From Esther and Yossel Chazen
10 May 1931
Grandaunt Fruma Muravina with her spouse, siblings, children and their spouses (For more on Fruma, see my blog post, Our Family Chain is Falling Apart, The Links Are Rolling Away, dated March 29, 2022)
Letter written abt 1932 from Fruma to my grandfather, her brother Nathan - she speaks of her grandson shown in the title page photo and remarks that she saw pictures their cousins Sheindl in America sent to her sister Reisel in Chudnov We later learned that letters and packages sent by our family in America were not always received by our relatives abroad Letter translated by Harry Langsam, z”l
Four years later, Fruma’s first granddaughter joined her older brother, and the proud parents sent the aunt, Rachel Leah “Raya”, an equally beautiful photograph of their baby girl at nine months. “To dear sister Raya - the face of our baby!!! Papa and Mama of 9 months old Sophia Iosiphovna Khasin. Chudnov 28.January 1936.”
28 January 1936 - Chudnov, Ukraine - Sophia Iosiphovna Khasin - granddaughter of my grandfather’s sister Fruma Muravina
Lucky for us, one of two of Fruma’s surviving daughters, Cousin Raya, miraculously saved those photographs of her precious nephew and niece. Raya’s grandson Alexey, now living in Germany, shared the priceless photos with me.
Uncovering the Hidden History of Chudnov, dated August 10, 2021, can be found at sharonmarkcohen.com. That blog post shows Fruma holding her grandson, Leonid, Raya’s son (Alexey’s father), born in 1939. The priceless photograph was sent to me by Fruma’s youngest daughter, Aniuta “Anna,” from Los Angeles. Anna, along with her sister Raya, were the only two in their family to survive the Holocaust. The picture, copied here, shows Fruma as a loving babushka.
Fruma Muravina, babushka, with her grandson Leonid, her daughter Raya’s son born in 1939.
Fruma’s eldest daughter, Cousin Esther Malka Muravina, her parents, and her husband, Josef Khasin, along with their two beautiful children, pictured in this post, heartlessly were killed in Chudnov, Ukraine (USSR). That was in September 1941, when they should have been celebrating the High Holidays.
It’s easy to see when looking at the statistics of the Zhitomir District on the Yad Vashem account that they were among over 1700 Jewish martyrs of our ancestral Chudnov, where my father was born, in 1911. From the Yad Vashem website: https://www.yadvashem.org/YV/en/about/institute/killing_sites_catalog_details_full.asp?region=Zhitomir&title=Zhitomir%20region
CHUDNOV, CHUDNOV COUNTY,
ZHITOMIR DISTRICT, UKRAINE (USSR)50.050966584791894
28.118133544921875
CHUDNOV, park1. On September 9, 1941 about 900 Chudnov Jews were shot to death by Germans. A group of young able-bodied people was assembled in a local club on the pretext that they were being sent to work; then they were driven to a park south of town and were killed. The previous day, at the same place, Germans shot to death a rabbi and 2 Jewish women.
2. In November 1941 Jewish craftsmen from Chudnov with their families were assembled in the local movie theater. One Jewish girl, urged by her mother, declared to a policeman that she wasn’t Jewish. The village elder ordered the policeman to settle the matter. Later, the policeman, who was a prisoner of war not a local person, allowed the girl to leave the theater even though he knew she was Jewish. The Germans shot the Jews to death in a local park with the assistance of Ukrainian police.
3. On September 20, 1941 800 Chudnov Jews were shot to death in a local park by Germans with assistance of Ukrainian police.
In a memoir from 1990, Cousin Anna’s husband Harry Langsam included a chapter entitled, A Memorial to Chudnov, in the District of Zhitomir, U.S.S.R. Detailing his wife’s family, he wrote a description of the massacre victims:
“…My father-in-law Zelig Muravin, the son of Leib, who is remembered by his daughter as a devoted Jew who donned his talit and tefilin daily as late as the early thirties, when religious practice was already forbidden.
