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In this episode, I continue exploring the Jewish legacy of the 1915 Eastland Disaster in Chicago.
- Insights from Jewish genealogy experts, Ellen Kowitt and Rhonda R. McClure, on the unique challenges and strategies for tracing Jewish ancestry, including navigating name variations, language barriers, and historical events like pogroms and the Holocaust.
- The story of Eastland victim Sam Widran , a 29-year-old Western Electric auditor, and the tragic losses endured by his Jewish immigrant family from Hungary.
- Details about 24-year-old Celia Brooks (aka Rooks/Rook/Borak) Colombik, who died in the disaster, leaving behind her husband Frank, a Western Electric employee, her brothers and their families--Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire.
- A moving 1915 newspaper account of Frank Colombik's grief upon identifying his wife Celia's body in the Second Regiment Armory morgue.
- Selections from a 1974 memoir of Celia's niece Ruth Naiditch (shared in a 2000 article). Ruth shared how she narrowly avoided the Eastland disaster at age 11 because her "bratty" behavior led her uncle to exclude her from the trip.
- I emphasize the importance of recording older relatives' stories for family history and express gratitude for the opportunity to share these stories from Chicago's Jewish community.
- I hope listeners will watch the linked videos on Jewish genealogy for a deeper understanding of the complexities involved.
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