THE NATURALIZATION OF MORDECHAI TOLPOLAR (not yet)

I'm sorry for not writing in such a long time, but I'm still waiting for Mordechai's papers to arrive. It seems the mail got stuck or lost somewhere on the way from Brazil, but hopefully I'll be able to get it sooner than later and keep the blog moving forward...

THE MAN FROM BRICHANY

When we were visiting the Zonis, Grischa gave me a tip. He said: “If you want to learn more about the murders in Cepeleutz, there is a man in Los Angeles who can tell you. I can’t remember his name now, but I know he is originally from Brichany, used to work in a farm in Cepeleutz and now lives in LA. – if he hasn’t passed yet.” So with this little information, I decided to follow Grischa’s lead, in an effort to know more about Cepeleutz, the place where Sioma Tolpolar and his wife were killed.

In order to make my search easier, I was set to find any survivors or their families who were born in Brichany and lived in Los Angeles. It took me some time.

I took advantage my sister was volunteering at the Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum of Tolerance and asked her to see if there was anybody there who could help. She was directed to Adaire Klein, whom after a few e-mails and calls, we set up a meeting with.

Ms. Klein was very nice, we met at the Center’s library and she gave us a lot of books to research on. It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. What I thought she could do was to put us in contact with the survivors’ community in Los Angeles. However, the books were interesting. After rummaging through them, we left. She said to get back to her if we didn’t find anything.

After a couple of weeks, we told her we needed more help. She suggested getting in contact with Mark Katrikh, who was said to have contacts at the Builders of Jewish Education. I sent him an e-mail, but no answer. So I decided to contact the BJE myself. I e-mailed them and then called. They were a bit surprised, because at first there was no relation between them and the Russian community (that was what I started to go after), but they said I could leave a message to Alla Feldman.

I went to the internet and found out Alla was from Moldova, and then I became excited. Next day, she returned my call and was very nice. She couldn’t help much, but gave me the contact of the Soviet Jewish Association in LA. I called them right away and left a message.

Next day, a woman named Sabina returned my call. She said she was going to do some research and would call me back. Later the same day she gave me the number of a man named Simon, whom could help me. I called him and, struggling with his Russian accent, arranged to meet. He told me to meet him at his office on Monday morning.

To my surprise, the address he gave me was from Plummer Park. So I entered the building and noticed many people speaking Russian. “It must be a community center”, I thought. I asked a guard about Simon. He said nobody with this name worked there. I insisted, saying a man named Simon had arranged for me to meet him there. He asked me if the man was a Holocaust survivor, I answered positively. He told me to go to a certain room and ask for Semion. Sure: Simon = Semion.

When I entered the room I saw an unusual configuration of tables, chair and people. Three tables were separated. In each of them there was some kind of leader, who was organizing and distributing documents and information. A small line of seniors were waiting to be attended for in each table. Everybody was speaking Russian and reading Russian newspapers. I stood there for a few minutes, trying to understand what as happening and where my man could be.

I then approached a table and asked for Semion. The woman just pointed out to the other table – there was him. He gestured for me to wait a little. I then sat and observed what was happening. I never understood it, but it looked like some kind of survivor community activity, maybe dealing with bureaucracy.

After sometime, Semion approached me and gave me the numbers of two people who were from Brichany, Anna Vanshtein and Polya Kiselynk. I saw him getting the names form a list and asked to take a look at it. It was the list of all the Holocaust survivors from the former Soviet Union who live in LA. Besides their name, there was their ghetto information. I felt I was holding pure gold. I vividly went through the list a couple of times, but could not find anything familiar.
I thanked Semion and left.

Next day I called Anna and Polya. It was not easy to communicate because they could not speak English, only Russian or Yiddish. For Anna, I had to wait for her husband to come and then he helped me translating my questions. For Polya, her son luckily happened to be there and helped me as well. Unfortunately, they didn’t know about the Cepeleutz killings.

