Tombstone Tuesday: John Jacob ‘Zelig’ Broida

Mount of Olives Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel. Public Domain via Wikipedia.
John and Fannie Broida have tombstones somewhere in Mount of Olives Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel. Public Domain via Wikipedia.

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

Sadly we have no image of the tombstone for John/ Zelig Broida who is buried in Mount of Olives Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel, but we do know that he is buried there. The cemetery is now online, but they do not have a record of John or Fannie Broida being buried there, per their staff. We have a photo request out for an image for his Find A Grave memorial, and that of his second wife, Fannie (Rubinstein?) (Cohen?) Broida, and are hoping some persistent cemetery walker will find their final resting places.

We do, however, have an account of his death, which is maybe even better than just a tombstone. It is very hard to read as it is a copy of a carbon copy, so we have transcribed the translation of this original letter.

13 Nov 1938 Letter from the brother of John Broida to his family concerning his death in Israel, part 1.
13 Nov 1938 Letter from the brother of John Broida to his family concerning his death in Israel, part 1.

The letter is from Abraham Avi Pinchoe/Pincus, the brother of Jacob Mordechai Pincus. Mordechai was married to Ethel Broida who was discussed in yesterday’s post. Mordechai and Ethel were in the United States, where John’s sons and grandchildren lived. Ethel is the 8th ‘child’ John mentions, and the mystery ‘daughter’; they were to help distribute his estate.

It is obvious that the Broida family was close to the Pincus family, if John Broida trusted them enough to have Abraham be by his side while dying, and to write this letter to his family back in the states.

The nephew of John’s first wife is also mentioned, although not by name; research has not yet provided that name. John’s first wife was Gitel Frank Broida, and she died in 1901. John remarried, to Fannie ___ (likely Rubenstein), and we have a picture of her with John that is dated 05 July 1929. Fannie apparently died before John as she is not listed in his obituary, and the letter notes that John had purchased a plot near to hers [at Mount Olive Cemetery]. John died 10 Nov 1938.

13 Nov 1938 Letter from the brother of John Broida to his family concerning his death in Israel, part 2.
13 Nov 1938 Translated letter from the brother of Mordechai Pincus concerning the death of John Broida in Israel, part 2. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Transcription of Translation:

Tel Aviv 19th Heshvan, 5699

(November 13, 1938)

 

To my dear brother Mordecai-Jacob, his wife and their dear children–

May they live and prosper!

I

It is a great privilege to bring good news, but we may quote our

Rabbis’ interpretation of the Biblical verse:

“And God saw….and behold it is very good” — “very good” refers

to the Day of deathe; then & only all is perfect, for–quotoin again

the Bible –“then the tired ones will rest.” During our life time

we go through many events, but nothing is perfect. And when the

Eternal-blessed be His Name-says: “Very Good” one has to understand,

that perfection exists only on the Day of Death. Particularly, this

can be said concerning one who has lived a long life, and whose

conscience was clear, while his balance-sheet showed no liabilities

neither to men nor to God. Such a man is an anger, a happy one.

Such was the case of the Late Mr. Zelig Broida. Three weeks ago he

came to Tel Aviv, and while visiting me he said: “I wish to leave

for America.” He knew that I would not give my consent. I saw

a great change in him. Next day, his nephew-of his first wife-

came and told me: “Mr. Broida wishes you to come to the Hospital

Assuta; he is critically ill.” Naturally, I went immediately –

to grant his wish. When I came, he told me, that he had a very

bad night, but now he feels better and wishes to tell me some

Important matter concerning a will, the second, previously made

when he had his house.

Now about the money. He told me that he made a will, and gave all

the details to the Consul in Jerusalem, instructing how to deal

with his capital. “I wish you to take notes, “ he told me,”and I

will send you later a copy. I have in the Bank ‘Kupat-Am” LP 3,000

not including the accrued 5% interest–since I deal with them a long

time and in addition to this there is a sum of LP 135 current money.

These LP 3,000 should be divided thus: First, the grandchildren and

the Great grandchildren–each one should be given $100. Second,

LP 50 approximately to be given to Jerusalem Institutions–which

ones, exactly, I don’t know. He did not send me the above

mentioned copy. But the Consul and his brother have the list of the

recipients from LP 30 to LP 50. Among the grandchildren he definitely

stated, that your children are to be considered as his grandchildren

because of their mother, namely your wife, whom he considered as

his own daughter; in addition to his seven sons she is his 8th

daughter because of her good deeds towards him, and therefore she

is to receive an equal part. Also your children whom he considers

as his grandchildren each one should receive his share and buy

something in memory of grandfather, thus he writes in his first will.

