The Schorrs

Who They Were

Last update 16 January 2006

Shimon Schorr of Tur-Terebes

Shimon Schorr is my great-grandfather, paternal and maternal! He was the father of myfather's mother (Fanny) and of my mother's mother (Pauline). In 1865 Shimon
and Zvi (*)Schorr were among residents of the town Tur-Terebes Hungary (now Turulung, Romania) who supported publication of 'Parshat Mordhai' by Rabbi Mordhai Halevi Horowitz (Rabbi of the nearby town of Halmi). The photograph was in my mother's collection and is inscribed "our grandparents Shimon, his wife Frumme and their son)". Shimon, a farmer and Judaic scholar is said to have been a descendent of Tevuot Shor of the noted Shor literary/rabbinic dynasty (See Legend Page).

(*) I have not been able to identify Zvi Schorr. He was almost certainly closely related to Shimon; he also may have been the progenitor of another branch of the Schorr family which resided in the vicinity.

Children of Shimon & Frumme Schorr:

Pauline (aka Peppi) Schorr (Appx 1868 to 23 May 1942)

Pauline emigrated to the US (appx 1900). She married Harry Schechter who was the father
of her daughters Alma, Ella and Rose. Harry died about 1910, after which Pauline had to struggle to raise her daughters. The photograph shows Pauline and her girls at about the time she was widowed.

The 1920 NYC census lists her as Pauline Schechter living at 203 E 114th st Manhattan, occupation Janitor. Sometime after 1920 she married Janos Klein (he died before 1930) and she may have had other husbands/mates. Pauline died in Bronx NY (age appx 74) and is buried as Peppi Klein in Beth David cemetary, Elmont NY.

Her daughter Alma, reminiscing at age 90+, says that second husband Janos was a nice man. He had factory in Franklin NY where he manufactured miner's shoes; had six employees and paid rent (on factory?) of $19 per month. He married Peppi who brought her family to Franklin. They returned to New York City after about four years (before Ella married? in 1925). Janos died sometime after 1928 (Alma was married and Rose was going with Alex) of influenza at about 60 years of age.

See Profile of Pauline also Descendents of Pauline & Harry on the Schechter Page

Fanny (aka Feige) Schorr (Appx 1870 to 1930); she married (Appx 1887) Baruch Richter (Appx 1870 to 1930). Fanny and her sister Lena claimed that they were descendents of the renowned Rabbi 'Tevuot' Shor (for more about this see the Legend page).

Fanny's husband Baruch was a learned man. He earned his living as a wine salesman and managed estate of local landowner (Baron Farani?). Fanny and Baruch died in Sevlus Cz, and are assumed to be buried in the Sevlus cemetary.

(See Descendents of Fanny Richter on the Family page)

Avigdor Shmuel Schorr(Appx 1872 to 1944); he married (Appx 1896) Regina ? (Appx 1878 to 1944). Shmuel was a learned man, farmer and devoted Zionist; as a young man studied in yeshiva in Galanta; prominent member of Jewish congregation in village of Szaszfalu where 32 Jewish families lived amidst 400 families of non-Jews; assumed to murdered in Auschwitz.

Children of Shmuel & Regina Schorr:

Regina Schorr was born Appx 1874 in Tur-Terebes Hungary; she married (Appx 1900) Samuel Mayer (born 24 Sep 1878 in Turc, Hungary) the son of ? Mayer and Rose Fisher. Regina emigrated to USA about 1900; she died in Bronx NY and is buried in Mount Hebron cemetary, Flushing NY.

Samuel filed a preliminary petition for naturalization in US District Court NYC some time after July 11 1922 (date of first papers). A draft of the petition yielded the following: residence at the time was 744 Trinity Ave Bx NY; mother's maiden name was Rose Fisher; occupation waiter; last arrival in US was June 24 1914 on Graf Waldersee which left Hamburg on June 12; was coming to Peppi Schechter; lists four children, all born in NY between 1903 and 1909; proposed witnesses were Morris Glick of 1019 Trinity Ave and Rose Schor of 1299 Grand Concourse. Samuel died (Appx 1950) in the Bronx NY.

