Ida Zalan and Chatzkel "Hyman" Rabinowitz

Chatzkel Rabinowitz, later Rubin, was born in 1895-1897 in Chopovichi, in what was then the Kiev gubernia in the Russian Empire. His parents were Herschel and Hinda Rabinowitz.

Chatzkel arrived in NYC on April 1, 1914, aboard the SS Noordam out of Rotterdam. His passenger manifest describes him as a tailor. His passage had been paid by his brother, presumably his older brother Abraham. He was headed to join Abraham at 79 Columbia Street in NYC. The was actually the address of Eli "Louis" and Sarah Kedowsky, who had been Abraham's contacts when he immigrated in 1913. Sarah was the daughter of Feige Rabinowitz of Makarov, who may also have been Abraham and Chatzkel's maternal grandmother.

On February 11, 1918, Chatzkel - now Hyman - married Ida Zalan in Manhattan. The marriage record describes Ida as having been born in 1898 in Minsk, the daughter of Hyman Zalan and Bertha Freiman. According to both the 1920 and 1930 US Census records, she immigrated to the States in 1914. Ida can be an anglicization of the Yiddish name Chaje. It's entirely possible that Ida was the Chaje Zolan who arrived in NYC on March 5, 1914, aboard the SS Kroonland out of Antwerp, having left her home in Narovlya in the Minsk gubernia. Chaje was born in or about 1896 and described her occupation as "servant."

Hyman registered for the WWI draft on June 5, 1918. He gave his date of birth as August 19, 1896, and his place of birth as Kiev. He had declared his intentions to become a US citizen. Hyman gave his and Ida's address as being the Kedowsky's address at 79 Columbia Street. He stated that he was in business for himself at 193 1st Avenue. This happens to be the same address where a person named Abraham Rubin, who may or may not have been Hyman's brother of the same name, owned a dress goods business that went bankrupt in December 1925. However, the business doesn't appear to have passed directly from Hyman to Abraham. Nathan Sapkovsky owned a department store at the same address that went bankrupt in November 1923. It doesn't seem to have been a lucky address. (It's now PS 19, the Asher Levy Campus.)

Ida and Hyman had a son named Max or Martin born in or about April 1919. By 1920, they were living at 240-242 East 4th Street. Hyman is listed as running his own dry goods store and, again, as having declared his intentions to become a US citizen.

A second child, a daughter named Florence, was born in or about 1921. In 1923, two of Hyman's younger siblings, Chana and Itzhak, both listed him as a contact on their passenger manifests using the East 4th Street address. However, Ida and Hyman's third child, Milton, was born in New Jersey in or about 1925. By 1930, the family was living at 153 West 20th Street in Bayonne, New Jersey. Hyman had received his US citizenship and was working as a dry goods salesman, although not in his own store.

The New Jersey interlude eventually ended. By 1935, the family had moved back to Manhattan, to 238 East 7th Street. Hyman owned a yard goods store, while Ida was working as a clerk at a lace and trimmings store. Martin and Milton were both still in school, Martin having completed two years of college and Milton, two years of high school. Florence had completed Grade 7 but was apparently no longer in school.

When Hyman registered for the WWII draft in 1942, he again gave his date of birth as August 19, 1896. This time, however, he was more specific in his place of birth: Chopovitz. He listed Ida as his employer at a dry goods business at 199 Orchard Street. This was the same address that Hyman's brother Abraham gave for both his home and business, although Abraham seemed to think that he owned the business rather than Ida. It may have been a family joke?

I couldn't find a draft registration record for Martin, but he may have enlisted instead. I found two different enlistment records from Manhattan for a Martin Rabinowitz born 1919-1920.

Hyman passed away on August 8, 1969, in Manhattan. He's buried at the Montefiore Cemetery in Queens in the section belonging to the United Mazizer Friends. Mozyr was a town in the Minsk gubernia, so this may or may not be related to Ida having been born in Minsk.

Ida passed away on November 2, 1982. The US Social Security Death Index seems to indicate that she died in Brooklyn, but the Florida Death Index says the death occurred in Dade County. It might be that her permanent address was in Brooklyn but she'd gone to Florida for the winter? She's buried next to Hyman.