ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 16125 - Do you recognize? - Austria - Vienna (Wien) - Roiter

Information

Picture

Question

Category: Do you recognize?
Approval Date: 7/25/2010 5:33 PM
Family Surname: Roiter
Country: Austria
Town: Vienna (Wien)
Date of Image: 1916

Click the picture to enlarge

Twin Machzorim for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Very small, 3x4 inches
Hebrew Only except for Publisher's Name, Jos. Schlesinger, Wien (Vienna) 1916.
Purchased in Europe??? (no English)
My Father immigrated from Romania (formerly Russian Empire) in 1920. Did he carry these small Books with him to the US?
He Traveled across Europe during the High Holy Days, 1920 and arrived at Ellis Island on September 25, 1920.

Response

7/27/2010 2:45 PM

Hello Anna,

What a coincidence. When I saw this image of your machzor, I immediately remembered that I have my mother's prayer book with almost the same embossing on a burgundy cover. It is also probably a machzor, as it has daily prayers, as well as Shabbos, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sholosh Regolim/festivals, Pirke Avos,and much more. It is in the same miniature size, but quite a compact, beautiful prayer book. It is totally in Hebrew, however, the Kadisch is transliterated into Hungarian on the last page (from left to right). It, too, was published by Jos. Schlesinger, Wien 1908. The location in Budapest was the same Konigsgasse 1.

Since my mother lived only in Hungary while in Europe, her prayer book came from Hungary, and it was gifted and inscribed to her in 1909. As for whether a person would have carried this from the "old country" through Ellis Island, to the US. Absolutely....my mother sure did, and she instilled into my head that it was so very, very special and should be used and cherished...and so I have done.

Just thought that I would share my exciting moment with you....Jo

8/1/2010 11:47 AM

I JUST HAD TO RESPOND TO THIS. I hope you won"t mind.
When I was a little girl, my father had a book like this. I used to love to touch it. It had gold trimmed pages. My father came to America in 1908 from Uscieczko (Ustechko) today, Austria. My father died in 1950, and I do not know what my mother did with it since she was not Jewish. I am sure he would have brought this with him from Europe. He was 16 at the time. I have tried to find one at Jewish used book stores, but none of them were the right thing. The cover here took my breath away! Thanks for listening.
Rose Marie Schiller Ellenberger, Pittsburgh, PA. My father lived in Brooklyn until 1930. Then Pittsburgh.

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ViewMate Posting VM 16125

Submitted by Anna Reuter