“My mother-in-law, Fruma, a hard-working woman and a devoted mother to her children.
“Their oldest daughter, Esther, her husband Joseph, and their children [the children pictured in this post].
“Their second daughter Sheindl, aka Zhenie-Shendl Muravina, a teacher, with her husband and child…
“Last but not least, my brother-in-law, Joel Muravin, who heroically gave his life fighting the fascist enemy. At the outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941, he was badly wounded. After being released from the hospital, he joined his two sisters, my wife and her older sister, Rachel (Raya), who by that time were forced to evacuate from their home in Kyiv to the Caucasian Mountains.
“Being a semi-invalid, Joel could easily have remained with his sisters and continued with them on their journey to Siberia, their final destination. (“Strzyzow, Poland [Pages 453-465] - JewishGen”) However, he insisted on reenlisting in the Red Army, ‘to take revenge for the murder of his parents. As a Jew that is where he belongs.’ This in spite of the painful anti-Semitic encounter that occurred on the front line, when he was injured in battle.
“While he was lying on the field, losing blood, a group of Red Army soldiers were resting nearby. One soldier told his comrades that he sees a wounded soldier nearby. Another soldier responded, ‘leave him alone, he is a Jew.’ This was within earshot of the wounded Joel Muravin, my brother-in-law. Luckily [at that time] he was picked up by someone else and not left to die.”
Anna’s sister Raya wrote her account of the heartbreaking loss of their beloved brother.
A second account of the killing of Ellik (Yellik, Joel, Aliosha) Muravin by his sister Raya Muravina, translated by Harry Langsam, z”l.
Those are two matching accounts of how, tragically, when the lone son of Fruma, Ellik Muravin, reenlisted in the Red Army, at the early age of 23, in 1942, he met his fate on the battlefield near Voronesh, Russia.
1942 Ellik (Yellik, Joel, Aliosha) Muravin, formerly Murovany
Fruma’s son Ellik (Yellik, Joel, Aliosha) Muravin, formerly Murovany (1919 - 1942)
The lone son of Grandaunt Fruma, killed on the battlefield near Voronesh, Russia in 1942 - age 23
That hero was my father’s 1st cousin His mother was my grandfather’s sister and his father was my grandfather’s cousin
1940 Fruma’s son Ellik (Yellik, Joel, Aliosha) Muravin, formerly Murovany
In response to my email thanking Alexey for forwarding the photographs of his grandmother’s sister, Zhenie-Shendl Muravina (1915-1941), he quoted a line from me, "Now we get to give another relative a well-deserved legacy!" He responded by adding, “- exactly Sharon!” Then he translated her words, “On the picture from 1 Febr.1940 – Shendl writes - ‘... As you will take a look on this picture - you will remember me..... Please keep the picture and do not forget me.’” Alexey added, “(As we know - she was killed in Holocaust the year after writing this).”
Zhenie-”Shendl” Muravina, daughter of Grandaunt Fruma, perished with her family in 1941 in Taganrog, Crimea. Here she is pictured with her husband in 1934.
Undated letter to my grandfather and family as noted by Harry Langsam, z”l, translator, was probably 1934-1935. I believe it was no later than 1934 and possibly 1933. The letter is from Fruma’s daughter Zhenie-”Shendl” Muravina
Pictured here, Cousin Zhenie-Shendl Muravina 1940 - She perished with her husband and child in 1941 in Taganrog, Crimea.
After sending the translations of the wording with the pictures, Alexey, the father of two young children, added, “Believe me I have tears in my eyes reading ‘Please keep the picture and do not forget me’ and knowing that she was killed [the] next year after writing that.”
For us cousins, there is raw pain 80 years later. The blood of our blood mercilessly was killed where our ancestors toiled.
Fruma’s daughters Raya and Anna were the only two of her five children to survive the Holocaust. What survivors they were! Long before Steven Spielberg began the USC Shoah Foundation, where Anna and her husband contributed their testimonies, I videotaped their harrowing stories of survival on their occasional visits when they stayed at our house for weeks of vacation.
