Vol V No.3 - Benicia California - Spring 1998
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In This Issue
Tracing my Family Tree - A poem
Family Crests & Jewish Genealogy
Irina Vayntraub (Bun) reports from St. Petersburg...
"I graduated from St. Petersburg Pedagogical University in 1995 but
I have elected to work for one for the biggest telecommunications companies
in Russia. The adjacent photo, was taken while I was at my desk in December,
1997. I really enjoy my work very much. My Grandfather, 
Grisha Rijsky, Sonya's husband, is 81 years
old. He's ill but a very optimistic man and he tries not to pay attention
to his illness.
My father (Tolya Vayntraub) is a lector at the Military Space Academy in St. Petersburg. My mother is an accountant for a private food company. My younger sister, 19 year old Yana is now seeing how she likes Israel. She left last summer and was living on a Kibutz and learning ivrit (language). I think it will be very difficult for her to be alone and live so far from family. But she is a very independent person and it was her choice. She now wants to study the special courses at Haifa's Technical University (Technion).
My cousin Mila Rijskaya (Grisha and Sonya's granddaughter) who lives in Jerusalem has married. Her husband, Alexsey Alesha is from Russia. Thank you very much for the newsletters. We enjoy learning about our extended family and our Russian relatives, the Elperins, the Grachovs and the Sokolinskias from the newsletters. Art, your very kind and necessary work brings us together. We all must remember where we are from. Best regards to all.
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Reunion plans are proceeding, slowly, but proceeding. We understand that a number of you, including the snowbirds, were unable to make a commitment by March 20, so we have extended the deadline to April 30th. It is rather confusing though for Manny and me, to figure out what's going on in the minds of many. Throughout the last half of 1997 I received many phone calls pleading for a '98 reunion. The only volunteer to step forward to coordinate it, was Manny Bernstein. When we initially surveyed our cousins about a western venue, we first considered Los Angeles, then there was an interest in Las Vegas, then phone calls and a meeting in Chicago presented a solid unified stand on holding it in Los Angeles. At the last reunion, Montrealers said that if we were to have a western reunion, they would prefer it to be in LA. So we listened. Plus it was easier to plan it in LA rather than LV. Now I'm getting feedback that we should have held it in Vegas. Manny reports that the response so far from Chicago and Canada is disappointing. Yes, many requested a reunion in the Catskills, but no one stepped forward to chair it. How disappointing it would be if our Canadian and/or Midwest cousins shunned a western reunion because of location/cost. Sure, not every relative could afford it, but many who have asked for a reunion should put it a little higher up on the list of "things to do this summer." Those of us on the coast would be honored if we could get a cross-section from the various branches of Zelig's tree. Won't you please join us?
Reunion updates are available directly on the internet at: http://www.mayoff.com/reunion98.htm
Mayoff Day 1998
Mayoff Day, our family's unique holiday, falls on a Sunday this year, but in the interest of making the celebration more fun for all, the parties will be held on Saturday, May 30th. Please forward your report and/or photos to me for all to share.
If you would like a summer issue of The Family Descendant, please help me with some family stories and photos. I'm tapped out.
Branch identifiers
To help our readers figure out who's who and from which branch they descend, I am using abbreviated identifiers taken from the first three letters of the name of each of Zelig's children:
Abr=Abraham; Bun=Bunya; Hen=Henya; Isr=Israel; Lei=Leizer; Sam=Sam; Sch=Schloima; Soc=Soche/Socha/Sonia; Ush=Usher.
From Ed Nickow (Hen) of Buffalo Grove, IL... The latest revision of the web page - and the online newsletter - look great.
From e-mail friend Art Horovitch of Montreal, Quebec... What a beautiful job you have done on the Mayoff web page. It is Fabulous!!! All those super photos of past reunions and the meeting with your Russian cousins. Just super.
From Marty and Nita Nickow (Hen) of Highland Park, IL...You've done it again. Great articles, great color, great use of the internet. We loved it...
Mayoff.com
Our web site has been getting worldwide interest. Here is a "hits" list from the past 100 days.
199 from the USA
4 from Educational institutions
3 from Australia
14 from Canada
1 from Germany
2 from Belgium
1 from Dominican Republic
1 from Ireland
7 from Israel
Meredith Rush, on the right is shown with her 3 1/2 year old brother Eric, on her first day of first grade. Photo taken Sept. '97. Photo submitted by Karen Rush (Hen).
Author unknown, forwarded & doctored by Mel Oshins
I went searching for an ancestor, I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned, he mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came to take the Census.
He always kept his luggage packed, this man who had no fame,
And every 20 years or so, this rascal changed his name.
