Jewish Genetic Genealogy

Jewish Interest Group

Presentation Announcement

by Rick Cauthen

Israel Pickholtz

The Hamilton County Genealogical Society is extremely excited to announce that author, Israel Pickholtz, who resides in Jerusalem, Israel, will be presenting “Jewish Genetic Genealogy – A Study in Endogamy.” Mr. Pickholtz is the author of the book entitled “Endogamy: One Family, One People.” This book explores the topic of Jewish genetic genealogy and how it relates to the topic of endogamy.

            

Endogamy, for those readers who are not familiar with the term, simply means marrying mainly with in the tribe. In other words, Jews married and consequently reproduced only within the limits of the local community. As many of the fans of Jewish genealogy already know, Eastern European Jews spent their lives living in small little villages refer to as shtetls. Thus Jews reproduced within a very tight gene pool. When reviewing your DNA results in terms of countries of origin, when you spot European Jewish, you found a very accurate feature of your genetic history. This is unique for Jews of Eastern European descent. This is all the result of endogamy since the Jewish bloodlines have been kept very finite.

This presentation will take place on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at the public library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Main Library, third floor. The presentation will begin at 12:00PM to 2:00PM. The library is located at 800 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. Please make plans and mark your calendars now to join us for what promises to be a very exciting presentation.

Why Did Immigrating Jews Choose Cincinnati, Ohio?

By Rick D. Cauthen

Historically, I always used to wonder why my grandparents and great grandparents chose to leave Eastern Europe and settle in Cincinnati, Ohio. I mean, I certainly understand that if they were traveling where family had already existed, it certainly would stand to reason that they would want to choose to live in a destination in the United States where family was already present. However, with regard to my family’s ancestry, it was my great Uncles Benjamin Schear and Leo Schear, who traveled first from Kursenai, Lithuania to Cincinnati, Ohio in the year 1890. I can’t tell you how many years I have wondered why on earth they chose Cincinnati to travel to. I mean, couldn’t they have chosen something like Miami, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; or even Los Angeles, California. Of course by now you probably have surmised based on those options that I’m not particularly fond of the winter months that we have to endure here in Hamilton County, Ohio. True, I despise winter, if it had been my choice, I would’ve selected something more like Honolulu, Hawaii. Although when I think about it, that probably would’ve been more challenging, considering Hawaii wasn’t even a state back in 1890.

It wasn’t just the Schear line in my family tree, it was also my Goldhoff line. My great-grandfather Abraham Goldhoff also left his home in what was Courland, now Latvia, back in 1888 to travel to Cincinnati. Of course I have to ask myself the same question. Why did my great-grandfather choose to travel to Cincinnati? Yes, there was a Jewish community that already existed in the Cincinnati region. However, neither Abraham Goldhoff or Benjamin and Leo Schear were coming to a destination where they already had family. In other words, they were the original pioneers in those families. So if you were a pioneer in your family, where would you choose to lay down your roots? Why choose Cincinnati over any other city in the country? That’s what I wanted to know and understand. What was it about Cincinnati that was pulling them here? There always had to be some sort of a drawing card as to why our ancestors made the decisions that they did. Why did they choose one destination over another?

In my ever pursuit of genealogical research I came across what I believed was probably the answer as to why Cincinnati was selected. Although I realize that my answer is somewhat pretentious. I actually believe that they came to Cincinnati because it was in fact “Cincinnati.” In other words, Cincinnati itself became a highly favored destination for Eastern European Jews to settle in much in the same way that travelers might have feelings towards New York City or Chicago. We all understand that those two cities are major travel destinations in the United States. Well, believe it or not, Cincinnati was much the same during the heavy period of Jewish migration to the US, more specifically, the years of 1880 through 1924.

As a child, I couldn’t have imagined that I was living in a city that was perceived by our Jewish ancestors as a destination holding great desirability. I was actually living in a city with a fairly heavy amount of Jews with respect to many other cities in the United States. I was naïve to think that all United States cities had had just as large a Jewish population that was located in Cincinnati. Of course there were specific neighborhoods within the greater Cincinnati area that were more heavily concentrated with Jews. During my growing up years, which would’ve been the 60s and 70s, the heaviest Jewish populations were located in Roselawn, Golf Manor, and Amberley Village. Going back to the days of my great grandparents and grandparents, the Jewish populations were located in downtown and then moving out to Avondale, North Avondale and Bond Hill. Additionally, there was a Jewish population located just across the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky, namely Newport and Covington. It was at least large enough population to support two Jewish congregations back in the early 1900s. However, the Jewish population located in Northern Kentucky eventually shrank to the point that both of those Jewish congregations closed. If you ask me today which neighborhoods have the heaviest Jewish population, I would languish to say that there isn’t such a thing any longer. I believe that as time has marched on the Jewish population has spread over the entire greater Cincinnati region. This is just evidence of how Jews have completely assimilated into American culture as opposed to the shtetls they lived in back in Eastern Europe.

