The 1950s: Romanian Jewish Immigration to Israel
Family in Israel
We have family in Israel, Yael explained, the descendants of Pauline’s brother Bernard Weisman, and sister, Speranza Seigler. Yael’s mother died a few years ago and Yael only recently started learning about the Weisman side of her family. Yael’s mother was Ruti Bercovitz and she lived in Romania until she was five years old. Ruti was the daughter of Bitte (or Beatrice) and Dov Gerry Bercovitz.
Bernhard's Family Tree
Speranza (Weisman) and Osias Seigler's Family Tree
Yael's great-grandmother was Speranza, my great-grandmother's sister. Yael’s uncle was Michy Bercovitz. I had been wondering for years about Bitza and her son Michy, as there is a stunning photo of Bitza and her baby in the album. Bitza was Yael’s grandmother, and Michy her uncle. When Yael’s mother Ruti passed away, Yael interviewed her uncle Michy and was able to fill in the family tree. Yael did not hear anything about her grandparent’s experiences during the Shoah, but all she knew is that they survived the war and immigrated to Israel in 1951. Speranza died in 1954. Ruti Bercovitz went to Romania once, and Yael said, visited graves in Iași. This puzzled me, whose graves was Ruti visiting? However, Yael did not know more.
One of the photos that Yael sent me is curious (see Figure 50). It is addressed to the Marcovici family (see Figure 51), yet Yael’s mother had the photo. The photo has to be in Romania, as there is writing on a sign in front of the gate in Latin script and it is dated August 10, 1935. In the photograph there is a young girl, off to the side. She is wearing a lovely dress, with Maryjane shoes and white ankle socks. Her eyes look somber and her mouth forms a slight pout, giving the impression that she did not want to be in the photo. There is also someone else, grinning and peering behind the fence. The photographs hold stories and family secrets unknowable as the generations have drifted into the past.
Some stories survive, either explicitly or by allusion and suggestion. For example, standing in front of Rebecca and Israel Kimmel, is Alex Siegler, and then next to them, Speranza, Osias and Fabian Siegler. Speranza “gave” Rebecca and Israel their son Alex to raise, perhaps as they were not able to have children, said cousin Danny Zohar. Yael’s mother also had identical photos to mine, as it seems the photo postcards were duplicated to send to different family members. Other stories remain unknowable, how did the photograph above dated August 10, 1935 and addressed to the Marcovici family, come to be handed down to Yael’s family in Israel? In 1935, which member of the Marcovici family first received this photograph?
The next photo that Yael sent me solved a mystery I had been puzzling over regarding the identity of the third person (white hat on the left) as Oscar Weisman (the brother who died young, said Henrietta) because I have the same photograph in my album. Oscar was the younger brother of Paulina, and is in this photograph with Paulina’s sister Speranza and older brother, Norbert Weisman. There is also a photo in the album of Oscar on his wedding day to Rachel, whose maiden name I do not know.
