UNINCORPORATED MATERIAL

THE KRELITZ MINI-REUNION IN MILWAUKEE, MAY 1997

From: joel.alpert@uwalumni.com (Joel Alpert)

Subject: The report on the Mexican visitation - the complete report to date Status:

We had a great weekend in Chicago and Milwaukee. We met our Mexican cousins, Abraham Sherman Gordon (son, 33 years old) and Max Sherman Krelitz (father, 57 years old), wonderful people, in Chicago, took them to see Jack Cossid in Chicago. Max's mother was Leah Krelitz, neice of Celia Krelitz Ellis and Ben Krelitz. Max's grandfather was Meyer Krelitz, Celia and Ben'soldest brother, he never left Europe. Max and Abraham really enjoyed meeting him. Jack, of course, knew Max's uncles, Moishe and Leib Krelitzin Yurburg and was able to tell stories about them and paint pictures ofYurburg so we could close our eyes and see them and the town. He describedthe family bakery and how they operated it. He told of the characters inthe town. He knew Dora, whom Moishe eventually married, and of whom we now have pictures. He was able to identify people in the pictures that Max had from his mother Leah (died in about 1983). One photo is of three people in swimming suits in the Neman river. One was Leah, Max's mother and the man in the middle was Jack's brother Feivel. It was very strange and erie. It showed that these families were close even in Yurburg. It was very exciting. Max told us that in Mexico that the sons always carry the mother's maiden name after the father's family name so he showed us his credit cards that say "Max Sherman Krelitz", so he truly is a Krelitz even in name.

Max, Abe Nancy and I then drove to Milwaukee, had a good visit in the car and stayed at the Sheraton on Brown Deer road, where Dean had gotten us a good rate thru his friend Howard, the owner, whose wife is from Mexico City. Barry Krelitz from Minneapolis was also staying there. So we met in Abe & Max's room with Barry and Dean also came over, so they got to meet more Krelitz's one on one.

We learned that the Mexican Jewish community is very close and they go to a day school, where they learn Hebrew and all the Jewish customs. Max and Avraham and I were able to converse in Hebrew. I was very impressed. Max and Abraham are also fluent in Yiddish. Nancy and I were very impressed.

Sunday morning Abe and Max, and Nancy and I met with Barry and his son Steve, wife Bridget, and their children, Lily (the cutest 2 year old, with marvelous blond hair and the sweetest personality) and Ben (one month old). Barry, me, and Max are second cousins (our mothers being first cousins), that makes Steve Krelitz and Abraham Sherman third cousins, but everyone agrees that they look like brothers!!!! It was very erie. So they met more Krelitz's one-on-one.

We then took Max and Abraham to Shim and Phyllis's new home in Mequon. Beautiful, spacious home and Shim and Phyllis were able to meet them. Shimmy was very excited and emotional.

We then drove down Lake Drive to Steven and Wendy's home. Max was absolutely amazed at the beauty of the drive. I told him of course that I'd only show him Milwaukee's best! Avraham (Abraham) slept. I showed them Pa's house, they were impressed. Avraham woke up and expressed his amazement at the house. Max told him he missed a drive thru a neighborhood of 10 miles of gorgeous homes.

At 12:30 we arrived at Steven and Wendy's home. They had just (hours before) completed moving back in after remodelling their kitchen and adding a bathroom on the first floor. Terrific improvement, and very pretty.

People who came were Max (Mexico City) and Abraham Sherman(Houston Texas), Nancy Lefkowitz (Boston), Joel Alpert(Boston), Les and Florence Bern, Jimmy and Harriet Bern, Steven and Wendy and Elissa Koppel, Shim and Phyllis Ellis, Dean and Wendy Ellis, Barry, Steve, Bridget, Ben and Lilly Krelitz (Minneapolis), Judy and Rosalin Krelitz, Jack and Linda Cossid (Chicago).

We introduced Max and Abraham and Jack and Linda around to everyone they had not met. They were all thrilled to meet their new cousins. We showed the 1927 Ben Craine film of Yurburg, with Jack narrating. Jack pointed out Meyer and Leib Krelitz, Max's grandfather and uncle whom he had never met. Meyer died before the war and Lieb and the rest of the familywere among those of Yurburg who where murdered by the Lithuanians. As we replayed that segment, Max came up to me and showed me the goose bumps on his arm, showing how it affected him. It was an outstanding showing, because Jack knew many of the people there. He had witnessed the filming of this when he was 10 years old. Jack even identified his brother and sister who were among those murdered.

Right before we showed the film, Barry Krelitz took the floor and gave a most heart felt speech, in which he thanked all who had come, both near and far, and all the efforts everyone had made to make this family reunion come together. He said that he spoke for all us there and all those now gone. He had tears in his eyes as did many of us.

We discussed the Yurburg letters, which are letters sent from Max's uncles and aunts from Yurburg in 1937-1941 to Max's mother and aunt in Mexico City. Jack had spend about 100 hours translating them, with Linda writing what Jack said. These were letters from dear friends of Jack, who had all been murdered in fall of 1941. Jack could read the Yiddish script and then interpret the letters and fill in the blanks because he knew all the people involved. Jack even found out 55 years later, why his cousin had died. Again an erie circumstance. The letters are now all translated and typed up and we are trying to figure out how to make this information public. We feel it is a unique look into the lives of those relatives of ours shortly before the war. It is clear from the letters that they knew what their fate was to be. They were looking to get out, but their efforts failed.

It must be understood that Max and Abraham never knew that they had a large family in the US. They only knew of Velvel Krelitz (Bill Krelitz). They thought all their other relatives had died during the war, so that their finding us was monumental to them. Max described how he found the Yurburg home page and how he could not believe his eyes when the screen showed him and described the huge family in the US. He said that his modem was slow and as a result he almost died until it displayed the photo of the family. Max said that he knew this was a big event for the American cousins to reestablish contact with the Mexican cousins, but it is a tremendous event for them, because they now have a big and warm family.

Max took video as did Steven Koppel. Many took photos, especially group photos of everyone in front of the house. The day was a perfectly clear day with very blue sky, showing off Milwaukee's best! Photos are to be shared.

At 6 pm we left for Chicago and had a fun drive back to Chicago, when we joked around alot. When we were about ready to part, we all found it very difficult to part, having had such a good time and feeling so very close.

On Monday Max and Jack got back together to revisit Yurburg together. Jack, Linda, Max and Abraham wereplanning to have dinner together. I spoke to Jack on Monday from Boston, and he said that he felt a part of the Krelitz family, with all our warmth. It was a very significant event for him.

That is my report.

I encourage those of you who were there to send me your impressions and other things that went on during the day so that those not there can get a full picture.

I beg apologies if I left anything out. We will add to this report to correct it.

Joel

Shalom Joel,

Herewith are more names from the list of the murdered Jews in Yurburg:

Naividel Rohe (Rahel); Fruma her daughter, a needelwoman; Shalom her son, a pupil; Reuven, her son, a bycicle fitter; his wife Fania and their daughter Haya, a pupil.

Lebiush Aron, a shop owner; his wife Mina, a houswife; their son Itsik (Yitzhak); their daughter Hanna, needlewoman; their daughter Gita, pupil;

Cosid (Chosid) Leizer in the building profession; his wife Mere; their daughter Haya-Bela, needlewoman; their daughter Leah, pupil;

Elyashevitz Meir, shop owner; wife Taube; son Itsik, shop owner; son Jona,watchmaker; daughter Leah-Golde, bookkeeper.

Abramson Motel, photograph; wife Pese.

There are also many names of Es family

Regards Joseph.