His parents came from Europe. They should be on some list
Of passengers to the west, but somehow they got missed.
No one else in this whole world is searching for this man.
So, I play genealogy solitaire to find him if I can.
I'm told he's buried in a plot, with a tombstone he was blessed;
But the weather took engraving, and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks recorded all their data.
No family story has emerged, as if it didn't matter.
To top it off, this ancestor who caused my mournful groan,
Gave me another pain to bear, he wed a girl named COHEN!
by Patt Staley-krisko (jpatt@televar.com)
I started out calmly tracing my tree
To find, if I could, the making of me
And all that I had was Great Grandfather's name
Not knowing his wife or which way he came.
I chased him across the almighty Atlantic
And came up with pages and pages of dates
When all put together it made me forlorn
I'd proved poor Great Grandpa had never
been born.
One day I was sure the truth I had found
Determined to turn this whole thing upside down
I looked up the records of one Uncle John
But then found the old man to be younger
than his son.
Then when my hopes were fast growing dim
I came across records that must have been him
The facts I collected then made me quite sad
For dear old Great Grandfather was never a dad.
I think maybe someone is pulling my leg
I'm not sure at all I wasn't hatched from an egg
After thousands of dollars I've spent on my tree
I can't help but wonder if I'm really me.
Family Crests and Jewish Genealogy
from the internet
by Judith Romney Wegner
Crests are a sociological phenomenon. In general, having a family crest is not a Jewish "thing," (unless you want to go back to the Bible, to the twelve tribes of Israel 3,000 years ago, who -- so says the book of Numbers (2:10) -- lined up in military formation each following its standard on the long march from Egypt to the Promised Land -- and each standard must obviously have had its own emblem, e.g. the Lion of Judah). But in the sense that we think of today, crests go back to the Middle Ages and the European feudal system , when only nobility and knights had crests. The Jews, of course, stood, both socially and legally, completely outside the feudal system: they were neither nobles nor knights, but they weren't peasants either -- they were an anomalous social group, geneally perceived as "belonging" to the king, who could do what he liked with them.
Some very old and uppercrust Jewish families do have crests -- like for instance the Rothschilds. Their name is routinely mispronounced by English speakers -- who wrongly split it up into ROTHS plus CHILD; but in actuality it is ROTH plus SCHILD (rhymes with "chilled") -- which are two German words, meaning RED SHIELD. So that's their crest. However, they originally got both their name and their crest from the fact that an early ancestor name lived in a house with a Red Shield painted on its door. Back then, they didn't always have street names and never had street numbers -- so emblems were painted or hung to identify the house, in this case the House of the Red Shield. Later, this becomes the "HOUSE (i.e. dynasty) of ROTHSCHILD."
by A.M Fox
Strictly, the term "crest" refers to the device worn atop the helmet of an armoured knight and incorporated in his armorial bearings; it is a solecism to refer to the bearings or "shield" as the crest. In this strict sense Jewish families were unlikely to have crests during the age of chivalry, since they were not warriors and were not considered noble. However, with increasing emancipation and assimilation many Jewish families have become ennobled, particularly in England with its long tradition of religious acceptance and the significance of an hereditary upper chamber, so that Jewish heraldry is a reality. If one wants to commit a solecism one might call the "Shield of David" a crest - or the rot (red) schild (shield) displayed outside the house of Mayer Amschel Rothschild in the eighteenth century, although the shield originally went with the house rather than the family. Certainly there are close links between heraldry and genealogy - since a full blazon is in fact a symbolic family tree, at least in European (in France at least one could only bear arms if all one's sixteen ggg-parents had done so - the Proof of Seize Quarterings") and much of English heraldry. There is no reason why any Jewish family that wants one should not acquire armorial bearings or even a crest - the College of Heralds in England makes a handsome living out of emblazonment and there are also comparable authorities in Ireland and South Africa.
[Editor's note: An authentic family crest for a given surname would normally consist of graphics typically representing both "sides of the family" and should not be taken by descendants generations later. Whatever you wish to conclude from this little article, don't ever pay someone to provide you with "your authentic" family crest. It won't be your's. My final offering is this little lampoon suggested by a fellow genealogist: Our family crest should depict Zelig at his treadle sewing machine representing his trade as a schneider (tailor) and that of his sons. A push-cart should represent the many descendants who sell their products or services for a living, and finally, representing the black sheep every family must have, an illustration of an unnamed descendant the alleged horse-thief, being run out of town. Sorry, this is what you get when your editor works on the newsletter on the first of April. :-)]
For a view of the Mayoff crest, Click here
1 Left to Right: Aron Gindin, age 1 and brother Genya age 4. Photo taken circa 1937.
2 Dora Gindin, Mendl Gindin's first wife. Dora is the mother of Genya, Aron and Dina. Photo circa 1939. Dora died in 1943. Her husband Mendl died in 1957.