The concept of shtetl life (shtetls were small intimate villages) explains why Jews tended to concentrate in certain neighborhoods. It was important to the Jews that they selected areas that a good amount of Jewish families was already living there. Additionally, they would’ve wanted to be within walking distance of a Jewish synagogue or temple. There aren’t as many observant Jews that have a strong need to be within walking distance of a congregation or even groceries that specialized in kosher foods. Society and culture are not stagnant. They both undergo an evolution as time marches on.

Of course it is a well-known fact that Cincinnati was a very popular for Germans to immigrate to. Another known fact of Jewish history was that Jews that resided in Germany suffered much more severe anti-Semitism earlier than those that lived throughout the rest of Eastern Europe. As a result, German Jews began to immigrate to Cincinnati as early as 1820, but with much greater numbers starting in 1850. It was these early arriving Jews that would fight in the Civil War. Since Jews always tended to follow where there were already communities of Jews residing, consequentially it makes sense that a large number of Ashkenazic Jews followed the German Jews, during the years of 1880 to 1924.

One important issue to note was that the Jews that resided in Cincinnati, did not face the anti-Semitism that Jews would have faced in the southern states of the United States. States that would have been slave states in Pre-Civil War history. It was actually quite the opposite. The Jews arriving early in to Cincinnati were met with much esteem and highly respected by their fellow citizens. Cincinnati was a city of goodwill and understanding where Jews and Christians interacted freely. Jews and Christians in early Cincinnati interacted socially as well. We know this from handwritten letters that have been left behind.

Many of the Eastern European Jews that were still living back in the old country, would hear from the letters sent to family about the city of Cincinnati being a great place to come to. It was through this Jewish grapevine that Cincinnati became more and more well-known as a new home for Jews wanting to immigrate to America. It would be a destination that would be ripe with economic promise and social acceptance. Considering the world of hatred and discrimination, these Jews suffered in their lives within Eastern Europe, is it any wonder that they chose Cincinnati as their new home. I think not.

Recommended Reading

Sarna, Jonathan D., and Nancy H. Klein. The Jews of Cincinnati. Cincinnati: Center for Study of the American Jewish Experience on the Campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 1989 (see esp. pages 1-3)

Local Jewish Cemeteries - Part 2

        by Rick D. Cauthen

       In my last blog regarding Jewish Cemeteries, I spoke of genealogical importance of  the Hebrew Inscription found on headstones. So why is the Hebrew Inscription so important? That is quite simple. It was Jewish tradition that you would inscribe the deceased’s Hebrew name along with the name of their father or sometimes mother. Now, I think you would have to agree that many genealogists working on non-Jewish lines of their family tree would be ecstatic if they could simply look at their ancestor’s tombstone and find that vital information.

But don’t get too excited, the names provided are formal Hebrew names that don’t provide surnames in the typical sense that you may understand. The Jews had essentially patrilineal or sometimes matrilineal names that changed with every generation. For example, if your name is Shem and your father’s name was Noah, you would have been identified Shem son of Noah. Often, daughters would also be addressed in a similar vain. Hannah daughter of Abraham. However, some Jews used a matrilineal naming, with respect to girls only, where it would have been Hannah daughter of Sarah. It seems to have varied somewhat with the naming of girls. I suppose it may have had something to do with the Synagogues they belong to and the Rabbis that officiated over them.

The reason I bring up this naming convention is that it’s important that you understand that you are not going to find the Surnames that you may hope to find. However, even a first name is better than no name. If nothing else, it will serve as evidence later corroborating a record that you may find among other records. For instance, if you discover that your grandfather whose name you know was Mose Goldstein, showed the inscription that his father’s name was Hyman, and you later find Mose Goldstein in the 1920 US Census with a Head of House by the name of Hyman Goldstein, then you know more likely that you have found the correct family. In other words as genealogists we always wanted to take any evidence that we find and use it to our benefit.

