My Grandparents' Family History

Kaluzynski, Szczekacz, Sznajderman, Sztatlern

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Release October 16, 2022

Yigal used to write short chapters and read them at various events in the nursing home where he lived in the last years of his life.

The large and interesting part of the chapters are part of his life history.

Few are translations or abridgments of facts related to general education.

Release Feb 23, 2020

Berek Szczekacz and Chana Szmidt

Berek Szczekacz and Chana Szmidt had 12 children. Searching for Birth, Marriage, Death records (BMD) brings us occasionally to meet living family members. I admit, getting to know new blood related family members is the most exciting part of doing genealogy. Lately I met Yoram Shachar, one of Berek and Chana’s great, greatgrandchild about whom I haven’t heard until Dec 15, 2019. The meeting has prompted me to create pages for the descendants of Berek Szczekacz, our mutual great, great grandfather. The released page will introduce you to the 12 children and to their children. Currently there are only two documented stories, about Layzer Ludwig Szczekacz and about Frajdla Szczekacz. The stories about Yoram Shachar, Samuel Szczekacz (The artist, Shmuel Tzur), the many Shakter’s descendants and others will follow soon.

Release Nov 9, 2019

Yosef Kaluzynski and Chana nee Sznajderman

Lebanon About 1909-1914

Release Jan 6, 2018

Fajgla Kaluzynski and Wolf Szperling

Wolf and Fajga Kaluzynski

The Holocaust Had no Mercy for the Szperling Family

Stories and Photos

Release June 26, 20

Ludwig Layzer Szczekacz

A Telephone call from Australia to Californiaswept Jane and me into a research in the Czech Republic. Several families appeared for a moment and then disappeared during the Holocaust. Very few suvivors, many Yad Vashem testimony pages and research in the Czech Republic declared Jane, Dov Kuflik, his sister, Idit, and the five grandchildren of Josef Arieli, my self included, are 3rd cousins. Jane, Dov and his sister, Idit, are 2nd cousins.

Dawid Borejdo Sznajderman

The following story is about Dawid Sznajderman, the son of Abram Moshe Sznajderman and Ajdla Koenigsberg, who survived the tumultuous time of WWII.

Marek Kaluzynski

Marek Kaluzynski was son of my great grandfather, Abram Kaluzynski, and his second wife, Chaja Dzialoszynska.

Marek Kaluzynski

Marek’s mother, Chaja, died around 1912 in Czestochowa, leaving his father with five young children;

the youngest, Sara, was two years old. Marek was fourteen years old.

Release History

Important Links

Zawiercie Yizkor Book Project

Read the Beautiful translation by Jerrold Landau

Connect with Czestochowers all over the wold.

The World Society of
Czestochowa Jews
And Their Descendants

Family History

Memories, like sand stones
Slowly, a grain follows a grain,
Erode, crumble, and vanish.
Sea waves and wind
Sweep them away
Hurry
Listen to the voices
Collect the words,
The names, the episodes, the moments…
Carve and seal them
In a meticulously crafted pendant
Close to your heart
Allow them to live forever.

Let Us Start With Basic Steps:

Write down everything you know about yourself and about your family:

Full names
Date of Birth, Marriage and Death
Where these events occured
Talk to your grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts
Write down family anecdotes
Scan family photos
Scan Family documents

My Grandparents' Family History

Kaluzynski, Szczekacz, Sznajderman, Sztatler

In 1905 young Chana Sznajderman left her family in Zawiercie, Poland.
In 1906 young Yosef Kaluzynski fled Czestochowa, Poland.
Chana and Yosef, my grandparents, separately reached Palestine, where they met and started a family. Soon they extended the circle and had two sons: my uncle, Yigal, and my father, Ariel.
My grandmother, Chana Sznajderman brought into her new, young family, the family roots of her grandparents, the Sznajdermans and the Sztatlers.
My grandfather, Yosef Kaluzynski, brought into his new, young family, the family roots of his grandparents, the Kaluzynskis and the Szczekaczes.
I have succeeded to trace the four families from the middle of the 18th century up to modern times. In the following pages I will introduce you to the diverse history of the four branches:

The origin and meaning of their surnames.
The collection of birth, marriage, death, immigration, naturalization records.
The various shtetls they lived in. Their migration from one shtetl to another, from one country to the other side of the world.
Their fate during the Holocaust.
The few survivors with whom I have succeeded to make contact.
The detailed family tree.

My work will be accompanied by many records, clips from newspapers and books, individual stories and photos I’ve collected during the years of research. In many cases I will try to annotate the family’s history with the world history.

The introduction and the following pages are only a beginning of the family history. The family history is an unfinished story by its nature.

1952
Chana and Yosef Arieli
with their grandchildren
Safta with Ofra
Left to Right: Ruthie, Ora, Tami
In front: Udi reclines in the Aliya Hashnia pose