Well, at least I tried. Not sure if it’s worth taking more time for this matter. Maybe the man from Brichany has already passed. Or maybe he doesn’t live in LA anymore, who knows? Without a name, it’s difficult.

In any case, just looking for him was worth it. I made valuable connections that I hope to keep.

Next: The naturalization of Mordechai Tolpolar

A TOLPOLAR IN UKRAINE

It was the day my sister Kerley and I were in NY to meet with Dina Zonis. A few hours before we drove to her apartment, my sister received a phone call on her cell. She seemed a bit bewildered, and I could see that was not a normal call. Kerley was trying to communicate with the person on the other side, at some point she gave me the phone and said: “Cassio, you know a little German, right? Talk to him, I don’t know what he wants. The only thing I can understand is ‘Tolpolar, Tolpolar’…” I was a little skeptical, didn’t want to get the phone at first, but she insisted and then I got it.

The caller sounded also frustrated for not being able to communicate. I understood “Russian… Yiddish..?” I don’t speak Russian or Yiddish, but I learned some German a while ago, and that could help. So I went ahead with my poor German, better than my non-existent Russian. I don’t know how, but I was able to understand this man was Mikhail Talpalar, from Kiev, who was calling us. The communication was very difficult, but I managed to get his e-mail and he mine and we promised to e-mail each other with more details later on.

Needless to say how confused and excited we were. Whereas the call was totally unexpected, it was not purely magical. It happened that when we were in Moldova, as some of you may have read, we discovered the name of Volodya Tolpolar, dececased, but with a brother in Kiev. More than that, this Tolpolar had a cousin in Philadelphia, Zefira Parnas. Months later after our trip, I used US Search to get Zefiras number and then gave it to my sister who was living in Pittsburgh. If they needed to meet, it would be easier, I thought.

So Kerley called Zefira, who said was going to get in contact with Mikhail for us. And then many months later Kerley got this call, like this, all of a sudden. Zefira had given Mikhail my sister’s number. And then a whole new Tolpolar connection started right there.

After we returned from New York, Mikhail and I started to e-mail each other information and pictures (see two of them here: 1-Mihail’s father and mother 2-His mother and siblings) to try to find a connection between our ancestors. We talked on skype once, and he had his grandson next to him to help with English. But it wasn’t enough. However, Mikhail sent me basic information about his family and I could not find a solid connection. The cities where he and his parents were born are in the same area as my grandparents (Orhei), so besides having the same family name, there must be a relation. It’s like a puzzle that I’m still trying to solve.

A man named Aaron found out this blog and to my surprise e-mailed me saying he knew Volodya and can get in touch with Mikhail for me. Having this valuable supporter of my cause, that can communicate both in Russian and English, I will try to put some pieces together and see what I can do.

OK, the family names are not exactly the same, Talpalar-Tolpolar, but there can be something else behind it, some association, some correlation to be established with some time and research. I do hope so.

Next: The man from Brichany.

DINA ZONIS

On February 2009, my sister and I flew to New York for a weekend, exclusively to meet with Dina Zonis and her husband Grischa. I know it sounds bad, but given their advanced age, I was hoping nothing would happen with them until we get there. I was anxious and excited. I was going to meet the sister-in-law of my father’s cousin Sioma Tolpolar, murdered in Cepeleutz at the age of 30 together with his wife Iza.

Surprisingly, Dina and Grischa were in good shape for being 92 and 95 years-old respectively. Actually Grischa revealed he had a bleeding nose the night before our meeting, and had he had my phone number, would call and cancel. But luckily that didn’t happen and we were there with them and their daughter Isabelle, named after Sioma’s wife – Dina’s sister.

I wanted to know how Sioma and Iza met, how they were like, how they were killed, if Dina knew other Tolpolars, etc. I didn’t get all my answers as Dina had little contact with the Tolpolars – she had briefly met Sioma, his brother Fima and their father, Yeshaya. But she told us a few interesting – and sad things.