3 Dina Gindin, 1936-1942. A picture of innocence, she never made it to her seventh birthday. Taken circa 1938.
4 Genya Gindin (also in photo 1 above) age 15. Genya died in 1984. Taken circa 1948.
5 Zina Gindin, Genya's wife and mother of Mila and Rita. Taken in 1957. Zina now lives in St. Louis, MO.
1-Moe Marks and Bess Mayoff circa:1920.
2-Sister and brother Eleanor (Brodsky) and Arnold Marks (Bessie & Moe's children).
3-The Marks Family, Left to right: Darcey, Dani, Sandy, Arnold and Laura
4-Vincente and Dominick Campisi (Darcy and Frank's children).
5-Kenan Marks (Son of Dani and Sureyya).
The following article was published last year in City Lights, an Israeli monthly guide. The writer is Elaana Shap. The article was forwarded to us by David Israel, husband of Judith Majew Israel (Lei)
Names: Judith and David Israel
Ages: Judith 60, David 75
Claim to Fame: Owners of Danlux Israel Ltd., producers Vehehi Or candles which are manufactured in their Or Akiva factory.
Five years ago: Judith running her own kindergarten; David retired and volunteering with his friend, the late Simcha Holtzberg in helping handicapped soldiers.
Five years time: To have nationwide distribution of their candles in Israel and to export abroad.
Philosophy: Judith: I continue to continue to derive joy and pleasure from watching the wonderful creation of the universe. Lets protect the environment. It's so fragile and we are destroying it so fast that we won't realize it until it's gone.
David: Yiddishkeit, decency and peace on earth.
What makes a 75 year old pensioner come out of a good number of years of retirement and go back into business? A love of candles that only the Danish could have and the desire to see them more widely used here, answers David Israel who made aliya in the early 80's and six months ago started the Danlux Israel candle factory in Or Akiva with his wife Judith.
"There is a great candle lighting culture in Denmark. The weather is cold and dark six to eight months a year and people want to create a warm bright atmosphere at home. They don't go out to eat as much as the Israelis do and when they sit down for lunch or dinner it's never without candles. Even at breakfast, candles are lit sometimes. Market research shows that Danes use 4.2 kg of candles a year as compared with American consumption of 125 gr a year," says David.
IN Israel, candles have in the past mostly been used for religious purposes such as Shabbat and on Jewish holidays or on memorial days. David laments, but "as Israelis travel and see that many restaurants abroad always put a candle on the table and get more interested in decor and dinner parties, the demand for candles is growing."
What the Israeli public have to learn now is the difference between cheaply made and a quality candle. "It amazes me what some people use for Shabbat candles. They are so small and burn down so fast as if Shabbat lasts only an hour. And why buy an expensive hannukiya if you are going to use cheap candles," says David who is a collector of hannukiyot.
THE differing quality of candles is a serious issue for David who was the American sales manager for Danish candle manufacturer Danlux Denmark, before coming to Israel.
Veyehi Or candles, which are made in the "antique" way which includes a hand-dipping process. To make good candles only the best wax should be used with the lowest oil content, according to David this means wax which has the lowest percentage of soot emission. "These candles don't run and then extinguish themselves when they are at their end so you can safely put them in a crystal or wooden holder and be sure the container will not burn."
The color of the candle also indicates their high quality. In cheaply made candles, says Judith, the color is mainly concentrated on the top of the candle as they have merely been dipped in dyes. In candles manufactured by Danlux, the color is compatible with the wax and disperses into it. Colors range from solid blue, green, red, yellow, ivory, white and peach to "confetti" or stripes of mixed colors.
The forthcoming range of scented candles will also be made with scented oils specially formulated for use in candles. "Regular oil will not blend in. Some manufacturers doing it cheaply just dip the wick in the fragrance." The new collection of aromatic candles by Danlux will come in citrus, lavender and lily scents, as well as 5 percent citronella which is used to repel mosquitos.
A novel concept with citronella candles, which the Israelis have just started, is renting out these candles to catering companies. "Usually caterers or owners of garden function venues use hundreds of citronella candles. They burn them for a couple of hours during then event and then throw them away. We have started to rent out these candles to them and take them back after one function and recycle them" explains David.
