BRAZIL (revised June, 2005)*

 

 

 

Except for large numbers of Marranos[1] in the early 16th century who subsequently left[2] there was no Jewish community in Brazil until the 19th century.  In 1822 Brazil declared its independence from Portugal and freedom of worship attracted some European Jews.

 

Few Jews lived in Brazil before 1920, perhaps 15,000.    The impact of immigration restrictions that began in the United States in 1921 was felt in Brazil and other countries.  Brazil became another refuge for Jews and admitted 2,000 in 1924; however, by 1934 Brazil also began restricting immigration.

 

Most Brazilian Jews are Ashkenazim and reside in the two largest cities, Sao Paulo (75,000) and Rio de Janeiro (over 40,000).  Currently the total Jewish population is approximately 150,000.  Jews represent a mere fraction of 1% of the total Brazilian population of 170 million.

 

In 1992 I first became aware of a family connection in Brazil.  Libby Medrich, Sam Eisenberg, and Alice Mileikowsky knew of relatives in Sao Paulo and had some memories of contact with them.  Libby Medrich recalls that her father, Herschel, referred to them as cousins.  They spell their name AJZENBERG, the Polish way.  Sam Eisenberg believed that the Brazilian cousin’s father was a brother of Dov Berel or Elka.

 

On several occasions from 1992-1996 I attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with relatives whose names and addresses were provided by Libby, Sam, and Alice.  Additionally, also unsuccessfully, I tried to make contact via a Brazilian genealogist and friends from Brazil. 

 

 

 

In the first edition of this book I presented erroneous information that can now be corrected thanks to an e-mail I received March 09, 2002.  It read:

 

“Two weeks ago, I was surfing in the Internet, when searching by “Google” I found your site ‘The Ajzenbergs of Telechan’.  …. I …. understand you were searching for the Brazilian branch of the Ajzenberg family and information about Laibel Ajzenberg, a writer of the Yizkor Book of Telechan.  Well, let me introduce myself, I’m Laibel Ajzenberg’s son-Marcos Gorelik Ajzenberg, and I think I can give you all the information you need about our family in Brazil.”

 

 

“We all descend from Jakob (Yankev, in Yiddish; Jankiel, in Polish) Ajzenberg, who was married to Rachel.  He was a brother to Dov Berel Ajzenberg, I think.  He (Jakob) died soon after the First World War, about 1920, with my Uncle Mordechai,” at the hands of “Polish bandits, as my father told me.”  Thus Jakob (Yankl) never lived in Brazil. “The first immigrant to Brazil was my Uncle, JOSHUA (Yishie in Yiddish) in 1930.”  Joshua was the son of Jakob and Rachel.  He arrived in Brazil with his wife, Sonia Klitenick, also from Telechan.  All subsequent Ajzenberg immerges to Brazil arrived in the six year period 1930-1936.  Laibel Ajzenberg was “the last emigrant of our family to leave Telechan in 1936.”

 

Marcos Ajzenberg included a family tree of the Ajzenbergs of Brazil, since enlarged to include other family members who never immigrated to Brazil. (Page ???)

 

 

 

In the TMB (p. 170) there is a picture of Laibel Eisenberg visiting from Brazil in 1934.  (The date is incorrect as Marcos states that his father did not immigrate to Brazil until 1936.)  Laibel is identified by an arrow in a family picture.  Marcos identified the women seated in front of Laibel as his mother, Rachel.  Standing to his right is a woman who Marcos believes is Laibel’s sister.  The remaining group includes a seated man, Itshe Meir, his wife and two children.  Itshe Meir is another son of Rachel.  As the caption states, all died in the war except Laibel who left Telechan 1936.  

 

 Also in TMB is an account (in Yiddish p. 133, translated into English) entitled My Flowers on My Brother’s Grave  written by Laibel Eisenberg.  He refers to himself ‘as a delegate from the Brazilian Jewish delegation to the All World Congress of War and Peace in Moscow in July 1962.’ 

 

Once more we see how global events, government policies, and other circumstance impacted on my family.  At a different time these Brazilian relatives could just as easily have been my Hartford cousins or Boston neighbors

 

In June 2003 Marcos Ajzenberg and his wife, Elza traveled to Boston from Sao Paulo to attend the 6th Eisenberg Family Reunion.

 

A BELKIN CONNECTION?

 

My paternal grandmother, MINKA, had 2 sisters.  The one named, LIBA, married SHMUEL CHIAM, the brother of my paternal grandfather, AZRIEL.  LIBA and SHMUEL CHIAM settled in Hadera. (See references re 2 sisters marrying 2 brothers.)

 

The third sister, whose name I do not know, is reputed to have immigrated to Brazil.  That's all I know.  If this is so…     

               

                  Did she also marry into the Ajzenberg family?

 

Is she related to the Ajzenberg family I am trying to communicate with in Brazil?

 

Is there a connection of any sort?

 

                 Did 3 BELKIN sisters marry 3 AJZENBERGS?

 

                                                          Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

*This document was found in Arthur Eisenberg’s files posthumously and posted here. The earlier version approved by Arthur for posting on the webpage can be found here. – Arthur’s grandson.


[1] Spanish or Portuguese Jews who were converted (often under duress) to Christianity during the late Middle Ages.  They often adhered to Judaism in secret.

[2] In 1654 to go to Nieuw Amsterdam AKA New York.

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