Sioma was a doctor and Iza was a French teacher, she was born in Switzerland due to her father business travels. Grischa remembers seeing Sioma in their wedding. It was brief, he recalls, and so many years ago, but he said I looked a little bit like Sioma, but Sioma was stronger.

For some reason we don’t know, Sioma and Iza got caught in Cepeleutz by the Nazi Romanians, shortly after their wedding. They were supposed to be living in Ataki, where Iza’s family was, so they either fled to Cepeleutz or maybe were actually living there. In any case, Dina said that when the Romanians were ready to shoot them, they thought that Iza “didn’t look Jewish” and offered her to leave. But she confirmed she was Jewish and would stay with her husband. They were promptly shot. It was 1941. There are rumors Iza was pregnant, but the Zonis did not confirm that.

All the stories that Dina and Grischa told us were told to them by friends, acquaintances and family who witnessed or heard all this. So a lot was missed and changed over the years – and memory also plays tricks on us! But I was just excited to be there with probably the only people still alive who met – even for a brief moment – relatives of mine whom I’ve never seen and heard much.

At some point, Grischa stood up and showed me a piece of paper, a copy he made from a book about Yedinitz. In it, there was a picture of Sioma and Iza, and writings in Hebrew. I managed to have the text translated, and it brought more knowledge to us, and also some conflicting information.

After so many years, it is touching to see the Zonis are still deeply affected by the unfortunate incidents of the Holocaust. We spent 2 hours with them and I wished we could have stayed more and talked more, get to know them better, but this was a delicate subject for them and they also got tired quickly. I jut wanted to make sure I had asked all possible questions, not being sure when that event could happen again.

Before we left, Grischa gave us a lead. He mentioned a man from Briceni who may still be living in Los Angeles who could tell us more about what exactly happened in Cepeleutz. Unfortunately, Grishca cold not remember the man’s name. So now I’ve been looking for a man, whom may have already passed, who was originally from Briceni, who may be living in Los Angeles and knows more about Cepeleutz.

Genealogical research never ends, that’s what makes it an exciting detective job-like.

I hope Grischa and Dina are still strong and lucid in New York. I thank them and their daughter for their time and kindness.

Next: Receiving a call from a Tolpolar in Ukraine.

AN UNEXPECTED E-MAIL LEADING TO A SURPRISING DISCOVERY

On a Friday, October 3rd, 2008, a man named Shaul Sharoni decided to write me an e-mail from Israel. I had never heard of his name, but he had read this blog and was offering to get in contact with Yad Vashem (The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names) submitters for me. He had found 17 entries under the surname “Tolpolar”, and was willing to help.


Surprised and extremely grateful for this generous offer, I accepted and together we started to research for possible names and their contacts. To make a long story short, 16 days after Mr. Sharoni sent me that wonderful e-mail he managed to get in contact with one of the submitters; a man on his 80’s called Yeruham Golan, who was living in Israel. Mr. Golan was nothing but the submitter of Sioma Tolpolar’s death information to Yad Vashem. And Sioma was Fima’s brother, both first degree cousins of my father. In our trip to Moldova we visited the house where they were born and the place where Sioma was killed by the Romanian Nazis, in Cepeleutz.

I will reproduce here Mr. Sharoni’s amazing e-mail:
“Hello Cassio,

Contrary to my assumption that Yerhuam Golan is no longer alive, it turned out he's very much alive. I spoke to him and his wife this evening, and here's in short what he told me:

Iza Tolpolar nee Fleck was his first cousin-their mothers were sisters, and as noted in the POT she was a Swiss citizen. She and her husband, Sioma Tolpolar, were both medical doctors at the village where they settled in, and shortly before the Nazis invaded that area they were murdered by the locals.

Apparently, Yeruham and his family were living in the same village, and thus knew them very well. Iza's sister is living in NY, and is already over the age of 90. Yeruham would give them a call tomorrow and try to ask for more info.