(See Descendents of Regina Mayer)

Lena Schorr was born Appx 1868 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary. Lena married (Appx 1886 in Tur-Terebes) Itshak Yehuda Bleier (born Appx 1865 in Hungary); her husband was an inn-keeper in Tur-Terebes. Lena claimed to be an 8th generation direct descendent of Tevuot Shor (for more about this go to the legend page). Itshak and Lena had nine children, seven sons and two daughters. They died Tur-Terebes, in the great influenza epidemic that swept Europe shortly after WW I (Appx 1920).

(See Descendents of Lena Bleier)

Serena Schorr was born Appx 1877 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary; she is assumed to have died Appx 1944 in Auschwitz. She is said to have had a daughter named Hedwig.

Descendents of Samuel and Regina Mayer

Helene (aka Eva) Mayer (20 Sep 1903 to Appx 1980); she married (Appx 1948) Samuel Teich (Appx 1900 to Appx 1972. Known as Helen or Helena, she is listed as Eva on the draft of father's petition for (US) naturalizarion (sometime after 1922). Helena was deaf; she received speech trainiing, understood Hungarian and English and spoke both with difficulty. Helena's husband was a deaf-mute but her daughter and her grandchildren are all normal.

Florence, the daughter of Samuel & Helene Teich was born Appx 1949 in New York City; she married (Appx 1974 in New York City) Michael Pineles (born Appx 1947).

Children of Mike & Florie Pineles:

  • Samuel - born 25 Mar 1973 in New York City; Samuel married Rachel Younger (born Appx 1979).
  • Jason - born Appx 1974 and died Appx 1987 in New York City. Jason was the victim of automobile hit-and-run accident.
  • Jennifer - born 22 Mar 1979.
  • Caren - born 3 Nov 1989 in New Jersey.

Rudolph Mayer (10 May 1905 to Appx 1976); he married (Appx 1933) Helen ? (Appx 1912 to 1982)

Sheila, the daughter of Rudy & Helen Mayer was born Appx 1934 in the Bronx, NY. Shiela married Carl Seltzer; their son is named Mark.

Harold (aka Aron) Mayer (16 Aug 1907 to 1980); he married (Appx 1938 Esther ? (Appx 1910 to 1980). Harold listed as Aron on draft of his father's Petition for Naturalization. Harold's wife Esther had son (Herbert) by prior marriage.

Children of Harold & Esther Mayer:

  • Arnold - born Appx 1939 in the Bronx, NY.
  • David - born Appx 1941 in the Bronx, NY.
  • Seymour - born Appx 1943 in the Bronx, NY.

Sidney Mayer (15 May 1909 to Appx 1980); he married (Appx 1933) Mathilda (aka Tillie) ? (Appx 1912 to 1972).

Leatrice, the daughter of Sidney & Tillie Mayer was born Appx 1934 in New York City). Leatrice married (Appx 1964 in Los Angeles CA) Robert Richardson (born Appx 1929).

Children of Robert & Leatrice Richardson:

  • Tiffany - born Appx 1966 in Los Angeles CA.
  • Todd - born Appx 1968 in Los Angeles CA.

Descendents of Itshak & Lena Bleier

(Most of the information about the descendents of Itshak & Lena Bleier was related to me by Eva Green and her daughter Carol Ungar - see below.

Alexander Sender (aka Sandor) Bleier: born Appx 1888 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary; named for his noted ancestor Rabbi Alexander Sender (Tevuot) Shor; died as a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army in WW1.

Haim Bleier: born on 7 May 1890 in Tur Terebes, Hungary. He married (Appx 1922) Cecelia Blau (born Appx 1904) the daughter of R'Yungreis, Dayan of Chengl . About 1923 Cecelia gave birth to a baby boy. The child did not survive infancy - after his birth Cecelia became very sick and doctors advised against having more children. Never-the-less, in May 1925 she gave birth to a daughter who was named after her mother Lena Schorr. Cecelia died in Europe.