Fortunately, some of our cousins survived the war but sadly, not the horrific memories. Raya lived until age 90, passing away in 2004 in Kharkov, Ukraine. Anna recalled that Harry, their daughter Rema and she spent Shavuos 2003 at Raya’s, just a year before Raya’s passing. With an ear-to-ear smile, Anna, with her endearing accent that I can still hear, told me, “Raya was so happy. She made for us a big pot of cheese kreplach.”
Raya’s son Leonid died in 2005 in Kharkov, and her granddaughter, Leonid's daughter, Anushka, predeceased him. Noted previously, Leonid’s son, Alexey, is the father of two. Raya’s daughter passed away in Haifa, Israel, in 2013. Her son predeceased his mother (1975-2007).
Raya’s younger sister, Anna, lived until 2013, and, like her sister, she left us at age 90. Anna spent most of her years in Los Angeles with her husband, two daughters, six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Rema (1947-2007) predeceased her mother, Anna.
In December 2021, a woman contacted me in response to my January 2003 posting on JewishGen.org. That was where she found the family names listed, along with the shtetls or towns of my ancestors. Her correspondence was to inform me that she was related to Esther and Josef.
As it turned out, the woman who contacted me in December was from the family line of Josef Khasin, that of our cousin Esther’s husband. After forwarding her information to my cousin Alexey, he connected with the woman living in Germany. They gratifyingly exchanged information.
Over eighty years have passed since the senseless, brutal killings of these babies, their parents, grandparents, and extended family. Today, both sides of their family remain enthusiastically documented.
As sad as it is, now that photographs of our cousin’s darling children sparkle on our family tree, they are no longer just names on a paper trail. As recited at Yizkor services, ‘We Remember Them’ by Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer, We Remember Them. Amen.
Anushka Portnaya - May 5, 1969-August 27, 1974. Raya’s granddaughter - her son Leonid’s daughter - died of leukemia. Anna and Harry sent medicines from America and smuggled more in with them on their visit in 1973. A letter from Harry Langsam to Esther and Max Portnoy detailing their 1973 visit to Kharkov is seen in my blog post All In The Family - Etl’s In-Law's, dated July 19, 2022.
Raya Muravina and Moishe Portnoy Kyiv 1939
Raya and Anna at the grave of Raya’s husband Moishe Portnoy. Moishe’s mother was my grandmother’s sister Etl. Raya and Anna’s mother was my grandfather’s sister, Fruma. Thus, Raya and Moishe were 2nd cousins before marriage. Their grandparents, my great-grandparents, were siblings. More will be found in my blog post, dated July 19, 2022, All In The Family - Etl’s In-Law's
My brother Al Mark and Raya Muravina (Portnaya) Summer 1988 JFK Airport - New York
Anna (Muravina) and Harry Langsam, newly married in a Munich refugee camp - 1945 or 1946 Germany
1957 Anna and Harry Langsam with daughters Esther on left and Rema in the middle
Leonid Portnoy Nine years old and his sister Fruma “Rimma” Portnaya 11 months old
Anna right and Harry standing behind Raya’s daughter Fruma “Rimma” and son Leonid Kharkov, Ukraine 1973
Anna and Harry’s daughter Esther replied to my blog post, Filling in the Pieces of the Family Tree Puzzle — Dead or Alive, dated November 23, 2021, “I think it’s fascinating and wonderful that you have such a passion. I like to read mysteries but you solve them! In regards to our cousin Leonid (my first cousin), I have three of his paintings. He did portraits of my parents when they visited my Aunt Raya and family, in a two or three week period! I also have a lovely landscape of his.”
When I commented to Esther that Leonid truly captured her parents in his paintings, she told me she loves them and noted where they are on display in her Southern California house. With that, I remembered seeing them there. Leonid painted the portraits in 1973 while her parents visited his family in Kharkov.