THE Danlux Company is located in Or Akiva's industrial area and supplies 40 to 50 stores nationwide. The Israelis decided on the location because it is near their home in Caesarea and because they hope, as the factory grows to increase their staff of four and create jobs for many unemployed olim in Or Akiva. If a contract is signed with the prestigious Danish homeware company, Bodum, who have approached Danlux Israel to supply them with an order, then their intention will become a reality. "Lower labor costs in Israel compared to Europe make our prices competitive. Bodum has enquired about our factory doing three different shaped candles for them in three different colors. If we get the order we will have to expand our factory and employ more people. David is positive about the future of Danlux Israel and says that he enjoys what he is doing so much that he doesn't notice the pain from his arthritis. Judith who studied Near Eastern archaeology, is also fulfilling her interest in glass and pottery by locating containers for their candles. She uses Hebron glass from their friend Haamdi Natche in Hebron whom David has known since 1967 and ceramic jars from a supplier in Acre.
Towards the end of our conversation, David notices a patch of wax on his sleeve. "One hazard of working in a candle factory is that I always find dripped wax somewhere on my clothing," he says with a smile.
Expert advice on how to remove wax is to place a piece of kitchen towel on the wax spot and the iron over with a hot iron or wash in boiling water and the remove.
Naomi Rifka Sheindel Perez, (Sam) daughter of Lionel and Felicia Mayoff Perez was born in Montreal on July 6th, 1997. Naomi is shown with grandfather Allan Mayoff and is the great granddaughter of Stanley Mayoff.
Ashley Devorah Mayoff (Abr) daughter of Richard and Bettina Mayoff was born in Montreal on March 3, 1998. Ashley is the granddaughter of Sol and Zelda Mayoff.
Mayoff domain E-mail addresses available for free.
What's a Mayoff domain e-mail address? yourname@mayoff.com There are about 10 e-mail addresses available to family members. To be able to use these addresses you will need to have your own direct ISP (Internet Service Provider). (AOL or Compuserve, etc. probably won't work.) Those using Netscape or Explorer are most able to take advantage of this service. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail. Limit one per household.
Look who's on-line....
The following members of our extended family have new e-mail addresses:
Ed Nickow (Hen): ednickow@mcs.com
Dan Nickow (Hen): NCKW11@aol.com
Betsey Nickow (Hen):ZABE8@aol.com
Tom Morton (Hen): LLDELEC1@aol.com
Wendy Morton (Hen) LLDPRES@aol.com
Martin Bottler (Soc): mbottler@lonet.ca
Steven Mayoff (Sam): lyric@aracnet.net
Marc Rosen (Sam):
flatlandr@earthling.net and his web site
URL is at: 
www.tellink.net/~flatlandr
Photo 1 Left to right: Manny and Arleen Bernstein, (Abr) Stuart and Sara Simon (Hen). Photo taken Jan. 1998 in Santa Monica, CA. Submitted by Manny Bernstein.
Photo 2 Bernard Mayoff Family (Abr).
Left to right, Front row: Beth, Denise, Jeffrey. Back row: Rob, Bernie and Cheryl. Photo taken Fall, 1997. Submitted by Bernie Mayoff.
Photo 3 Left to right: Betty Drucker Rosen (Hen), Sue Mayoff (Sam), Irwin Rosen. Taken in Feb. 1998 in Fairfield, CA at the Rosen's new home. [Art Mayoff photo.]
Photo 4 Jordanna Vamos, (Sam) High School graduation, 1998. [Submitted by S. Vamos]
Jewish Birth Records - 1838
Below is the list of "M" surnames compiled and transliterated from Russian. The source is Minsk Jewish birth records book for 1838 available on LDS microfilm #1920792. We once again strike out, this time for 1838.
Maizel', Makhtey, Malkes, Marfin, Margolin, Marokh, Marshak, Matusov, Matusovich, Meltzer Meshken, Mikhelson, Minits, Mirkin, Moizil' Mordukhov, Munvez, Mushkin.
Sung to the tune of Our Favorite Things, from the Sound of Music.
Our Passover Things:
Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes
Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes
Fish that's gefilted, horseradish that stings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Matzo and karpas and chopped up haroset
Shankbones and kiddish and Yiddish neuroses
Tante who kvetches and uncle who sings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs
Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarrows
Matzo balls floating and eggshell that clings
These are a few of our Passover things.
When the plagues strike
When the lice bite
When we're feeling sad
We simply remember our Passover things
And then we don't feel so bad.
This newsletter's goals are to: · Maintain an archive of family history and photos · Analyze and report on research · Yearn for knowledge of our heritage and to educate · Organize genealogical information and publish quarterly · Foster family friendship & interest in family research · Furnish Family Tree on request |
