Previous Tuesday blog posts documented the short-lived lives of members of the families of my grandfather’s sisters, Eida and Fruma. Letters, family memoirs, and discussions with their descendants helped put a face on those family members.

This week, the focus is on my Grandaunt Gitl's family. Gitl was another of the four Muravina sisters. We do not have the birthdates of all six siblings of my grandfather Nathan. Based on a letter from Fruma, their approximate place on the family tree remains documented for now.

Gitl had a granddaughter namesake and a cousin with the same name. That “cousin” Gitl’s family is memorialized, with her branch of the family, in my future Tuesday blog post, Who’s That Wearing A Hat, dated August 2, 2022.

Grandaunt Gitl Muravina, her husband Leib Reshko, Gitl’s six siblings, including my grandfather Nathan Mark, and her six children with their spouses

Letter written by Gitl’s daughter Sima and translated by Harry Langsam, z”l
Note, the letter confirms my grandfather’s military service. My Aunt Fannie told us he rode a blind horse in the Cavalry.

Page two of letter written by Gitl’s daughter Sima and translated by Harry Langsam, z”l
Note, the letter confirms my grandfather’s military service. My Aunt Fannie told us he rode a blind horse in the Cavalry.

Page one of letter from Gitl’s daughters Leika and Sima Translated by Harry Langsam, z”l

Page two of letter from Gitl’s daughters Leika and Sima Translated by Harry Langsam, z”l

According to my family tree records, Gitl’s four youngest of six children perished; Leah (“Leika”) and Sima in 1941, Motl and Sheindl, “year unknown.” Based on letters from the family, coupled with knowledge from cousins who survived the atrocities, Leika and Sheindl were married, and as far as we knew, they each had one child. Leah’s daughter was named Gitl after her maternal grandmother, my Grandaunt Gitl.

With the release of the latest records from the mid-1800s in Chudnov, we found that Grandaunt Gitl was more than likely named for her paternal grandmother, Gitl. The elder Gitl was married to Berko Leibovich Morovanniy. That fact brought us to yet another spelling of the family name. Whether or not the matriarch Gitl and her husband Berko were my Great-grandparents, and we believe they probably were, we were most likely related. If they were my Great-grandparents, then Leib Morovanniy was my Great-great-grandfather. My cousin Alexey is still checking the archival records for more details.

Meanwhile, I found letters in my files signed by Jennie Klein, dated November 24, 1923, and Joseph Klein, dated July 6, 1924. They were living at 611 San Benito Street in Los Angeles. With the one letter written in Yiddish and another in English, I had all the proof needed to show a family connection if I could only find their descendants. Plus, letters from other ancestors written 100 years ago overflow from my files.

Page one of letter from Jennie Klein dated November 24, 1923 from Los Angeles written to my grandparents

Pages two and three of letter from Jennie Klein dated November 24, 1923 from Los Angeles written to my grandparents

July 6, 1924 Los Angeles, California Letter addressed to my grandparents in Yiddish and signed “Your nephew Joe Klein”

July 6, 1924 Los Angeles, California Page two of letter addressed to my grandparents in Yiddish and signed “Your nephew Joe Klein”

After translating the letter from Joe Klein written in Yiddish, the translator, Cousin Harry Langsam, z”l, wrote in red ink…”Who’s son was Joe Klein, I don’t know. In any case he was a nephew of Grandpa Nachman and Yellik.” Yellik was my grandfather’s brother who immigrated to Philadelphia (See my blog post, *The Philly Branch From Chudnov*, coming May 3, 2022).

Interestingly, I recall my father telling me that, as a youngster, he went to the train station in Newark, New Jersey, with his family to see off Joe Klein. When I asked who Joe Klein was, he said he was "some relative," but he didn’t know how they were related.

Upon posting this story on a Facebook genealogy group on April 4, 2022, a reader responded with the application for citizenship for Jennie Klein. He followed by adding the death records of Jennie from 1949 in Los Angeles.

