IS IT THE END OF THE LINE?

Where have all the Levites gone? Do my brothers end the line of Levites in our family?

For decades, I held out hope of finding another source of Levites in the family. When the family of my paternal grandfather’s one missing brother from the clan suddenly connected in April 2023 (see Yury dated October 1, 2024 at sharonmarkcohen.com), I learned that my father’s first cousin Leib, a Levi, lost his male descendants during the Shoah and that his second wife bore him a daughter, ending any hopes of another living Levi to carry the line.

With all the Cohens or Kohanim on my husband Arnee’s side, right now, our grandson Dizzy appears to hold the distinction of being the only Kohan descendant from the youngest generation in the clan.

The thought brings me to 1975, sitting with my husband Arnee in the study of Rabbi Nathan Zuber of blessed memory. In the weeks before officiating at our wedding, Rabbi Zuber asked us some questions about our Jewish lives and remarked about our heritage. He was visibly impressed with our hierarchy in the religion, Arnee’s lineage from the tribe of Kohan, and mine from the tribe of Levi.

Not only did Rabbi Zuber know my parents and grandparents, but he also knew Arnee’s maternal grandfather from religious services they attended together in Linden, New Jersey. In addition to leading services at our small house of worship in Roselle, New Jersey, Rabbi Zuber, who officiated the weddings of my parents and older brother, at times took the pulpit at the synagogue across the “highway” in Linden.

What would our ancestors think of the prospect of a vanishing long-held distinctive inheritance? More importantly, what has all religious belief and ritualism succumbed to in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic?

In our synagogue, there are several Kohanim and Levites. Possibly, the once-royal tend to gravitate to a more religious community.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our rabbi contracted the deadly virus and almost lost his life. Not long after, the services resumed at our synagogue and congregants began to return, but not to the numbers prior.

Is it not just our family? Through marriage, attrition, solely female offspring, or no offspring, are the numbers of Kohanim and Levites reaching the end of the line? For several reasons, such as intermarriage, lower birth rates and the global pandemic of 2020, the numbers are dropping worldwide. Those are searing thoughts to ponder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rabbi Zuber’s obituary from 1988 in The New York Times

“Rabbi Nathan Zuber, a Talmudic scholar and the spiritual leader of Beth David Synagogue in Roselle, N.J., for several decades, died of heart failure Saturday at Elizabeth (N.J.) General Hospital. He was 84 years old and lived in Roselle.

“Rabbi Zuber was born in Russia, came to the United States as a young man and became the leader of Beth David in the late 1920's.

“He is survived by his wife, the former Sadie Kupperberg; a son, Emanuel, of Fords, N.J.; a daughter, Frances Krebs of Rahway, N.J., five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.”

Position of hands of Kohanim for bestowing the priestly blessing

Prior to Reciting the Priestly Blessing

On days when the priestly blessing is recited during synagogue worship, it is customary for Levites (descendants of the temple priests’ assistants) first to wash the hands of the Kohanim (descendants of the temple priests). No blessing is recited.