52 Ancestors: At Worship

I don't know too much about how my ancestors worshiped - Dad's family was Jewish, Mom's was Christian - and I don't think any of them were terribly religious.  Because of the mixed faith of our parents, we weren't really raised in a religious fashion, either.  Although Mom 'converted' to Judaism when they married, I know that some of the Christian traditions were still buried deep inside her.  But it was important to Dad that we practice some religion so we were raised as much as possible in the Jewish faith.

So while I don't know much about my ancestors, I do have very vivid memories of our time at Temple Emanu-El in San Jose.

Temple Emanu-El, San Jose, California
google.maps.com

Just a few of my memories:

When my brother was Bar Mitzvahed, I remember quite a discussion about which Jewish male family members would stand up to recite prayers.  Of course, coming from a very small family, that was a difficult task and at some point, my sister and I were called in to action.  Thank goodness that we were able to recite the prayers in English!

One year (7th grade, maybe?) my dad was late signing us up for Religious School so we had to go on Saturday instead of Sunday.  Not many of my friends went to church or Religious School on Saturdays.  Lesson learned, Dad.

I loved the holiday celebrations, especially the Purim carnival.

There were some sad times, too.  After my uncle's death in Atlanta in 2004, my dad just couldn't face not having a memorial for his only sibling.  So as only my dad could do, he made it happen and we had a small memorial at the Temple attended by a few family members and friends.

I wonder if Dad ever thought about the fact that the next time we would all join together at the Temple would be just 15 months later when we came together to say goodbye to Dad.  Not only was it goodbye to him, but it was also September 11 so a difficult day all around.  But we all met in the Temple House after the service and as his only great grandchild would proclaim, "then we had a party".

But the greatest, most meaningful, memory I have of the Temple was our long time Rabbi, Joseph Gitin.  Rabbi Gitin, and his wife, Rosalie, was there for us at almost every important religious event as we were growing up.

My brother's (and ultimately my father's) baby naming event.  I think one was named Herman, one was named Isaac but I can't be sure.  Wonder why little brother didn't make it into the photo?

Back row:  Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy, Dad, Sig Levy, Rabbi Gitin
Front:  Gerry (Martin) Levy, Me, Sister

In 1974, Rabbi Gitin was there.  I remember Dad saying he didn't care who married us but he felt like it should be someone who knew us and was meaningful in our lives.  Of course we asked Rabbi Gitin!  And he was kind enough to not just say the prayers in Hebrew, but also in English.

We were so young!

And then eight months later came Bar Mitzvah day.  Although my memory is completely shot of most things, I can remember that day vividly.  I was a few months pregnant with my first child so finding something to wear was a difficult task.  But I can visualize that dress all these years later - just wish I had a photo to share.

The following year Mom and Dad renewed their vows for their 25th anniversary.  I don't remember the story exactly but I know that when Mom and Dad were married in 1950, for some reason at the last minute the Rabbi could not be there so they had to scramble to find a fill-in officiant.  Which explains why Dad wanted us to be married by someone who was important to us.  And when it came time to renew their vows, who else should be there but Rabbi Gitin?

I'm not sure who had the biggest smile that day

In 1982, Dad was the recipient of The Legacy Medal, awarded each year by the San Jose Hospital Foundation to a member of the community for years of professional and public service to the citizens of Santa Clara Valley.  It seemed fitting since Dad had recovered from a heart attack at San Jose Hospital in 1978, and then from a 5 way bypass in 1979.  Of course, Rabbi Gitin was there, along with Rosalie, seated at the head table with us.

Mom, what was so funny?

Five years later, another wedding in the family as my sister was married.  Of course you know who officiated - yep, Rabbi Gitin.  I think one of my very favorite Rabbi stories was the night of the rehearsal dinner.  Mom was so excited to organize the venue for the dinner and since we all loved Chinese food, she made arrangements for the wedding party and family to join together at Fung Lum, a 'famous' restaurant in San Jose.  She always did the ordering when we had Chinese food and this night was no exception.  And remember, Mom was not raised Jewish and none of us were really strict with our dietary restrictions so I'm sure she didn't pay too much attention to any of that.  But when the waiter showed up at our table (of course I was at the same table as Rabbi and Rosalie) and set down Moo Shoo Pork in front of the Rabbi and his wife, there was not only a gasp from the table, but you could just see the color draining from Rosalie's face.  PORK?  She looked in astonishment at the Rabbi as he quietly said "Rosalie, just shut up and eat it".

Rosalie, shut up and eat it!

Dad and Rabbi shared their lives together - not just religiously but also as lifetime Rotarians and friends.  And it was apparent as they shared a special moment together after the bride and groom were named Mr. and Mrs.

And then the unthinkable happened and Dad was gone.  All of us kids had moved away from home but we gathered to plan a service for Dad.  I remember thinking that Rabbi Gitin MUST be there.  But, sadly, at the age of 99 and having just lost Rosalie a few months prior, Rabbi Gitin was unable to attend the memorial.  He sent a nice message via the current Rabbi, Dana Magat, so we felt like he was with us that day.  I know he would have moved mountains to get there if he could - the friendship the two shared was very special.

Dad's final resting place
Rabbi Magat on the right

Just five years later and at the age of 104, Rabbi Gitin was at peace.  And he is now at rest with his beloved Rosalie at Home of Peace Cemetery, the Jewish portion of Oak Hill Memorial Park where Mom & Dad rest.  Dad always said he didn't want to be in the Jewish section but rather up on the hill overlooking the valley (the picture above is from his final resting place) but maybe if he'd thought about Rabbi Gitin being buried there one day, he might have felt differently.  I'm glad to know, though, that they aren't that far apart and when I visit Mom & Dad, I can also visit Rabbi and Rosalie.

