Dear Eibesich, Eibsich, Ejbuszyc, Eybeschutz, Eibeszyc,

Dear Eybeschuetz

Yehonatan Eyebeschuetz, son of Natan Neta 1690-1764

Yehonatan Eyebeschuetz in Otzar Harabanim

Copy of Email sent by me to JewishGen 30.5.99

Dear Eibesich, Eibsich, Ejbuszyc, Eybeschutz, Eibeszyc, Eibeszyc, Eibescheutz, Eybeschutz, Eibschutz, Ajbuszyc, Eibeschitz, Aibeszyc... and dear Jewishgenners,

I wish to share with you a success story behind a genealogical research, which took about 7 years to be solved, just in time when a "lost sheep" from the family decides to come and visit newly found relatives from his newly found grandfather's ZLOTNIK branch.

Just before his arrival, the mystery of his grandmother's side has been solved as well. This is so incredible... But that is the kind of miracles that Jewish genealogy on the web does...

It is a story of genealogical cooperation, family stories interact, circles closed and reopened, Jewish roots entangled within each other... and it is also a bit long:-) - excuse me for that...

It started 18 months ago, in this forum, when a kind genealogist from Israel, Chaim Freedman looked for researchers of the Rabbi Yehonatan EIBESZCHUETZ and Rabbi ZLOTNIK of Plock. His message was on behalf of his acquaintance, Joseph Zlotnik who didn't have Internet access at the time.

We than found out that Joseph Zlotnik is my 2nd cousin, related through the Zlotnik side being the grandson of Rabbi Yona Mordechai Zlotnik from Plock, brother of my grandmother Rasza HOLCMAN nee Zlotnik.

Finding Joseph led to finding later Albert Zlotnik and his mishpuche, who is now coming over to Israel, first time in his life, just to meet his new Zlotnik family in Israel. He never knew his grandfather, rabbi Yona Mordechai Zlotnik had a big family (13 sibling) and some did survive the Holocaust and have descendants here and in diaspora, all 2nd cousins of him. We shall celebrate historical Zlotnik family re-union on June 4th, here in Tel Aviv.

While all this is happening, we just had a breakthrough in the grandmother's genealogy. So it is like a welcome gift to him, for coming to Israel, coming to family, coming to his past, coming to Judaism...

After getting to know Joseph, I helped him also to seek his grandmother's origins - Hinda Zlotnik, nee Eibeszyc from Zakroczym who perished in the Holocaust together with daughter Nekha. Last heard from was the Ghetto Warsaw. He didn't know anything at all about his grandmother's family, except that she was (as per family tradition) a direct descendant of the great Rabbi Jonathan Eibeszuetz from Altuna (1690-1764).

This was my original inquiry, sent on June 98 to Heshell Teitelbaum.

"I am searching the Eibeszyc connection of my cousin Joseph Zlotnik, grandson of Rabbi Yona Mordechai Zlotnik from Plock and Hinda Eibeszyc from Zakroczym.
I shall summarize the new information, as from a letter Joseph's father wrote to him 7 years ago:
Great grandfather of Hinda Eibeszcyc was: Isaac Eibeszyc, who came to Poland from an unknown country on 1823! He was a Hebrew teacher at Plock.

He had a son: Israel. Israel Eibeszyc left Plock and went to agriculture and forestry, city unknown but possible Zakroczym. He was Hinda's grandfather.

Hinda cherished a hand written book in Hebrew, with funeral prayers, written on a special animal skin. In the front page was a dedication from Jonathan Eibeszyc (Joseph's father always knew it is the great rabbi Jonathan Eibeszyc), saying that the book is presented by Jonathan Eibeszyc to his son and should be kept in the family at all costs...

It was probably kept for generations and finally given to Yona Mordechai Zlotnik, who married Hinda, to deliver to their son. The fate of the book is unknown - lost as most of other precious treasures, gone and destroyed during the Holocaust...

Joseph's father, Israel Zlotnik does not remember his grandfather's name, son of Israel. He knows his ggrandfather and gggrandfather but forgot the name of grandfather. It is strange, but this is how the human memory sometimes function...

I thank you very much for you kindness and help,

Ada

Months passed and various paths led to nothing. The only little progress was while checking the JRI Plock's (for which I have the honour to be Plockoordinator:-) vital records.

Our efforts included many emails and correspondence with various Eibeszyc descendants, telephone calls to Copenhagen, a search in Yizkor Books and interviewing elderly people from Zakroczym, the little town in Poland where grandmother was born.