Now, he also speaks English and I suggest that you try to contact him directly. He's 80 years old and is not computer-savvy, though his wife seems to be a newcomer to the world of Internet.

Lastly, they added that a number of years ago some foreign guy visited or contacted them while on vacation here in Israel-he was also looking for Tolpolar, though they don't recall his name or his whereabouts.

All the best,
Shaul”

After 67 years of Sioma’s assassination, who was wrapped in mystery – nobody I met seemed to know what exactly happened and why he and his wife Iza had gone to Cepeleutz to flee from the Nazis – I could be able to get in touch with somebody who could give me more specific information. I was very excited and grateful for Mr. Sharoni’s efforts and interest.

I called Yeruham a few times. I would ask him questions and he had to check with his cousin Dina (Iza’s sister) in New York and then I had to call him back again. I asked if I could speak directly with her, but for some reason he didn’t want to give me her phone number. I never insisted, I would keep calling him and he would check with Dina, until one day he decided to give me her phone number. Then everything changed. I called Dina, her husband Grischa promptly got the phone. I felt so overwhelmed by the possibilities of things they could tell me I couldn't ask everything on the phone. So I told him I would pay them a visit. He told me something like “You better hurry up. I’m 95 and Dina is 92 years-old. We are fine today but we don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow”.

I immediately bought tickets to New York. In February 2009 I was going to meet the sister of Sioma’s wife. I was bringing the camera to videotape it and my sister was joining me from Pittsburgh. I was anxious, nervous and excited.

Next: Meeting Dina Zonis and uncovering the past.

FINDING LONG LOST RELATIVES IN NEW YORK

Before going to Moldova, Shlomi mentioned to me a certain Boris Nusinkis, who was a relative from the Tolpolars. I just didn’t have any time to research about it, but once I came back from the trip, I started to look into it more carefully. Asking my relatives in Brazil, it seems there was a Nusinkis who was married to a Tolpolar and he was supposed to have moved to the USA. But that was all info I could get. So it had to be related to Boris. I then took a very simple and fast route: went on US Search (which does not work out every time) and looked for Boris Nusinkis. It gave me an address and a phone number.

It took me a few weeks to gather courage before I could call the number. On the other side of the line, Irina, Boris’ wife picked it up. She said she would ask him and they would research about it to see if my story made any sense. They were in NY and I was in LA. On Saturday at 5 o’clock in the morning I got a call from a very exciting Irina: it seemed we were really related!

I was already going to New York for a wedding on October 2008, so it all worked out perfectly. We exchanged e-mails and arranged to meet. I sent the Nuskinkis in advance some old pictures I had of Tolpolars in Bessarabia. I was extremely excited to hear more about our connection and the other side of the Tolpolars, not Brazilian or Israeli – but a very recent family history in Ukraine.

Amongst the pictures I sent there was one of my grandfather when he was young. When Boris, Irina and their son Anatoly came to pick me up in Brooklyn, the first thing I saw coming out of the car was Boris with his arm straight up holding a picture of my grandfather – the exact same one I had sent! I don’t remember the exact words, but he came out of the car saying something like “Now I know who this is!!!!!!” Sure, it was my grandfather. In a few seconds, right there in that street in Brooklyn, a Tolpolar family connection which was lost by travels, immigration and language was reunited again.

Boris is the grandson of Nechome Tolpolar and Shlomo Nusinkis, whom married and lived in Chernovitz, now Ukraine. Nechome was the older sister of my grandfather. Shlomo and Nechome had 3 children: Malvina, Wlad (died in 1993) and Isaac (died in 1993). Isaac had Boris and Matviei Nusinkis (who also lives in NY). Wlad Nusinkis had two daughters: Hana (lives in Giessen, Germany) and Galina (lives in Israel). Hana has a 25 year old daughter, Inna. Galina has 2 sons in Israel. Boris married Irina and had Michael and Anatoly. Nechome and Malvina were killed by the Nazis in the woods. Shlomo died in 1936, before the war, and is buried in Sorocca.