After digesting the information and checking my family tree program, it was easy to conclude that Jennie Klein was my father’s first cousin. With that, I posted a thank you note on the Facebook group. ”I would like to shout out to Jack Minzer for finding the details to conclude that Joseph Klein was married to my father's first cousin Jennie Klein...”

Next, I emailed my cousins in Germany and Russia, who share my passion for family. While detailing my latest find, I noted that Jennie and Joe Klein each wrote to my grandparents in 1923 and 1924, but no one in the family could tell me how we were related. Jennie and Joe lived at 611 San Benito Street, Los Angeles when they sent the letters to my grandparents, which my Aunt Fannie safeguarded.

According to the information scouted by Jack on the Facebook group, Joseph Klein was married to Jennie, born about 1889 in Chudnov. She remains documented as the daughter of Leo and Gussie Reskin.

I suggested that fellow researchers may like to follow the trail, noting that my father's aunt was Gitl married to Leib Reshko in Chudnov. Gitl and Leib had five daughters and one son. One of their daughters we knew had the name Sheindl. There are many Sheindls in our family = Jennie. Easily the family name for Reshko could be Reskin, Leib could be Leo, and Gitl could be Gussie.

More information flooded the Facebook genealogy group. This time, another big thank you acknowledged the work of fellow researcher Barbara, “Another shout out!! This time to Barbara Zimmer for finding the 1920 and 1930 census records and burial records of Joseph Klein and his family. So many more cousins!! …

“The most fascinating thing is the pictures! A pictorial presentation of my second cousins and their father.” Before thanking Barbara again for the research clues, I added a bit about my family connection with Joe Klein, the one I originally posted about to the group.

I noted that my father was from a family of six children. His 1st cousin was Jennie. We now learned that she had three children born in Newark, New Jersey, where my father's younger siblings, the same ages as Jennie’s children, were born (my father and an older brother were born in Chudnov, Ukraine).

The letters, which Jennie’s (Sheindl's) sisters wrote to my grandparents to inquire about their sister Sheindl, indicated that she was in America. Newark is where my grandparents immigrated in 1911 and 1912.

Stunningly, I found that Gitl’s daughter Sheindl did immigrate to America, not perishing with her siblings in 1941 after all. She was most likely the eldest child of Gitl and Leib, not the youngest. Sheindl made it to America in 1906, taking the name Jennie.

Furthermore, I learned from U.S. Census and other records that while living in Newark, New Jersey, Jennie and Joe became the parents of three children before moving to California with their family. The 1920 United States Census shows them living in Newark, and the 1930 United States Census has them living in Los Angeles. The pieces all fit the puzzle.

Tooled with so much information, I immediately searched the web and went about finding the descendants of Sheindl “Jennie” and Joe Klein. I had Jennie listed on my family tree records as Sheindl, married to "Unknown," with one child, "Name Unknown." In her letter from 1923, she mentioned, "the children feel fine." Note the plural “children.” The last address, recorded on her death records in 1949, was at 123 "A" Fraser St., Ocean Park, California.

After all these years of wondering, it feels super satisfying to know the connection with Joe Klein. While it was sad to find records for Jennie with dates of death, it was at least satisfying to obtain beautiful pictures of my unknown cousins.

The story of my father’s cousins Jennie and Joe Klein became more and more interesting by the second. I could not wait to connect with one of their descendants.

With the help of social media and ease of communication, it took fewer than 24 hours to find Joe and Jennie Klein’s living descendants. Our ancestors endured pain and suffering while waiting for a letter to arrive from relatives abroad. Their situation was far different than ours, fueled by instant communication.

It was relatively easy to find some contact information for Jennie’s descendants. Quickly, after sending an email to one great-grandson, he wrote back that he forwarded my email to his brother, who had done some genealogy research.

A few days after waiting with great anticipation, his brother emailed with more pictures. He commented, “Well, this is quite a breakthrough. Jennie is the one I knew least about on my family tree: she was gone long before I was born -- she died in 1949 and I was born in 1961 -- and my mother is the last living person to remember her and even she didn't know much about her origin, maiden name, etc., so what little I know is gleaned from databases. But, still, she has remained mysterious to me.”