 

Who can tell whether one’s Hands are clean in dealings with his

fellow-men; it is quite possible that one did not resist the

temptation of embezzlement, cheating, [?], etc.–no one knows how

such, and who is the person involved, therefore, there is only one

remedy: giving back to the community, taking a part equal to the one

assigned to each of the heirs, since other people’s money

cannot be given to your children. And so he asked to take one

part which at that time was $280, deposit the sum in a reliable

bank as a permanent fund on hisname, and every year on the day

-2-

 

of his departure (he departed on Firday, 18th of Heshvan 5699 at

3:30 P. M.) to take out the interest, and give the money to the

Home for the Aged and talmud Torah of Pittsburgh in equal shares. It

is quite possible, that now this share is larger.

 

In such a case, it is possible to add the difference to the the

amount he left for the Institutions in Jerusalem, LP 30 or LP 50.

Surely, I know, my dear brother, that you will bring everything

in best order.

 

He mentioned another thing as a certain matter. But he told me:

“All is known to my dear beloved Mordechai-Jacob”–I am confidnet,

that he has written to you. Now let me tell you the way he died,

while in his clear mind. “Iwonder how a man travels from Tel Aviv

to Jerusalem”; these were his last words: “I am not afraid of

my death. I do not pretend to live fore ever. The years granted to

me are 82. I made a full account of what I owe, as well as the

expenses in the Hospital and the funeral “–At this moment he

raised his hands and continued: “I think, I am going to die without

any debt.” He took leave and departed. Previously, he repeated

the confessional prayer after me, rather[?] understood every word.

He had a burial lot in the cemetery in Jerusalem near his wife–

may she rest in Peace!– and so when they came to ask me what shall

be don in this case, since it is quite dangerous to travel–I

answered: while alive he came safely from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, so

now also he will be taken safely to his place in Jerusalem. And so

they did. His nephew has a position in the Government and a

special permit to carry [?], so he left today, Sunday morning

at 10:00 A. M.

 

My son, Rabbi J. L. went to the Chevra Kaddishah and brought

everything in best order with full respect to the departed and

his family. He also wired to Jerusalem to prepare everything

through Mr. Hershell Kurliansky, the step-brother of his mother-

in-law. He is a member in the Chevran Kaddishah in Jerusalem.

He will attend to everything. I believe, that they will give a

full account either to me or to Rashe-Leah. Be in good healthe

and hope to hear good news. It is high time! The Dark Ages are

back! Conditions of our people are terrible. There is no man

who could describe the troubles of Israel. May the Eternal put

an end to all our troubles!

 

Your brother faithfully,

Abraham Avi Pinchoe

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Family treasure chest.

2) Find A Grave Memorial- no image of grave yet, but request is pending.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=120393993

3) Mystery Monday: Ethel Broida Pincus- http://heritageramblings.net/2015/05/11/mystery-monday…-broida-pincus/

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Sibling Saturday: Joseph Jacob Broida

Joseph Broida, unknown date.
Joseph Broida, unknown date. (Click to enlarge.)

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

Joseph J. Broida was the oldest surviving son of ten children born to John Broida and Sarah Gitel Frank Broida, both immigrants from Lithuania. Joseph grew up in Pittsburgh, living at various addresses in the 1880s-90s, with his father a merchant at ‘Broida & Yourkansky.’

In 1900, Joseph is found with his parents and youngest brother in Denver, Colorado, working as a clerk in a clothing house. Joseph was probably with them so that he could help earn a living; the family also had boarders in the home- a husband who was a tailor, his wife, and their two children, with the parents from Russia, as were Joseph’s parents. Joseph’s mother was ill with tuberculosis, and likely they went to Denver hoping for a cure. Sadly that was not to happen, and Gitel died in 1901.