Haim emigrated to the USA (entering illegally) in the early1930s. He worked in sausage factory and as housepainter and lived with his aunt Regina (Schorr) Mayer, in the East Bronx, for many years. (Haim was the only one of the siblings who emigrated to the new world, who continued to be an observant Jew. Those who remained in Europe - none of whom survived - were all strictly observant).

Hiam married Julia (nee Benedek) in New York City (Appx 1950); Julia was born on 18 March 1898 in Hungary (now Romania); it was Julia's third marriage (? Katz, Samuel Schwartz); they had no children. Hiam died in NYC on 27 Aug 1967 and is buried in Mount Hebron cemetary, Flushing NY. Julia died in Brooklyn NY on 6 May 1982 and is also buried in the Mount Hebron cemetary.

Children of Haim & Cecilia Bleier:

Ernesto (aka Yeheskiel) Bleier: born Appx 1893 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary. Yeheskiel emigrated to Mexico, became wealthy and married non-Jew (there was a daughter, possibly wife's daughter by a previous marriage). He maintained intermittant contact with family in Europe and in the USA. Yeheskiel died Appx 1980 in Mexico City.

Joshua (aka Shia) Bleier: born Appx 1895 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary; he is remembered as being one of the most religious member of the family and sporting a long red beard. Shia had five children; he and his family perished in the gas chambers.

Martin (aka Mordehai) Bleier: born 22 Jul 1897 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary; died 15 Sep 1967, New York City. Martin worked as a chef in luxury hotels in New York and Arizona. He was married to Esther Porges (non-observant Jewish background). In the US Martin abandoned the religious practices of his youth, but in his later years he began to attend synagogue on the holidays. He enjoyed visiting the home of his niece (Eva Green) on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and attending services at a local shteibel - which reminded him of the shuls of his shtetl youth.

Martin and Esther had no children. Eva Cutler, who Martin loved as his own child, was Esther's daughter from a previous marriage . Eva and her husband Al Cutler lived in Great Neck, NY in great affluence. They raised two daughters Linda (deceased) and Karen, (? who lives in Mexico). Linda had two children, Pamela and Kenneth (Leighton/Lipshutz) who moved to California sometime around 1970. Sadly, both Eva and Linda succumbed to breast cancer. Esther outlived them all, surviving until the age of 100.

Joseph (aka Avrum) Bleier: born Appx 1903 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary; made his home in Paris and was married to a Polish Jewess named Terese (Topche). He was a socialist and fought in WW2 as a partisan. He died Appx 1993 in the USA. Joseph had one son, Michel and a grandson Emanuel.

Emanuel (aka Menahem Mendel) Bleier: born Appx 1908 in Tur-Terebes, Hungary; died Appx 1980 in Mexico. Emanual married Elvira (?), who was born appx 1927; their children are Livia, Diana, Armando, Avraham (aka Avi) and Basha (aka Bela). Emanuel's widow Elvira lives in Mexico City.

Etel and Bella (aka Basha/Batia) Bleier: the two sisters were staunchly observant Jews. They were orphaned relatively young (Lena and Itzhak-Yehuda Bleier died shortly after the end of WW1). The sisters lived together in Constanza, Romania where they operated a kosher restaurant for several years. Eventually they emigrated to Antwerp, Belgium where both married: One, to a journalist for the Yiddish orthodox newspaper and the other, to a butcher (?). They all are assumed to have perished in the Nazi Death Camps.

