On 8 Dec 2016, 21:42, Mark Rybak <mrybak@012.net.il> wrote
It took me a lot of time to go through the Riga birth records, but now I can try to answer.
Just for info: below is an excerpt from the Tartu citizens list from 1938. Obviously Feiga is already not in, but we can see the birth dates and addresses for the rest of Beltschikovs.
48-53 is "our" family.
From: Robin W
Sent: Thursday, December 8, 2016 8:42 PM
To: Mark Rybak
Subject: Re: Bill and Fenja Kaulback
Dear Mark,
What a fascinating - very moving and then quite comical - narrative. But let me see if I've got the chronology and names right for Fenja:
She was born in Riga in 1912, nowadays Latvia; was the family visiting from St Petersburg (where Bill says they were living at that time)?
We know that the head of the family Jehuda Falk B. was born in 1875 in Iljino (or I should probably write Ilyino which will give a right English sounding) of Vitebsk guberniya. The first son was Natan (or Nosson) born 1905. I did not find him in the Riga birth records. However, the next son Hirsch (Herman) was definitely born on 14.1.1906 in Riga(!).
This is his birth record from the Riga synagogue book of 1906:
It says (in Russian): boy N14. The rabbi (or the one who made that record) Goz, 14 of January (1906), on 21th of January the circumcision was made (a week after the birth). Next column gives the corresponding dates according to Hebrew calendar 1 and 8 of the month Shvat. Born the same place (the first line has Riga).
Father Petite bourgeois (the "title" for citizen of in Russia) of the township Ilyino of the Velizh county [of the Vitebsk province – not written] Falk, son of Leiser Beltshikov, mother Sheina Gita, daughter of Nosson, born Gorker. Born – son Girsch [Hirsch in Russian pronunciation].
For the next children we know for sure that they were born in Riga (including Feiga). I suspect that the oldest son too was born in Riga, but have no proof.
This would mean that Falk probably escaped the area of Jewish pogroms etc and managed to go to Baltics, to Latvia. At that time Jews were not allowed to move freely through Russia. There was a so called Pale of Settlement – an area where Jews were allowed to live. Vitebsk province was in the pale. Estonia was always outside the Pale (that is the Jews were not allowed to live there), Latvia was in the Pale only partially. But already since 1865 there were some exceptions. For example, high school graduates, first guild merchants etc and the families of the so called Nikolai soldiers (who served 25 years since the were taken in a very young age) could live anywhere in Russia. I suspect that Falk's father may have been such a soldier or Falk could by that time be professional that was allowed to live anywhere including Latvia. Latvia was better known and it was much bigger that Estonia, so they moved there.
Falk's younger brother Shmuel who was born in 1885 was studying in the famous Tartu University to become an pharmacist from 1915 to 1918. So one theory would be that their father Elieser (lets call him so, his official name was Haim Elieser Jacob) wanted to give the children a good education and they moved from Riga to Tartu. And, BTW, most of the Russia universities were closed for Jews or had a percentage norm for Jewish students. Tartu was open, so there were many Jews studying.
I forgot to mention that the Baltic provinces of Russia were sort of autonomous, they were of course part of Tsarist Russia, but were self governed and had their local laws, thus, as opposed to Vitebsk province, there was practically no anti-Semitism and definitely no pogroms.
We know from the Falks document I sent before, that the family moved to Estonia in 1916.
The family flee to Tartu, Estonia, in 1917
In Estonia, she is officially known by surname Beltsikov plus (Yiddish) forenames Hasja Feiga (both also official as well)
Бельчиков in Russian, Beltschikov in Estonia (they used the German grammar for spelling, thus 'sch' which is equivalent to English 'sh'.) You should probably use Beltchikov.
In Estonia, she marries and becomes officially known by new surname Arbit plus same Yiddish forenames No, we do not know where did she marry. I did not see any proof for that. As I wrote before, she may have met him outside Estonia or even in Palestine. I do not see any single reference for the name Arbit in Estonia. He had nothing to do with Estonia, I think he was from Rumania.
In Uzhbekistan, her surname and forenames are unchanged ??? Who said that she was in Uzbekistan? If we assume that she went to Palestine in 1933 that would be ages before the WWII, but even assuming that she went to Palestine immediately before the war (as in your document), she was not there with the rest of the family. She was already in Palestine.
In Palestine, her surname is unchanged but her forenames become Fenja Katherina (as recorded in the 1947 newspaper) YES
In Haifa, Palestine (pre-1948), she meets Bill Kaulback in a barber's shop (an officer of His Majesty wouldn't cut much ice after Israel's independence!) Those are only rumors.
In Israel, after the events of 1948, she is still Fenja Katherina Arbit
In Lebanon, in 1949 (as recorded in OrnaVerum) she re-marries and becomes Fenja Katherina Julianovna Kaulback - where does Julianovna come from? The daughter of Julian. I assume she took better sounding Julian instead of the Jehuda or Falk).
Subsequently her firstborn son is adopted by Bill, and thereby takes Bill's surname, as you know from the announcement in the London Gazette.
However, I would ask you please not to contact him (at least, not yet) - he's a very emotional and (I think) difficult person - he strongly dislikes the O/V website and indeed he insisted I remove all mention of him - which is why he is known as "Offline" in the Kaulback Generation Table. In this era we must all become accustomed to being "public property", I believe, and it's much healthier than secrecy. All such secrets will become public knowledge at the Day of Judgement anyway, or so I believe. Sure. I had no intention to go deeper into this and am doing this research for you only. I have no plans to do anything else with Beltshikovs and even did not think to contact him.
Though the Royal Navy officers used to drink a toast on social occasions, "To our wives and sweethearts - May they never meet!" Great! Let's stop here. I will send you the family tree if and when I will find time to finish it. I could of course tell you a lot more about Russia and Jews, but I doubt that you want to go much deeper into this. If you do, you could have a look at my article about the emigration to Palestine from Estonia, which I wrote for the seminar that was held couple of months before
eja.pri.ee/Community/aliya_en.html
Good night (2 hours difference..). Be well, Mark
With best wishes,
Robin.