Mystery solved for both of us. Now, I know who Joe Klein was and where he fits on our family tree. Plus, I have pictures of Joe and Jennie and their descendants. I even have some photos that his great-grandson sent of Joe’s ancestors.

With this blog post, my newfound American-born cousin in Kansas, who can read Russian and unbelievably even reads Yiddish!, will read all about Joe’s wife. When he reads about Jennie’s family and learns from me about his/our ancestry on his maternal grandmother's side, that will take him back to 1765. Assuredly, other family members will be equally interested. As my mother would have said, this is one for the books.

Sheindl Reshko also known as Jennie Klein courtesy of her Great-grandson Marc

Joe and Jennie Klein at their Los Angeles grocery store in the 1940s, courtesy of their Great-grandson Marc.

I have been researching our ancestry for almost 35 years, and it never gets boring. Having the letters my aunt saved in a cookie tin was the key to filling in the pieces of the family tree puzzle.

Sheindl = “Jennie” Reshko (“Reskin” or any variation), with her spouse (original family name Kleiner) her siblings and her three children with their spouses

Moving on and going back to the discussion of the descendants of Gitl, Esther was the only one of Gitl’s seven children whom we know of to live into her 60s (1903-1970). She was married in Chudnov in 1925 and had two sons. The most current information about her sister Sheindl “Jennie,” indicates she died at about age 59. The only one we have no details on is their brother Motl.

Our family memorabilia includes letters from Gitl’s children, Sima, Leika, and others. A letter from their sister, Gitl’s eldest daughter, Basha (“Basia”), summoned help from the Relief Committee of the City of New York in 1934.

Letter to Relief Committee from Basia (Basha) Bludoy, seeking address of my grandfather, her uncle.

Some of my father’s cousins from Basia’s family survived the atrocities. While I never knew most of them, excitedly, I now have pictures of a sprinkling of them to share. The photos, together with notes from their nephews whom I have met and corresponded with and who knew and adored their father's brothers, help bring these heroes to life.

The three brothers pictured here were the members of a family of five who fought on the battlefields and lived through the war. The pictures crystalized my thoughts.

Along with their father, Moishe Bludoy, also killed in 1941, were the two younger siblings of these three heroes. Their mother, Basia, one of Gitl’s eldest of seven, died of natural causes about 1935.

Basha Reshko Bludoy (1893-1935) charted with her spouse, siblings, children and their spouses

Basia’s son Yuliy (1925-1941) perished while serving in the army. Eerily, he sent his last letter saying, “the Germans [are] coming.” The youngest of Basia’s brood, Rachil (1927-1941), was a young teen, about 14 when she died in the Letychiv, Ukraine, slave labor camp. Maryam Sandal* remembered her warmly as a friend.

The eldest of Basia’s three sons, Yuriy, was injured in the war. Fortunately, he lived many years after. His life spanned from 1915 to 1989.

Cover page of birth and marriage records of Yuriy Bludoy

Birth and marriage records of Yuriy Bludoy

After the war, Yuriy was engaged to Maryam Sandal, but her aunt would not allow the marriage, insisting she was too young (or he was too old).

A photo of Yuriy, Basia’s eldest son, appears in the book by Maryam Sandal.

From the Memorial Book of Chudnov by Maryam Sandal, z”l after WWII when she was engaged to my cousin Yuriy Bludoy Translated by Harry Langsam, z”l

Yuriy later married and had three sons. We met two of his sons in North Carolina, where we were house guests of one, whose twin brother was deceased.

Son of Yuriy Bludoy - 2002 - we stayed at the couple’s home in North Carolina. His twin brother was deceased in 1999. On our visit, we met their older brother with his wife.

When we arrived at our cousin’s home, he announced that his father said, "if you ever make it to America, find the relatives." He cried, “and you found me!”

Memorial Book of Chudnov by Maryam Sandal, z”l

My autographed copy of the Memorial Book of Chudnov by Maryam Sandal, z”l

September 2018 Connecticut Maryam Sandal, z”l

Our cousin Alexey recently found pictures online of two of Yuriy’s brothers taken during their military service. Pictured in uniform are Cousin Basia’s sons Semen (“Semyon”) Moiseevich Bludoi (1916-1996), and Yakov (“Yasha”) Moiseevich Bludoi (1922-1977), a military doctor.