Apparently Rosalie didn't want people to know how old she was

Thank you for the memories, Rabbi Gitin.  Know that you were a very, very special member of our family.

52 Ancestors: Out of Place

Is Louis Schwartz, my 2x great grandfather, out of place?

There has been something nagging me for quite some time and is now causing me to further explore Louis' final resting place.

Louis Schwartz

I know that Louis, along with his wife Rebecca (Steen) Schwartz (1848-1918) and their sons Marks (1873-1877) and Colman (1884-1920) Schwartz, are buried in Home of Eternity Cemetery in Oakland, California.  While I cannot say with 100% certainty that his remains are actually there, I have stood before the grave so I know there is at least a stone for him there.

Since Louis is buried with his wife and two of his sons, I think he is in exactly the right place.  But I don't know if that was always the case.

Louis died on 23 May, 1893 in Byron Springs, California.  I know that Louis had gone to Byron Springs "in search of health".  He had been "ailing for almost a year, his trouble having been Bright's Disease.'" [Santa Cruz Sentinel, 24 May 1893, Wed., page 3].

Other than the fact that Louis was only 59 years old, not too much seems out of place at this point.  I'm sure his family were devastated as they made arrangements for Louis' final resting place.  Which seems to have been Santa Cruz.  WHAT? 

Santa Cruz Sentinel, Wednesday, 26 May 1893, page 3 

Not just that, but there was a service performed and then a procession to the Jewish Cemetery in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, Saturday, 27 May 1893, page 3

Louis even bequeathed $250 to the Cemetery upon his death.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, Friday, June 2, 1893, page 3

So, you'd think he would be buried at the Home of Peace Cemetery in Santa Cruz, right?

Home of Peace Cemetery, Santa Cruz, California

Was he "out of place" and moved to Home of Eternity when Rebecca died in 1918?  I know that Rebecca was living in Oakland with her brother, Samuel Steen, and his wife, Rachel (Letter) Steen, and MY GRANDMOTHER, Loraine Gunzendorfer, when she passed away on 7 Jan 1918.  So it makes sense that she was buried in Oakland.

As I was researching for this post I found some new information on Ancestry.com - the probate records of Rebecca!  Where did that come from?  I was ever so hopeful that there would be some mention of her burial but, sadly, not to be.

I've written to Temple Sinai, owners/operators of Home of Eternity Cemetery, to see if they might, just might, have some records describing when Louis was interred and who made the arrangements.  With any luck, I'll get some questions answered about whether Louis was out of place in Santa Cruz and later moved to be next to his wife of nearly 30 years, Rebecca.  I always like a good love story.

52 Ancestors: Brick Wall

We all have them, right?  You know, brick wall ancestors who don't want to be found.  I have more than a few but the ancestor who haunts me the most is my paternal great grandfather, Herman Levy.  I've connected with some Levy cousins and I'm hoping we can figure it out but for now, he's a mystery.  It could be that he was known as Herman Levi before coming to America but for now, he's staying hidden.

I have so many brick wall ancestors who are staring me in the face but I have no idea who they are or even if they are MY ancestors.  Why, why, why did my grandmother not label these beautiful photos?  Even one might have led to a new discovery but no, nothing.  So I scan them and file them in my "unidentified" folder.

What makes it even more challenging is that my great grandfather, Abraham Gunzendorfer, was a photographer so I can't even be sure that these people were anything more than a subject for Abe.  And while I believe those who are related to me are either Gunzendorfer, Schwartz, or Steen ancestors because they were in the same box as some identified by those names, it's a crap shoot.

So here I'll post some of these unidentified characters in the hope that maybe, just maybe, someone can help me out.

I love seeing photos of children - there is so much promise in their eyes and I can just imagine the lives they had ahead of them.  But who are they?

I think these two might be Gunzendorfer boys since the photographer was J.B. Johnson in Gilroy, California.  The four boys were Gustave (b. 1864), Adolph (b. 1866), Abraham (b. 1869) and Jacob (b. 1871) and the family lived in Gilroy in 1870.  Clearly taken on the same day but who are they?

I don't know - the top could be Gustave and the bottom could be Adolph but for all I know, they don't even belong to me.

And until today I thought this gentleman might be my 2x great grandfather, Louis Schwartz, but now I've noticed that it was also taken by J.B. Johnson in Gilroy - and to my knowledge, Louis never lived in Gilroy.  So maybe it was the father of the two boys.  And maybe, just maybe, it was their father, Ferdinand Gunzendorfer.

It sort of looks like Ferdinand as an older man but maybe it's just because I want it to be him that I think that.

Ferdinand Gunzendorfer

And then there's this cutie.  Since the photographer was in Santa Cruz and my Steen and Schwartz ancestors lived there, it could be one of them.  Joseph Schwartz?  Milton Schwartz?  Colman Schwartz?  All brothers of my great grandmother, Bertha Schwartz.  They were born in 1867, 1878, and 1884 so maybe?

And what about this family?  Who are they?

Taken in San Francisco - that's no help since just about every one of my ancestors lived or worked in San Francisco at some point in their life.  

And these dapper young men could be Milton Harry Schwartz, younger brother of my great grandmother, Bertha Schwartz.  He was born in 1878 and lived in Santa Cruz, Berkeley, and San Francisco so it could be him.  Or not.

Could this also be the same boy?  It's the same Santa Cruz photographer.

I have a photo that I know is him - same guy?

Milton Harry Schwartz

Since it's the same photography studio I vote yes.  But I could be wrong.

And how about this lady?  Who is she?

Or this lady?  Oh boy, she looks stern!

And another stern lady in San Francisco.  Who are you?

I could go on and on and on.  I know so many people would just love to have the photos I have inherited but geez, it boggles my mind to not know who these people are.  Please, will one of you come forward and tell me who you are?