THE BERMAN FAMILY COLLECTION

Berman Family

This site covers the families of Boruch Ber and Blima Chaya Berman. Begin with the complete family collection, one side of the family, or an individual branch.

Places, families and records in this collection

Berman: Boruch Elya Berman left Shavel in Lithuania, reached Boston in 1907, and built his family in Philadelphia. His son Charles David married Cecile Saphir, joining the Berman and Safir families.

Safir: The documented trail runs from Philadelphia back to Shumsk in Volhynia, with a Jerusalem chapter that is still an open question.

Austin: Two New York City death certificates place Kopel and Fanny Austin together and name their son Hyman as informant. The forms report dates, relationships and parents; informant-reported parent names are attributed to the form rather than treated as independently verified.

Strunsky: A ketubah (marriage document) names the groom as "Chaim Yaacov son of the Rabbi Reb Dovid the Levi" (no surname given on the document itself) and the bride as "Genesha Nechomah daughter of Shneur Zalmon Zelig". Place: "Valintza" (preserved as spelled). Date: independently read as 20 Adar 5650 = Wednesday, 12 March 1890 , confidence high.

Shapiro: Yeshaya Dubinsky was the son of Itska. Itska's father was named Movsha. Movsha David, son of Elia, is a candidate for that father (consistent with the dates, not confirmed). He and his wife Sara lived in Volozhin. Their sons Rav Shimon Mordechai Dubinsky and Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro carried the family's Torah and history into the next generation.

Teller: A family tree maintained by Yankel Teller preserves the line from the Kempler and Schnitzer families to the Schenker and Teller households.

Schenker: The family chart records Akiva Schenker and Reizel Schnitzer as the parents of Rivka Leah, known as Lola, who married Yosef Matisyahu Teller. That is the bridge from the Schenker family into the Teller family and then to Rosalie Teller and Emanuel Shapiro.

Lobel: Family records and stories for this branch will be added here.

Explore the family

Eight branches, one family history

Master · all eight branchesShapiro branch onlyTeller ancestor fan chart

Family branches

Boruch Ber · four branches

BermanBoruch Ber’s paternal line from Shavel to Philadelphia.Boruch Elya Berman left Shavel in Lithuania, reached Boston in 1907, and built his family in Philadelphia. His son Charles David married Cecile Saphir, joining the Berman and Safir families.Safir / SaphirBoruch Ber’s paternal grandmother’s line from Shumsk through Philadelphia.The documented trail runs from Philadelphia back to Shumsk in Volhynia, with a Jerusalem chapter that is still an open question.Austin / AuskernOne of Boruch Ber’s four family branches.Two New York City death certificates place Kopel and Fanny Austin together and name their son Hyman as informant. The forms report dates, relationships and parents; informant-reported parent names are attributed to the form rather than treated as independently verified.StrunskyOne of Boruch Ber’s four family branches.A ketubah (marriage document) names the groom as "Chaim Yaacov son of the Rabbi Reb Dovid the Levi" (no surname given on the document itself) and the bride as "Genesha Nechomah daughter of Shneur Zalmon Zelig". Place: "Valintza" (preserved as spelled). Date: independently read as 20 Adar 5650 = Wednesday, 12 March 1890 , confidence high.

Blima Chaya · four branches

Shapiro / Dubinsky / ShmuklerBlima Chaya’s paternal line from Volozhin to Brooklyn.Yeshaya Dubinsky was the son of Itska. Itska's father was named Movsha. Movsha David, son of Elia, is a candidate for that father (consistent with the dates, not confirmed). He and his wife Sara lived in Volozhin. Their sons Rav Shimon Mordechai Dubinsky and Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro carried the family's Torah and history into the next generation.TellerBlima Chaya’s maternal family in the Teller family tree.A family tree maintained by Yankel Teller preserves the line from the Kempler and Schnitzer families to the Schenker and Teller households.SchenkerBlima Chaya’s Schenker ancestors, recorded with the Teller branch.The family chart records Akiva Schenker and Reizel Schnitzer as the parents of Rivka Leah, known as Lola, who married Yosef Matisyahu Teller. That is the bridge from the Schenker family into the Teller family and then to Rosalie Teller and Emanuel Shapiro.LobelOne of Blima Chaya’s four family branches.Family records and stories for this branch will be added here.