2017 in retrospect

2017 in Retrospect I can only describe my 2017 as a year of opening doors, climbing stairs, and closing doors. Every time I got tired on the stairs, discouraged, fearful, overconfident, the right person was there on the staircase next to me, giving me the encouragement I needed to take the next step or to […]

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Last night I dreamed of my Dad

Last night I dreamed of my Dad, who passed away last February. We were in the synagogue in my hometown. There was no rabbi for the synagogue so my dad volunteered to be the rabbi. It was Saturday morning and he was wearing a tallit and embracing the Torah while carrying it in a processional […]

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Al Jarvis – the original disc jockey

The first radio disc jockey was Hollywood music store owner Al Jarvis, born Eliyash Yavois in Birzai,  Lithuania in 1909 to Shleyme Yavois and Nechama Zelbovitz. Nechama’s father Lipman Zakharia is the earliest known ancestor of that branch of the Zelbovich family; he and his wife are buried in Winnipeg.  Walter Winchell invented the term […]

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What’s in a Name? – Feivel Nosson

Feivel Nosson Zelbovitz (1871-1906) was born in Ponedel. Upon attempting to immigrate to the US with family, he was turned back after a medical inspection showed that he had conjunctivitis. His daughter Elka went back on the boat with her father. Feivel Nosson died on the boat back to the Old Country at age 34. […]

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Hebrew/English letter from Shraga Yitzhak Zelbovitz to cousin Gershon

This is a Hebrew letter and it’s English translation below from Shraga Yitzhak Zelbovitz to his cousin Gershon. Please pardon the left justification on the Hebrew portion. ב”ה עש”ק [ערב שבת קודש] ה’ אדר ב’ ת”ש לבן דודתי היקר גרשון יחי’ [יחיה], בודאי תסלח לי, על שאני עונה לך אחרי שהיית זמן ארוך כזה, כי באמת קבלתי […]

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