Finally I got an innocent inquiry email from Marie Kramer, as she saw my posting for the Eibeszyc surname from Zakroczym, Poland, in JewishGen Family Finder. (God Bless JewishGen!). She was actually researching a different line, the GALLANT - concentrating on the main figure: Rabbi Abraham Naftali Gallant who was connected with Congregation Beth Abraham in Bronx. He was married to Etta Eibeszyc from Zakroczym, Poland. My heart missed a bit when, for the first time, I saw another Eibeszyc from Zakroczym...

I sent Marie Kramer's inquiry to Heshel Teitelbaum from Canada, who has been researching the Eibeszyc lineage for more than 15 years, and is writing a book about this family. He was involved in our research before but without positive results. Only when checking his records for Etta Eibeszyc, did he realize that her sister was Hinda Eibeszyc from Zakroczym, Jopseph's grandmother.

Here is his email which made the breakthrough: On Mon, 24 May 1999 16:47:29 -0400 (EDT) Heshel Teitelbaum ar844@freenet.carleton.ca wrote:

"Ada Holtzman forwarded your recent correspondence
concerning your husband’s descent from Rabbi Jonathan EYBESCHUETZ. It was only once you mentioned the marriage of Etta to Rabbi Abraham Naftali Gallante that I knew which family yours is. I already have a small family tree of this Rabbi's descendants. However I had filed it under the town of Rodzanow which is where he was born. I did not realize that there was a connection to Zakroczym and therefore that there was a connection to the Zlotnik family. When I was in Israel about 8 years ago I met a man by the name of Jonathan Chipman who is a descendant of Rabbi Jonathan. I asked him what he knew about his family and he referred me to his niece, Elana, who is the "unofficial custodian of the family history".

The following is what she told me:
1. Abraham Naftali Gallant married Etta EJBUSZYC.
2. Etta was the daughter of Moshe Aron EJBUSZYC and Devorah.
3. Moshe Aron and Devorah had at least 10 children who lived to adulthood.

a) Eliezer EJBUSZYC who married Tsirl REINKOPF

b) Joe EJBUSZYC who married Rosie

c) Michlah EJBUSZYC who married Yitzchak

CHERCHERNOFSKI (changed to (changed to KARNOF)

d) Chala EJBUSZYC who married Benzion SILBERBERG.

e) Shimon EJBUSZYC who married ?

f) Hinda EJBUSZYC who married Jonah Mordechai ZLOTNIK.

g) Etta EJBUSZYC who married Abraham Naftali GALLANT.

h) Frimmet EJBUSZYC who married Haim KNASTER.

i) Yochevet EJBUSZYC who married Leib DEBJINSKI.

j) Lieba EJBUSZYC who married ... EJBUSZYC

This is independent confirmation of Joseph Zlotnikw's descent from Hinda EJBUSZYC and that her father's name (hitherto unknown to Joseph) was Moshe Aron Ejbuszyc !!!

Elana"s chart also helps to help Susan Henderson who once asked if I knew who her Frimmet Ejbuszyc was (married to Michel Chaim KNASTER). She had given me the name of the town of Strzegowo. Now we know that Frimmet was a sister of both Hinda and Etta.

Now that we have identified everybody let me ask you if you know any further back than Etta Ejbuszyc ? Joseph Zlotnik knew that Hinda's (and Etta's) grandfather was named Izrael. And Ada Holtzman figured out from the LDS vital records that Izrael's father was Iciek Ejbuszyc born in 1772 not in Poland. "

Heshel Teitelbaum solved our Eibeszyc riddle, just when Albert Zlotnik from Mexico/USA is coming over to Israel, to meet his newly found Zlotniks...

Having disclosed his grandmother Hinda Eibeszyc's origins, and finding hundreds(!) new 2nd and 3cousins from this line, Albert wilneed to stay at least a month in Israel...

I extend my deepest thank to Heshel Teitelbaum, who has helped many of the Eibeszyc line in the . God bless him for his tireless devoted research which brings people together and connects lost family members.

Thanks also due to JewishGen, for having the Family Finder, for having the email exchange forum, for having JRI on-line and all these Internet research tools.

Finally, thanks to Haim Freedman, who did a real mitzva, and a big favour to many people, when sending his message a year and a half ago.

Now when there is this breakthrough, and we finally know Hinda's father name, Moshe Aron Ejbuszyc and mother Dvora, with so many surviving descendants, and while the quest seems to have reached its end, I got the feeling it is just the beginning...

We still do not have the family tree deeply rooted into the great Rabbi Jonathan EYBESCHUETZ lineage! How we go on seeking in the mists of the 18th century? 8 years only separate now from Issac Eibeszyc to the great Rabbi who died in 1764. Was he a grandson?

May be also one descendant kept a similar parchment of the great rabbi - same as Israel Zlotnik z"l told Joseph?!

How this EIBESCHEUTZ odyssey will end? Shalom,

Ada Holtzman
Web site:http://www.zchor.org