More often than not you will find the dates of death and birth according to the familiar Gregorian calendar (although at times you may find a Jewish headstone that only has Hebrew writing on it). You will generally also find in the Hebrew inscription those dates according to the Jewish calendar. Often this may be more than just nice to know information. For example, perhaps it gives the name of the deceased in the form of their English name and the dates as 1865 – 1913. So now you can readily determine that your ancestor passed away circa 1913, but no specific date. However, there is an excellent chance that the Hebrew inscription will provide that actual date of death according to the Jewish calendar, which in turn can be converted to the Gregorian calendar. A simple tool to do this can be found on the web at http://www.hebcal.com/converter/. It will also provide you the Hebrew words to express that Jewish calendar date.

By now you are thinking, well all this information is great to know, but I still cannot read the Hebrew, so this is all for naught! Remember, I also stated this is a very common plight among genealogist tracing Jewish lines. So let’s discuss some strategies to get over this major hurdle. An internet page I would strongly recommend reading can be located within JewishGen.org. At http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/tombstones.html, you will find some very sound basic information which will provide some assistance in breaking this Hebrew code.

Online networking is without a doubt the most powerful tool at your disposal. I would highly recommend joining the Facebook group “Jewish Genealogy Portal.” You can locate this group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/JewishGenealogyPortal/. This group is moderated by Randol Schoenberg, the famed lawyer whose story was recently told in the movie “Woman in Gold.” Simply take a quality picture of your ancestor’s headstone and create a posting including the image into this Facebook group. Just kindly ask for anyone who would be willing to translate the Hebrew Inscription into English. Within the group there are many who have the ability to translate for you and graciously do for others. Another Facebook group I would recommend would be “Tracing the Tribe.” You will locate it at https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracingthetribe/. Just like the “Jewish Genealogy Portal” group, there are numerous individuals who will gladly make the translation for you. One more suggestion I have is an area called “Viewmate” located within the JewishGen.org site. The URL is http://www.jewishgen.org/ViewMate/. This is a more formal forum where you may upload your image of the Headstone and should receive a reply within 24-48 hours. The benefit of using Viewmate is I tend to believe you will locate volunteer translators who have a greater skill level.

Lastly, if you really would like to master this skill of uncovering the meaning found in those Hebrew Inscriptions, I would highly suggest purchasing and reading the following book:

Segal, Joshua L. A Field Guide to Visiting a Jewish Cemetery: A Spiritual Journey to the Past, Present and Future. Nashua, NH: Jewish Cemetery, 2005.

This book provides an extremely detailed educational journey in learning and honing the skill of extracting all the vital information found on a Jewish Headstone. Not just the Hebrew words, but also decorations and symbols to be found on these headstones.

Symbols that are found on Jewish Headstones will also provide “nice to know” information in regards to your ancestors heritage. When you find the image of the hands with split fingers:

This symbol is representative of a Kohen (or Kohain), a member of the Kohanim, who were the high priests. Kohens are strictly of patrilineal descent, in other words the heritage was only passed from father to son. All Kohens are said to be direct descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses, who was the first Kohen. The high priests would put their hands over the congregation when performing certain blessings. If the positions of these hands seems familiar to Mr. Spock’s greeting, the character from Star Trek fame, this is no coincidence. Leonard Nimoy, the famous Jewish actor who performed that role for television and film, was heavily influenced by what he saw as a child going to synagogue during the high holy days.

The symbol of the water pitcher:

This represents those who descend from the tribe of Levi or as a group, the Levites. The Levites were also priests, part of whose role was to wash the hands of the high priests.

Images of trees with their limbs cut off, trees being cut down, or entire headstones in the shape of trees with broken or cut off limbs:

These were placed on headstones of individuals that were considered to be cut down in the prime of life. These were young individuals that were in their teens to late twenties and even perhaps early thirties. I suppose in truth, it was symbolic of the devastation felt by the surviving parents who had to face the cruel reality of burying their child.

The symbol of a lamb:

The lamb, also being a baby or a very young animal would be found on the headstones of infants or very young children. The lamb has a simple meaning of young innocence. This perhaps may actually be the most emotionally charged Jewish symbol you will ever find on any headstone.

Of course, the most common symbols you will find are the Menorah and/or the Star of David.:

Both of these symbols are for the most part pure decoration as they ultimately signify that the deceased individual was a member of the Jewish community. Often the Menorah is placed on stones of women as it is representative of the deed that only women, would perform by saying the blessing over the Sabbath candles. The Star of David, which may be placed above men on a double headstone for a husband and wife, often is found with the two Hebrew letters as shown here. The letters simply are an abbreviation for the words “Here Lies.” Even if not found inside the Star of David, you most certainly will find it inscribed on every Jewish headstone.

Lastly, you will also find the epitaph on every single Jewish headstone inscribed as:

These Hebrew letters are a conventional abbreviation meaning “May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.”