PROFILES

Pauline (Peppi) Schorr

A landing card made out for a Peppi Schorr, provides the following information: She was a female who arrived unaccompanied, age 24, unmarried; place of birth Ugocsa (county) Hungary with last permanent residence given as Tur Terebes; she had never been in the US before; her passage was paid by herself; destination given as New York; name/address of relative or friend to join there was mostly illeginble (brother N ... Schorr Cono--- 91 ... ; Money Shown (illegible); she was never arrested, deported or excluded from admission to the US; complexion - White; Distinguishing marks (illegible); Seaport - NY, date of landing - 8/7/1902, name of steamship - S/S Amsterdam; In lower margin - Rotterdam, c-29(?)-2b2

The name, place of birth and last permanent residence shown on the landing card are as they should be for our Peppi Schorr; Destination info is questionable; age and landing date to not correspond to those shown for 1920 census (she may have forgotten and or lied for one or both records - note age is ten yrs less than that indicated by gravestone). This record and information should be investigated.

The 1920 NYC census listing (vol 278, ED 1289), indicates that as of 1 January 1920 Pauline Schechter was 40 years old (ie b 1880), white, born in Hungary, emigrated to the US in 1898. She live at 203 E 114th street, worked as a building janitor and had three children: Yetta 14, who had not been to school since 1 September 1919 and worked as wholesale shoes clerk, Ella 13, and Rose 11, both of whom had schooling since 1 September 1919.

According to video-tape record of her daughter Alma reminiscing (made in March 1994) Harry Schechter died of Appendicitis (about 1910), after wife Pauline refused to take/send him to hospital/doctor (religious beliefs/distrust of doctors?). She ran a grocerey (203 E 117th street, between 2nd & 3rd Avenuess) and sent girls to Talmud-Torah (before or after Harry's death?). Alma remembered getting beer & Limburger for her mother on Thursday nights and getting malted milk and cheesecake for herself and her sisters.

Pauline took care of the three Herman boys (George, Sam and Kalman) and through the Hermans Pauline got to know the Cohn Family who were friends of the Hermans (they were also cousins of the Bernats of Boston and were godparents to Armand Nadasdi). Anton Cohn had a factory that made wigs for B'dway theater (hair from china was crocheted into wigs and hair nets) and owned a four story building on 116th street. The Cohns had three children - two girls (Martha, Laura) and a boy (Harry) who fell, or was pushed, off the roof of a building and was killed.

Pauline married Janos Klein and the family left the city and moved to Franklin, NY about 1921. The younger girls (Ella, Rose) went to school in a nearby town but Yette stayed with the Cohn family during the week and attended Wadley HS (116th street, between Lenox and 7th Avenues). Every Friday she had a four hour train ride to Franklin.

Alma says that Janos Klein was a nice guy. He had a factory, in Franklin, that made miner's shoes, had 6 employees and payed rental of $19 per month for the factory. The family lived in Franklin for about four years and then returned to NYC. After their return from Franklin Pauline's daughters began to marry - first Ella, then Alma, then Rose. Ella graduated HS and then worked for Reader's Digest. The same year she graduated HS she married Emil Nadasdi; Ella gave birth to twins (Alfred and Arlene) in 1927. Alma (formerly known as Yette) married Sidney (Zoltan) Farkas in October 1926 and Rose began to go out with her cousin Alex (they married in 1931). Pauline was married to Klein until he died (at about 60 years of age) of Influenza in NYC in about 1928.

Pauline died at the home of her daughter Rose (Schechter) Richter, on Walton Ave, Bronx NY, in 1942. She is buried in the Beth David cemetary, Elmont NY. Her gravestone gives her name as Peppi Klein, date of death 23 May 1942, age 74 (ie b 1868).

Notes:

  • Anna (Jeremias) Nadasdi was second cousin to Pepi Schorr. Anna's parents were Jeremiah Jeremias and Eva Schorr so Anna's mother Eva must have been first cousin to Pepi's father Shimon (the name Jeremias is well-known in the vicinity of Tur-Terebes and Halmi which is very close to where our Richters and Schorrs lived).

  • Harry Weiss (wife - Rosie) was 1st cousin to Peppi Schorr. If Harry was son of Frumme's brother then her maiden name was Weiss; if he was son of a sister (?) of Frumme or Shimon, then sister was married to a Weiss.

(c) 1997 donb@012.net.il

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