The following message was sent to AVOTAYNU editor, Sallyann Amdur Sack-Pikus—Ed.
I am seeking information about Radute or Redutka, a small community just outside of Rokiskis, Lithuania. Did all the families who lived in Redutka share something in common? A common place of origin? A specific religious outlook? A common ancestry? Or perhaps nothing other than it was a location that would be more convenient to their various occupational pursuits than living in Rokiskis would have been? In the Rokiskis yizkor book, a Rokiskis native wrote about Radute: “To this day I do not know why such a small cluster of Jews separated themselves from Rokiskis and built a shtetl for themselves.” My tentative guess would be that the reason was religious: i.e., maybe they felt that the Jews of Rokiskis were not sufficiently observant, and they wanted to live with others who were as strict in their observance as they were.
Radute was so small I have been unable to find any information about it, but according to the 1897 All-Empire Russian census, Simon Aron Srubiski, a brother of my great-great-grandmother, lived there. So also, apparently, did some members of the Amdur family. Having no other sources, I am writing to you in the hope that you may know something about Radute from your Amdur relatives.
Seth Nasatir
Los Angeles, California
Your question—and its solution—is a great example of the power of networking. Although I personally do not know anything about Radute/Redutka, my Amdur website includes some whose ancestors lived in nearby Rokiskis. We have sent you contact information in the hope that they will know something. I also sent your letter to AVOTAYNU publisher Gary Mokotoff. His reply was, “Incredibly I am very familiar with Radute!! The family of my son-in-law, Jon Shapiro, came from the town. His great-grandfather, Abraham Shapiro of Radute, was one of the founders of Brandeis University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.” Gary turned to Shirley Saunders whom he had met while researching Radute—and Shirley has sent the following:
“My father was born Zalman Yosel Gen. He was the grandson of Itzi-Yudi Gen of Radute, born about 1835, son of Shloma Gen. Itzi-Yudi was a miller, had an apple orchard and may have been a flax dealer as well. Radute was a village with about 80 Jewish and an equal number of non-Jewish families. The non-Jews generally were farmers. My father’s neighbors were pig farmers. He said his grandfather used to have conversations with the pigs in Yiddish. Living next to Jews and allowing the pigs to roam was ideal for a pig farmer. Their neighbors wouldn’t touch their pigs.
“Radute was only about a mile from Rokishok. The residents lived a village life with more land around their homes but also used the town for their children’s schooling and for shopping. According to my father, as many of the younger adults became more prosperous, they moved into Rokishok.
“The residents of Radute were of no particular religious association. Rokishok was half Chabad and half Mitnagdim. My father had relatives who were both. The shul in Radute was led by a committee of three elders. There was no rabbi. As my father said, the older the better. Jewish Radute was a close-knit community. All the grievances of the week would be aired at Shabbat services. The three elders in charge at the shul (synagogue) would give their opinion and advice. Borukh Grief, known as Borukh the Tillim Zoggar, led the community every Shabbos after services in reciting the psalms which he knew by heart.
“Radute generally had more rural occupations than the town of Rokiskis although there was also some overlap. Shlami Shia Shapiro, whose son Abe Shapiro was one of the founders of Brandeis University, traveled to the near-by villages selling grease for wagon wheels. I am in contact with Amanda Katz Jermyn whose grandfather was a member of the Kruk family. Her grandfather and his brother also had an apple orchard. Shmuel Tzatiska had a license to fish in the ponds and lakes. His son moved to Boston and changed his name to Harry Goldberg.
“Radute was on the road from Ponidel/Pandelys to Rokishok so some people brought their produce, goods and fish to the markets in the towns. Monday was market day in Rokishok. People would walk past Radute from Ponidel/Pandelys and points in between carrying whatever they planned to sell in the market in Rokishok—produce, goods, and fish. One would carry eggs. Another would carry two geese and so forth.”
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I have found two names on the Avotaynu list of Viennese Jews who completed German property questionnaires in 1938. [Located at www.avotaynu.com/holocaust list/—Ed.] They are my great uncle, Max Sötét, and Helen Sötét. Helen may have been either the daughter or daughter-in-law of Max. After finding these names on the Avotaynu site, I found Max’s name on the DOEW (Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes—Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance) site. According to the latter, Max and his wife Charlotte both died in Theresienstadt. There is no mention of Helen, leading me to hope that she may have survived. How may I confirm (or disprove) this? I have looked on the Yad Vashem website but their names are not recorded there. What else can I do?
Agnes Sotet-Sonnenfeld
Diamond Harbor, New Zealand
In general, it is always a good idea to acquire as many documents about a person sought as possible—even if you doubt that anything will be learned from many of them. Sometimes we find a surprising clue. Following that principle, start by acquiring a copy of the 1938 questionnaire from the Austrian State Archives in Vienna. Instructions are on the Avotaynu site. A more valuable resource is likely to be the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Write and ask if they have any information on someone with her name. If Helen survived, she probably registered with one of the post-war refugee organizations—and ITS has the best listing of these individuals. Also look at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Registry of Holocaust Survivors. Check other Holocaust survivor lists, such as those on JewishGen, and if possible, search by birth date. Helen may have married and be registered under her married name.
Of course, if you learn that she did survive, that will be just the beginning for you will want to know where she went, if she is still living, and if she has any descendants. ITS may supply some of that information, but another good source may be the JewishGen BohMor SIG and the Hungarian SIG. Sötét is a Hungarian name and individuals by that name have appeared on the Hungarian SIG digest. While you are on the JewishGen site, also check the Family Finder and the Family Tree of the Jewish People for this uncommon name. You may discover a relative that way. (EP)
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I have traced my Moroccan family back five generations and want to learn more. How can I go back further?
Yehoshua Pinto
Toronto, Canada
Genealogical research in Morocco depends mainly on the city of origin. Do you have more details about the origin of your family? I am related to a Pinto family who lived in Tangier, going back to Jacob Pinto (born circa 1830) married to Donna Serfaty who had six children. My great uncle, Jack Pinto, participated in the creation of the Sephardi Museum in Toledo many years ago. If this sounds familiar to you, I could of course give you some more details. Descendants of this Pinto branch live in England, Israel, Spain, and the United States. (Philip Abensur; Paris, France)
Dr. Abensur is the author of the chapter on Morocco in the Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy—Ed.