If you have an interest in getting involved with the Jewish Interest Group of the Hamilton County Genealogical Soceity please contact Mr. Rick Cauthen at jewish.interest@hcgsohio.org

Jewish Genealogy: The use of Local Jewish Cemeteries

by Rick D. Cauthen

     Certainly one of the most accessible tools for genealogical research particularly to those of Jewish ancestry would be a Jewish Cemeteries. The oldest Jewish cemetery located in Hamilton County is the Chestnut Street Cemetery dating back to 1821 located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Central Avenue in the downtown region of Cincinnati. Unfortunately, it closed rapidly in 1849 as this small plot of land was consumed during the Cholera Epidemic that had wiped out so many in the Cincinnati area. It is not only the oldest Jewish cemetery in Cincinnati, but in fact, it is the oldest Jewish cemetery west of the Allegheny Mountains.

    The most basic fact that can be gleaned simply from which Jewish cemetery your ancestor is buried in is simply whether that individual was of the Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Jewish movements. Every Jewish cemetery formed historically by a particular Jewish congregation. That congregation would have belong to one of those broad movements. Knowledge of which movement any specific Jewish cemetery belongs to just involves a bit of research about the congregation that founded it.

     Since 2004, the majority of Jewish cemeteries in Cincinnati have been managed and maintained under the non-profit organization “Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati.” This organization has become a major tool for all Hamilton County Jewish Genealogists. Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati can be found on the web at http://www.jcemcin.org/. This site will provide a rich source of information about the history of all the Jewish cemeteries located in this Hamilton and Butler counties. Once on the main home page, you will find a header labeled “Genealogy” on the menu.

Once you click on the Genealogy menu, you will be taken to their data base whereby you can do a simply search for your ancestor and you will find a quick response listing the first & last names, the cemetery, and the date of death. Additionally, you will find an actual photograph of the head stone or marker. If you would like to make an in person visit to the actual grave, by continuing to click on the last name of your ancestor, you will find more detailed burial information showing the specific burial location such as lot number, section number, and grave number.

Of course, first-hand experience has taught me that actually using that information to find the actual grave can be much more challenging. So here is a very helpful tip! Take your cell phone with you as begin to search for the location of your Jewish ancestor. If you are particularly struggling in your search, you can phone the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati staff at 513-961-0178 during regular business hours, and you can explained to them who you are trying to find. They can take the name of any deceased person for which you happened to be standing by and they can direct you by telling you how many rows to walk forward or backward and so many graves to the left and the right in order to located your ancestor.

     Jewish headstones may uncover more information that just the birth date, and death date. It may uncover who they were married to if buried adjacent to their spouse. Plus, these headstones may uncover more genealogical information if you can translate the Hebrew inscription. To be continued…

My Paternal Grandparents Buried in Covedale

Rick Cauthen, leader of the Jewish Interest Group, may be reached at:
jewish.interest@hcgsohio.org

Jewish Interest Group Now Forming

Have you ever wanted to become more involved with our very own Hamilton County Genealogical Society but felt like you may not really fit it since most of your ancestry if not 100% of your ancestors were Jewish? I most definitely have and we certainly don’t have a Jewish Genealogical Society to fold in to. So who am I you may be asking. Well that is a fair enough question.

My name is Rick Schear Cauthen and I have been working on my Family Tree since my early twenties. Unfortunately, I am now in my early fifties. However, I have never lost my passion for family history or history in general for that matter. I recently have become active in our very own local Hamilton County Genealogical Society. It is truly a wonderful way to make new friends and become more involved in the pursuit and preservation of local records.

I am currently in the process of forming a Jewish Interest Group with the Society and I really would love to meet others who would share my passion for Jewish Roots. The first project that I been instrumental in making my dream a reality is the Microfilming and Indexing of the funeral records from the local Jewish Community’s very own Weil Funeral Home. Well, I should say this project is in the pipeline and it is going to be an enormous undertaking as we have determined that in the last 100 years, Weil Funeral Home has handled more than 28,000 funerals. Weil Funeral Home is a genealogical gold mine for any researcher who has Jewish roots in the Greater Cincinnati community. 

So, if you have this same interest, won’t you come get involved? Please reach out and contact me, Rick Schear Cauthen at jewish.interest@hcgsohio.org.  Just email me your name and phone number. Also, you can friend and message me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rick.d.cauthen. 

I thought I would share one of my most treasured photos of my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother Freda & Hyman Schear and their seven children. The small little boy in the front center was my Grandfather Mose Schear. Unfortunately, I never met one person in this picture so I am quite grateful to at least have this photo which would have been taken in Kursenai, Lithuania sometime in the very late 1800s.