The family moved back to Pittsburgh, but still were not all together, as some of the boys who had gone to St. Louis (instead of Denver) stayed there after their mother’s death. Joseph and some of his brothers were enumerated in their father’s household in 1910, along with their step-mother. Interestingly, the census also lists Joseph and his wife of 4 years, Fannie Glick, with their 3-1/2 yr old son Gilbert plus his brother Philip, Philip’s new wife Bessie, and brothers Theodore and Louis in Joseph’s household on 15 Apr 1910 at 228 Center Ave. So they were enumerated twice. (There is no date on the enumeration in John’s household.) Joseph was working as a bookkeeper in a wholesale store per the census with him as head of household; he was noted as a machinist in the other 1910 census, which does not seem correct from all the other information known about Joseph.

[Edited 05/05/15: indexing error and hard to read, but most probably is “merchant” instead of “machinist.”]

In September of 1918, Joseph registered for the World War I draft. He was 36 years old and described as short, medium build, with brown eyes. ‘Color of Hair’ was listed as Bald, Brown. He was a Purchasing Agent for Frank & Seder, a department store in Pittsburgh. (There were family ties to Mr. Frank, as Joseph’s mother Gitel was a Frank.)

By 1920, Joseph had his wife and two children enumerated with him, plus his sister-in-law Sadie Glick. He was a buyer in a department store, likely Frank & Seder. The household was similar in 1930, with the addition of one more child, son Donald. Sadie Glick still lived with them.

Joseph Jacob Broida, c1930. Cropped from a family portrait.
Joseph Jacob Broida, c1930. Cropped from a family portrait.

When their father John Broida died in Israel in 1938, both Joe and his brother Louis were listed as living at 6306 Forward Ave. in Pittsburgh per the official “Report of death of an American citizen.”

In the 1940 census, Joseph was listed as divorced. Two of his children, Irene and Donald, were living with him, plus a servant; Gilbert was married and in his own household by 1940. Joe was a purchasing agent in a department store, and daughter Irene worked in a department store as a saleslady. No occupation was listed for 18 year-old Donald, but he probably was in school, as he had completed 2 years of college by then, and he later became an officer in the military, which required a four-year degree. Irene had completed 4 years of high school, and her father had completed 1 year of college, so education was valued in the family.

Joseph Jacob Broida- WWI Draft Registration Card, Part 1.
Joseph Jacob Broida- WWI Draft Registration Card, Part 1. (Click to enlarge.)

The ‘War to end all wars’ did not, and Joe Broida registered for the World War II Draft in 1942. He was 59 years old, still working at Frank & Seder, and living at 6306 Forward Ave. in Pittsburgh, PA. His description stated he was 5’6″ tall, 140 lbs, with gray eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion.

Joe Broida died on 18 December 1958 in Pittsburgh, PA, at the age of 76, and is buried in Beth Shalom Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

Joseph Jacob Broida- Obituary
Joseph Jacob Broida- Obituary.” The Jewish Criterion” Vol. 133, No. 12, Page 20. Posted courtesy of “Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project,” http://digitalcollections.library.cmu.edu/pjn         (Click to enlarge.)

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) 1900 US Federal Census- Year: 1900; Census Place: Denver, Arapahoe, Colorado; Roll: 120; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0126; FHL microfilm: 1240122. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

2) 1910 US Federal Census, [John] Jacob Broida head of household- Year: 1910; Census Place: East Pittsburgh Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1293; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1375306. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

3) 1910 US Federal Census, Joseph J. Broida head of household- Year: 1910; Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 5, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1300; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0335; FHL microfilm: 1375313. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

4) 1920 US Federal Census, Joseph J. Broida Head of Household- Year: 1920; Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 13, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1522; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 525; Image: 211. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

5) 1930 US Federal Census, Joe J. Broida Head of Household- Year: 1930; Census Place: Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1978; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0235; Image: 287.0; FHL microfilm: 2341713. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.

6) 1940 US Federal Census, Joe J. Broida Head of Household- Year: 1940; Census Place: Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T627_3663; Page: 63A; Enumeration District: 69-403. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

7) World War I Draft Registration Card for Joseph Jacob Broida- Registration State: Pennsylvania; Registration County: Allegheny; Roll: 1908758; Draft Board: 10. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

8) World War II Draft Registration Card for Joseph Jacob Broida- The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II draft cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Pennsylvania; State Headquarters: Pennsylvania; Microfilm Series: M1951; Microfilm Roll: 34. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

9) Most of this information has been posted on the Find A Grave memorial for Joseph Jacob Broida- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=144823565

10) Family treasure chest of photos.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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