Boris’ last connection with the Tolpolars was through Fima, Shlomi’s grandfather and my father’s first cousin. The thing was that Fima was one of the last Tolpolars to leave Russia and was a very important lawyer at the time – a lot of people knew him.

But better than reuniting again, Boris also knew another sister of my grandfather whom we didn’t know much about either: Surke. Surke Tolpolar used to live in Chernovitz too, and had 2 daughters: Frima and Bronya. Boris would see Surke every weekend; she was “Aunt Surke”. She passed away in 1968/1969 at the age of 80 and her grave should be at the Chernovitz old Jewish cemetery, with her husband, Chaim Fishman. Frima and Bronya came to Philadelphia and died there, in a nursing home.

And now Boris and I, two grandsons of the old timers Tolpolars with very different life stories and ages (he is about 50 and I’m 34), were right next to each other. To me it’s just amazing how the world turns and even with all its wars, tragedies and things that make people apart, we are still able to reunite after so many years. Well, I do have to thank the internet!
Boris’ family was extremely kind. Irina was also very excited, taking pictures and explaining life in the old Soviet Union. They took me to Coney Island for a Jewish Russian experience. It was great. I feel the Tolpolar family got bigger – and that makes you feel comfortable.

After a long day of telling stories, remembrances and making lost connections, the Nusinkis dropped me off back to Brooklyn. But before leaving, they demanded one more thing: to see my wife, Lara. So I went to get her and we took a picture.

We are still in touch and met again when I had another opportunity to go to NY (which I will tell later about it). I then met their other son, Michael. And they met my sister too.

Sometimes I think if the Tolpolars in Besarabia would ever imagine this could happen, and if there had been no war, if I would have grown up having Boris and his family next to my family and maybe we would still be in Moldova, Russia or Ukraine and could be neighbors, classmates or work mates. In any case, history was very different and now here we are to continue it.

Next: an unexpected e-mail leading to a surprising discovery.

DISCOVERY IN THE VADUL RASCOV CEMETERY

2 months after the trip to Moldova I received this e-mail from Natasha:

"Cassio,
I think I found the grave in Vadul Rashkov!
See the picture attached. It's the only broad one, of a couple, there.
Natasha."

Although it was a brief and simple e-mail, when I looked at the picture I could not breathe for 2 seconds. I was almost sure it was the grave of my great-grandparents we were searching while in Moldova. The same grave we had a picture of. I forwarded it to my sister, who reads a little Hebrew, and she confirmed. It is written “Tolpolar” there!

Incredible, I could not believe it. The grave looks different now, corroded by time. It was in Vadul Rascov, the only place we didn’t go because we were just too exhausted that day. 79 years separate the grave from me now, but I felt like I was somehow reconnecting with my great-grandparents and assuring to myself once more they really existed. And also now I’m sure that trip to Moldova was not the first one. I have to see the grave with my own eyes!

The next e-mail Natasha sent me was full with pictures from the cemetery, which I’m happy to share it here:

"Hi Cassio,

I wish you inspiration!

Please get attached some pictures. You see that the cemetery is ABSOLUTELY deserted. There isn't a single Jew in the village and it's hard to get to this now remote place. "

The original picture of the grave, with my grandfather and his brother, says:
“Here lie the beloved, gracious in living and in death together
Man/husband and woman/wife murdered in their home
And died in martyrdom (“holy death”)
Died the sixth of Tevet (?) (5)690 (according to) the minor era
Enia-Raitsa daughter of Efrayim (?) Meyer son of Chaim
The family Tolpolar (of) Oliscani - January 6, 1930
May his/her soul be bound up in the bonds of eternal life.”

Next: Finding relatives in Staten Island, New York.