Military doctor Yakov (“Yasha”) Moiseevich Bludoi (1922-1977)

Basia’s sister Esther noted above, the second child of Gitl, lived until 1970. There is mention of Basia’s sister, Esther Liberman, and her family in a detailed 1973 letter from Harry Langsam copied in my upcoming July 19, 2022 blog post, All In the Family - Etl’s In-Laws.

Both of Esther’s sons are deceased, but I was fortunate to meet one of them. In 2000, Lev (“Lova”) Liberman immigrated, and we were immediately in contact. He wanted to meet me because he said, “you sent our family packages in 1946.”

Esther Reshko Liberman (1903-1970), charted with her husband, siblings, two sons and their spouses

Lev (aka Lova or Leo) Liberman (aka Lieberman) at our home in South Orange, New Jersey July 4, 2000

Beginning part of side one of letter from Lev (aka Lova or Leo) Liberman (aka Lieberman)

Bottom of side two of letter from Lev (aka Lova or Leo) Liberman (aka Lieberman)

While I was not yet born, I knew that my aunt had worked alongside my grandmother to send packages back home. Lova and I had that one chance meeting at my house when our mutual cousin Alla came on the bus with him from Brooklyn on July 4, 2000.

Lova's visit was months before tragedy struck. While out for a jog, a pack of wild dogs viciously attacked Lova. The nightmarish stories are found online by searching for "Lev" Liberman. Caution, they are gruesomely troubling.

Although I wrote to Lova’s brother Simeon in Israel, we were not fortunate to meet. He passed away in Kiriat Motskin, Israel, in 2002. Someday, I hope to get together there with his two children.

Lova, who divorced before emigrating, is survived by one daughter and one grandson. When we met, Lova filled me in on as much of his branch of his family as he could, including the contact information for the Bludoy cousins who immigrated to America. Painfully, Lova left Ukraine with all the documents and family pictures still hanging on the walls of his apartment.

In stark contrast, the story of the survival of my paternal family from Chudnov hangs on our dining room wall for all to see. Included in the montage are the ketubah and passports my grandparents saved, along with my grandmother’s birth records, and my grandfather’s Letter of Intention to become a United States citizen.

A highlight hanging on the inviting sage green painted wall of our home is the picture of the Potsdam Vessel, purchased at EllisIsland.com. The steerage department of that ship carried my grandmother, uncle, and infant father to America in 1912, where they became reunited with my grandfather. In the case of my father, they met for the first time. His father bravely traversed the seas the year before my grandmother successfully made the same harrowing journey.

Our wall of distinction is the first place the surviving descendants of our ancestors congregate. Standing there, they explore the Sarah and Nathan Mark branch of the Temnogorod family’s story of survival.

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*Maryam Sandal, z”l, and I, had mutual cousins. She wrote the Memorial Book of Chudnov, which my cousin Harry Langsam, z”l, translated to English.

April 5, 2003 Maryam Sandal - part of our family - seated front right at Rina’s bat mitzvah celebration South Orange, New Jersey

Pictures of happy times in Chudnov displayed at the 2005 reunion and book launch of Maryam Sandal's Memorial Book of Chudnov - Brooklyn, New York

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Pictures of happy times in Chudnov displayed at the 2005 reunion and book launch of Maryam Sandal's Memorial Book of Chudnov - Brooklyn, New York 〰️

Pictures from Chudnov displayed at 2005 reunion and book launch of Maryam Sandal’s Memorial to Chudnov Brooklyn, New York

Fellow Chudnovers and Chudnov Children - Sharon top center with her cousin Polina Posternak, Maryam Sandal, Sharon’s cousin Adel Posternak and Polina and Adel’s mother, Nina Posternak 2005 Brooklyn, New York

Look for the next blog post in the series, The Philly Branch From Chudnov, scheduled for May 3, 2022