1973 Portrait of his aunt Anna Muravina Langsam by Leonid Portnoy
1973 Portrait of Harry Langsam painted by his nephew Leonid Portnoy
Here you have it. Whenever we wonder about the brilliant and talented minds rubbed out during the Shoah, we need to look no further than the survivors. Undeniably, the portraits by Leonid are a singular display of a multitude of similar talents that were among those of the annihilated.
Leonid’s mother Raya and her sister Anna, with her husband, Harry, are symbols of survivors who lived life to the fullest, spreading joy and kindness, into their 10th decade.
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Please enjoy some highlights of our happy times in the 21st (twenty-first) century with our cousins Anna, Harry, and their descendants. From coast to coast, we continue to celebrate. B”H.
Our son Judd’s bar mitzvah celebration March 17, 2001 South Orange, New Jersey
Candle lighting with California cousins, Michael and Esther (Langsam) Friedberg, Arnee, Judd, Anna and Harry Langsam with their grandson Jeffrey Nadel standing behind them, Rema (Langsam) Nadel, Robert Nadel, Sharon and Norma Mark, front right
Harry Langsam, z”l, leading Havdallah at our son Judd’s bar mitzvah celebration March 17, 2001 South Orange, New Jersey
Harry Langsam, z”l, leading Havdallah at our daughter Rina’s bat mitzvah celebration April 5, 2003 South Orange, New Jersey
Mark cousins with Anna and Harry Langsam on right at our daughter Rina’s bat mitzvah celebration April 5, 2003 South Orange, New Jersey
Esther (Langsam) and Michael Friedberg at our son Moss’s bar mitzvah celebration June 10, 2007 South Orange, New Jersey
September 3, 2006 Malibu, California We attended the wedding of Sarah Nadel Holtzman, daughter of Rema, granddaughter of Anna, great-granddaughter of my grandfather’s sister Fruma Muravina
November 12, 2006 Los Angeles, California We attended the wedding of Eva Friedberg Isaak, daughter of Esther, granddaughter of Anna, great-granddaughter of my grandfather’s sister Fruma Muravina
November 12, 2006 Los Angeles, California The East Coast cousins at the wedding of Eva and Ari My brother Nate and Shelly Mark in congregation for ceremony
November 12, 2006 Los Angeles, California The East Coast cousins at the wedding of Eva and Ari Moss, Rina, Sharon, Arnee Cohen celebrate with Eva’s grandfather Harry Langsam
November 12, 2006 Los Angeles, California Sharon dancing with Jeffrey Nadel and Harry Langsam at Eva and Ari’s wedding
2011 Balboa Lake Park Encino, California Harry and Anna Langsam with their family
Dena and Judd’s wedding with Esther Langsam Friedberg dancing in the center November 12, 2017 Cleveland, Ohio
Dena and Judd’s wedding with my immediate family and paternal cousins including Jeffrey Nadel behind Rina who is behind me (Esther Langsam Friedberg pictured in above photo missing from this photo) November 12, 2017 Cleveland, Ohio
Sharon speaking at Rina and Eric’s wedding reception with Stephanie Friedberg and Jaffrey Nadel sitting across behind flowers
June 30, 2019 West Orange, New Jersey
Sharing in our joy at Rina and Eric’s wedding reception - Esther Langsam Friedberg (standing on the right-clapping) June 30, 2019 West Orange, New Jersey
Celebrating at wedding reception of Rina and Eric - Esther Langsam Friedberg and her daughter Stephanie Friedberg June 30, 2019 West Orange, New Jersey
Harry Langsam wrote: 7 of my 9 great grandchildren. 11/28/13 Studio City, California
Five years later June 2018 Studio City, California
November 2021 Bay Area, California
The COVID pandemic caused us to have some virtual celebrations
Additional photos of the families of Etl Portnaya’s daughter Masha and son Moishe are posted in Etl, dated June 14, 2022