Choritz Family

The picture below is of the Choritz family taken circa 1924 in Kupiskis.  It includes the mother and seven of her nine children.  The father of the family, Zeev-Peretz Choritz, had been killed in a robbery of his grocery store in November, 1914.  Four robbers, who were forestry workers or wood choppers and customers of the store, committed the crime.  What happened to these criminals is not known, as the Lithuanian courts were disbanded shortly thereafter, with the approach of the German Army.

The family subsequently was forced to leave Kupiskis at the beginning of World War I for Tambov.  When they returned in 1921-22 or so, they began to plan for the family to go to Bot River, South Africa, where Zeev Peretz Choritz's brother Yehuda-Mordechai Choritz and his wife Chaia-Pese Bedil Choritz had settled.  The first son to leave was Samuel Choritz, who went to Tel Aviv, Palestine, in 1924, and then onto South Africa in 1926.  For that reason, Samuel (1904-1974), is not in the photo.  Also missing was Eliash-Pinchas Choritz, born 1900, who died as a toddler.

Front row, seated, left to right:  Icik-Kadesh (Yitzhok) Choritz (1892-1941), Chaia-Etla  bat Abel-Iosef Blacher Choritz, (1877-1940), Israel Choritz (1905-1975).

Back row, standing, left to right:  Chatzkel (Charles) Choritz (1909-1990), Annie Choritz Blieden (1906-1987), Celia Choritz Sibul (1907-1998), Elias-Yechiel (Giel) Choritz (1915-1997), Isadore (Isser) Choritz (1913-1997).
 

The photo depicts a Youth Bund group possibly taken in Tambov, where the Choritz family fled to in 1915, during World War I.  The girl seated second from left in the front row is Annie Choritz and the boy seated third from left in the middle row is Israel Choritz.

Most of the Jewish citizens of Kupiskis left either by walking, horse and cart, or by train for the east.  They went in single or multiple family groups.  Some went as deep into Russia as Siberia, some went as close as Latvia.  They were forced to remain until the War was over and many took years to return, if they did at all.  Life was very hard during this time and some starved.  During their time away from Kupiskis, the Jews of Kupiskis had children (and those attended school, joined youth groups), married, died and otherwise continued their lives.  They found what work they could to survive.

In the Choritz family, their father Peretz Choritz had already been killed in 1914 before the War started, and they fled to Tambov with their grandfather Dov Ber-Zalman Choritz, their mother Chaia-Etla and the six children.  During their time in Tambov, their grandfather died, leaving them quite destitute.  One of the children, Samuel Choritz, managed to survive by selling soap.  They returned to Kupiskis in 1921 and strove to leave Lithuania for South Africa for better opportunities.

All the children did leave with the exception of the eldest Icik-Kadesh (Yitzchak) Choritz, who won several million Litas in the Lithuanian lottery.  He invested this in a street full of property in Kupiskis.  His good fortune and decision to stay in Lithuania was ultimately regrettable as he and his family were killed in 1941.

 

Yitzhak and Rivka Choritz

Rivka Fainberg, born 1903, daughter of Leib and Feige-Hinde (Michel) Fainberg.  See paragraph above for more information about Yitzhak.  Their children were Peshe, born 1930, Chaya-Dvoira, born 1934, Freide-Hinde Choritz, born 1939, and Chaim, born 1940.

(Photos were donated by Lazer Choritz in memory of his father Israel Choritz and family.)

Mordechai Yehuda-Lieba, one of the approximately nine children of Dov-Ber Zalman Choritz, born 1858, and his wife Chaia-Pese Bdil, born 1856.

Taken in South Africa sometime before 1937 when he died.  He was the one who brought the rest of the family to South Africa.





Charlie Choritz, son of Zeev Peretz Choritz, the brother of Mordechai Yehudah-Leiba Choritz, taken in South Africa
Taken in South Africa, the children of Zeev Peretz Choritz,
left to right:  Yechiel (Giel), Celia, Samuel, Izrael





Leah Choritz, the sister of Mordechai Yehudah Leiba and
Zeev-Peretz Choritz.  She married Jacob Dick and her daughter Celia Dick is in the photo with her.
Wedding of Annie Choritz, daughter of Zeev-Peretz Choritz, to David Blieden in 1939, South Africa



Top, l to r:  Israel Choritz, his wife Sophie Lipshitz Choritz,
brother Izzy Choritz

Below l to r:  Israel's children Pearl Choritz Rogow, Lazer Choritz, dated August 18, 1942

Choritz Family in South Africa

1- Rachel (Roche) Sibul Maisel (daughter. of Jack and Celia); 2 - Giel Choritz; 3 - Celia Choritz Sibul;  4 - Zelda Singer Choritz (wife of Giel); 5 - Jack Sibul (husband of Celia); 6 - Mrs. Sibul (Jack's mother); 7 - Israel Choritz;  8 - Sarah Sagor Choritz (wife of Sam); 9 - Pearl Choritz Rogow (daughter of Israel); 10 - Sam Choritz; 11 - Barry Sibul (son of Jack and Celia); 12 - Ethel Choritz Sedley (daughter of Giel and Zelda)
The photos above were given to Ann Rabinowitz by the late Zelda Singer Choritz, wife of Giel Choritz, and the Choritz family

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