Obeliai, Lithuania
Families of Obeliai: faces and stories
In order to remember the Jewish families and individuals who lived in Obeliai over the years, we are compiling a list of names and, where possible, photos. No Jews now live in Obeliai - they are scattered around the world. Hopefully, by finding a relative in the list below, we can reunite relatives and friends all over the globe. If you would like your family's names added or know of someone who might, please contact Emma via the link at the bottom of the page.
- GORDON - Elieyuhu "the Moskver" was a merchant and a respected scholar. He had two daughters, Chaye Sara, who became a Russian teacher, and Dobre, who opened a dry goods store.
GROSS / GREISS - The family left Abel in 1935. The family name was Gross (or Greiss). Hirschl married a lady surnamed SHUSTER. According to the Yizkor Book for Rokiskis (see link above), Hirsche was an "orchard renter" or gardener, exporting fruit to Poland and beyond.
GRIS - The GRIS family appear (so far) not to be related to the GREISS and GROSS families other than by marriage. The maiden name of Marcia Spiler, who contributed several photos and stories to this site, was GRIS.
CHAITOVICIUTE / CHAITOWITZ / HIATT - Jacob (Jack) HIATT was a lawyer and judge in Abel. He married Frances. He emigrated to the USA in 1938 and settled in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he became a successful company president and philanthropist. He was particularly generous to seats of art and learning, including Clark University, the College of the Holy Cross and Brandeis University in Waltham, of which he was a founder. He devoted his life to building bridges between Jews and non-Jews all over the world. His sister lives in San Francisco.
KLASS - Saul Klas is mentioned as being a butcher by trade in the Yizkor book for Rokiskis.
KUGEL - Isaac (Ichik) KUGEL married Sheina. They had 7 children.
- Anna Chaiya married Saul ROSINKSY from Lugovets, Russia in 1895. In 1904 Saul went to the USA with his eldest daughter, Sophie. He became a fruit merchant/junk dealer in Omaha.
- Isadore was born in Dvinsk and moved to Johannesburg. He was a music teacher. He changed his name to BERMAN, as he thought the name KUGEL was too common.
- Bryna was born in Dvinsk and married Sonny BOROLSKY (BAROLSKAITE). They had 7 children. Bryna's grandson, Lt Nitai SHIFTS was killed in September 1995 in South Lebanon when he stepped on a mine.
- Civia was born in Abel and married Mendel (Max) KROOK from Moscow. Mendel moved to Cape Town in March 1901. He died in November 1911. Civia returned to Lithuania with her 5 children: Peiske, Leiba, Dora, Cilia and Edie. Leiba died shortly after their return. Dora went to live with her aunt Rivka in the USA.
- Rivka was born in Dvinsk and married Elias SLOVIN. Their firstborn arrived in 1900 and Harry and Joe followed in 1901, all born in Abel. They then moved to the USA and had 4 more sons: Simon, Malcolm, Irvine and Alfred.
- Gittel was born in Abel in 1888. She married Leon SLUTZKIN from White Russia in South Africa in 1910. They had 4 children: Lubbe, Alexander, Lippe and Dora. After her wedding, Gittel brought Isadore and Peiske to South Africa. Peiske changed his name to Max Shimkins and moved to Rhodesia where he became involved in ranching and hostelry. He later brought his sisters and mother back to Southern Africa.
POGRUND/POGRANT
Moishke/Morris POGRUND
S(H)EMER - Abraham Semer. His sister, Mindel (born in Birzai) married Max SIFMAN (born in Bialistok) at Abraham's house in Abel in 1926.
SHOKHAT - Ette Hene married Obeliai's Rabbi, Chaim Nosent Shokhat. After they left Obeliai, they settled in Portland, Maine. David Schochat, who lived in New York, wrote a book entitled "The Jewish Court in the Middle Ages".
SHRIBERG/SHRABERG/SCHREIBERG - Moshe and David (twins), Charles and Phillip were brothers. They and two sisters were the children of Nathan SHRIBERG and Eva POGRANT. David and Charles moved to America. Moshe (Morris)- studied to be a rabbi - taught by Nathan JOFFEE (of Novo Aleksandrovsk/Zarasai?) - married Mindel JOFFEE and moved to England. They settled first in Bolton, Lancashire and then in Tonypandy, Wales and had six children: Gitel (Gertrude), Marks (Max), Ginnie (Jean), Samuel, Leah and Simon. Emma, compiler of this website, is researching this family.
L to R: Nathan SHRIBERG, Eva POGRANT, Mindel JOFFEE, Moshe SHRIBERG.
SILBER / SILVER - Rabbi Bonim Tsemach Silver and his son, Rabbi Eliezer Silver, who became Rabbi of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania between 1908 and 1925 and wrote the book "Kaddish". He was later appointed to the Congress of American and Canadian Rabbis. Click here for further details of his life and work.
SLOVO - Woolf and Ann Slovo had two children - Joseph and Reina. The family moved to South Africa in 1934, where Woolf worked as a truck driver. Joseph grew up to become a famous anti-apartheid campaigner, leader of the Communist Party and eventually Housing Minister before his death from cancer. Click here to view his obituary and life story.
TSECHSHTEYN / ZAKSHTEIN - Herschl/Tsvi (born circa 1800) was a shochet in Abel. He had several sons - Zalman, Shmuel Labe, Ber Girsch, Abram Elya and Moshe. Moshe (born in 1831) was married twice, firstly to Goldie POGRUND by whom he had eight children, including two sons, Rachmiel and Yehuda Labe; and, secondly to Anna POGRUND with whom he also had four children. Yehuda Labe became a flax merchant in Abel. One of Rachmiel's sons was Heske/Harry. In 1920, Heske and Moishke/Morris POGRUND helped initiate the Culture League in Abel, and in 1923 Yehuda Labe Zakshtein was appointed to the first Jewish Communal Board in the shtetl.
ZAK - Benjamin Zak, the well-known writer and journalist was originally from Abel. Itzik Zak, married to Yente, is mentioned in the Yizkor book for Rokiskis as being a "forester" with a very successful business. Their two sons both went to university and had very successful careers, Israel in engineering and his brother in the judiciary. Israel and Benjamin, together with Moishke and Heske Zakhstein founded the Culture League in Abel 1920.
Other Rabbis of the town included Rabbi Chaim Nasan, Rabbi Schlomo Gershon, Rabbi Chaim Scholom Migrudner, Rabbi Zalman Siegel, Rabbi Berlikah, known as "the Yellow Rabbi", and Rabbi Avraham Meyerevitz, who perished along with his congregation in the Holocaust. If you can shed any more light on the lives and families of these esteemed men, please share their stories with us.
Also, two non-Jews, Vladas Andanas and a woman named Vatzenyeh from Kadeliai were arrested in 1944 for protecting Jews. We should honour them and thank them if we can by remembering them, the risks they took and the price they probably paid.
If you have any names, corrections, questions, comments or photographs of Obeliai families you would like to share, or if you have found a connection here you would like to follow up, please contact Emma Freeman by clicking here or click on the Obeliai homepage to join our mailing list
Copyright : Emma Freeman
Last revised: 24 August 2009
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