Furmanovsky Family

The Furmanovsky family lived in Kupiskis from quite early on and their name has sometimes changed over the years depending on where they settled afterwards to Furman, Forman, and other such spellings.

The oldest of the Furmanovsky family that is shown in the Kupiskis records is Orel-Aron Furmanovsky married to Rochelis and the father of Mere, Chaim and Aron.

Mere, born in 1842, married Shmuel Yuter and had five children in Kupiskis: Samuel Solomon, Moshe, Sara, Beila and Chaya Yuter. Her son Samuel Solomon Yuter married Rose Levitz of the well-known American furniture company. He settled in various small towns in Pennsylvania, owned a newspaper and media corporation, and changed the family name from Yuter to Etter. Mere's son Moshe Yuter also changed his name to Etter and became a prominent rabbi in Harrisburg, PA. He is mentioned in the book by Berl Kagan Yidishe Shtet, shtetlekh un dorfishe yishuvim in Lite: biz 1918.

Chaim, born 1852, married Sheina-Rivka and had eight children: Dov-Ber "Berel", Yehoshua Josef "Josel", Aaron, Daniel, female, Chaje, Hillel, and a male.

One of the descendants of Dov-Ber "Berel" Furmanovsky was Lionel Forman, 1927-1959, son of David Furmanovsky and Sarah Shribnick. David Furmanovsky left Kupiskis and met his wife coming over to South Africa and thereupon married her and changed his name to Forman. The family settled in Johannesburg. Lionel gained fame and recognition as an anti-apartheid activist, brilliant lawyer and journalist in South Africa. He died at age 31 while undergoing heart surgery utilizing the new heart-lung by-pass machine developed by Christiaan Bernard in 1959. His wife Sadie was the daughter of Rokiskis-born Yiddish poet Bunim-Idel Kril..

The descendants of Yehoshua Josef "Josel" Furmanovsky ended up in Zimbabwe. Known as Joe Furmanovsky, you can read more about him at Vignettes from Africa. Several of Joe Furmanovsky's accomplished and talented grandchildren, Ilan Elkaim, Jill Furmanovsky and Michael Furmanovsky can be seen at Kupishokers in the Cultural,Entertainment, and Performing Arts

A Furmanovsky family portrait. L to r, back row: Avner Elkaim, Joe Furmanovsky, Chana Grill Furmanovsky, Lola Furmanovsky, Jane Furmanovsky Lipschitz, Ilana Lipschitz, Ronnie Furmanovsky Elkaim, Eva Pribash Furmanovsky.

L to r: front row: Jill Furmanovsky, Ilan Elkaim, Michael Furmanovsky, David Lipschitz

Photos are contributed by Michael Furmanovsky in honor of his family.