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Many Names 'Faced To Geographic Origins
By BETTY PROVIZER STARKMAN
Mrs. Gertrude Schwab
Hoffmann of London, Ont., recently
inquired about the origins of her
maiden name and surname.
Schwab is an Ashkenazic name
of geographic origin. In the Middle
Ages, Swabia was a duchy in
southwest Germany. The Leo Baeck
Institute (129 E. 73rd St., New York,
N.Y. 10021) has in its holdings a
Schwab family tree dating from
1495.
The Diaspora museum of Israel
has in its computer the following
information about the name
Hoffmann: "The German term 'Hof
can mean a farmstead, but also can
mean court. Hoffmann could
therefore designate a peasant or a
`man at court' "
There were indeed Court Jews
in Central and Eastern Europe from
the 16th through the 18th centuries.
The vast majority of the Jewish
population, however, lived and
earned their livelihood in rural
areas. Other theories associate
Hoffmann with the translation and
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Sunday, April 16
Temple Beth El and Jewish Experiences
For Families will conduct a Passover family
workshop. For details, call the religious
school, 851-1100.
Sunday, April 30
The Jewish Experiences For Families
Committee at Congregation Beth Shalom will
have a pre-school program, Happy Birthday
Israel, at 10 a.m. April 30 at the synagogue.
Friday, May 12
The Birmingham Temple will have a
Shavuot and Educators Family Service at
7:30 p.m. May 12. Students from
kindergarten through 12th grade will
participate and kindergarten graduates will
be welcomed into the first grade. Awards will
be presented.
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THE JEWISH NEWS
20300 Civic Center Drive
Suite 240
Southfield, Michigan 48076
April 14, 1989
Associate Publisher Arthur M. Horwitz
News Editor Heidi Press
Jewish Experiences for Families
Adviser Harlene W. Appleman
Illustrator Neil Beckman
L-2
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1989
adaption of the Hebrew given name,
Tikvah, meaning hope.
In Germany, "Hof" could be an
abbreviation for "Hoffnung,"
meaning hope. Hoffmann, could
thus mean a "hopeful man." the
Universal Jewish Encyclopedia and
the Jewish Encyclopedia have 18th
and 19th century biographies from
Austria, Hungary, Germany, United
States, Lithuania and
Czechoslovakia. They also contain
duplicates of a Hoffmann family
crest.
The Kalisch family of Oak Park
would also like information
regarding its surname. Kalisch is
another name of geographic origin
adopted by a former resident of the
Polish town of Kalisz. The Leo
Baeck Institute holds a family tree
dating from the 17th century. The
Encyclopedia Judaica has a
biography about this family from
17th century Poland and 18th
century Germany.
Vogel is an Ashenazic surname.
It could have been adopted by an
ancestor who lived in the Frankfort
ghetto under the sign of a vogel
(bird). It might also have been an
assigned name given to someone
with birdlike features. There is an
article in the Jewish Encyclopedia
about Sir Julius Vogel (1835-1899).
Sir Vogel lived in both England and
New Zealand.
Popov as a surname stems
from the Russian meaning "son of
a rabbi."
Kraft, a surname of Ashkenazic
origin, describes a physical
characteristic. Krafft in German
means strong. The Universal Jewish
Encyclopedia has an article about
Louis Kraft born in Moscow in 1891.
Proskauer is an Ashkenazic
surname which may have originated
from the Russian town of Proskurov
in Podolia Gubernia. The Leo Baeck
Institute has several Proskauer
family trees.
Having a problem tracing your
family history or genealogy? Write to
Betty Starkman c/o L'Chayim.
Betty Provizer Starkman is the past
president and founder of the
genealogical branch of the Jewish
Historical Society of Michigan.
Let All Who Are Hungry Come And Eat
Continued from Page L-1
Maple/Drake and Jimmy Prentis
Morris buildings of the Jewish
Community Center, as well as the
United Hebrew Schools, have
volunteered to be drop-off sites for
non-perishable chametz products
during the collection phase of the
project: April 16 through April 18.
We recognize that even as we are
commanded to remember the
"stranger", our relationship with
organizations outside the Jewish
community has been strong and
vital and has been instrumental in
our involvement in efforts such as
Project Chametz. For example, the
Hunger Action Coalition has agreed
to serve as collector and distributor
of the donated chametz to soup
kitchens and food pantries
throughout the area.
In addition to the positive
impact Project Chametz will have on
Council's image and relations with
the greater community, we believe it
will have a unifying effect on our
own community. This has already
been demonstrated by the
endorsement the project has
received from the Council of
Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit,
the Michigan Board of Rabbis, and
a whole host of groups at various
points along the spectrum. Just as
the entire Jewish people joins in
remembrance of the story of the
Exodus, our whole community has
shown its eagerness to unite to aid
the hungry.
It should be stressed, however,
that no matter how beneficial this
project may be to the image of our
community as we relate to and
cooperate with other communities,
and no matter how helpful our
participation may be to relations
within our own community, the
importance of a hunger relief project
at Passover time transcends these
considerations. We are commanded
to remember our days of bondage,
and to take steps to combat the
enslavement of others; it is no idle
exercise. In the words of writer
George Santayana, just as those
who forget history are condemned
to repeat it, those who do not keep
in mind the transgressions that have
been visited upon them risk
becoming collaborators in or
perpetrators of future
transgressions. As we celebrate our
freedom, let us dedicate ourselves
anew to the task of creating a world
in which all will be free — free of
hunger, free of want, free of fear.
PASSOVER QUIZ
1. Passover begins on the: a) 15th of Adar, b) 15th of Nisan c) 20th of
April, d) none of these
2. Passover lasts for: a) 6 days, b) 8 days, c) 9 days
3. True or False: Passover has something in common with July 4.
4. Name four of the 10 plagues.
5. Match these:
Z'man Cherutenu
Spring Festival
Chag Ha'Aviv
Feast of Unleavened Bread
Chag Ha'Matzot
Time of our Freedom
6. How many ceremonial matzot are on the table?
7. Afikoman comes from which of those matzot?
8. What is Ma'ot Chittim?
9. What is Bedikat Chametz?
10. What is Biur Chametz?
11. Seder means: a) dinner, b) festival meal, c) service, d) order
12. The middle days of Passover are known as: a) Pesach Sheni,
b) Pesach Katan, c). Pesach Gadol, d) Chol HaMoed
13. Match these:
Karpas
Bitter herbs
Korech
Mixture of nuts, apples, wine, cinnamon
Maror
Green vegetable
Beitzah
Shankbone
Zeroah
A no-no for Pesach
Charoset
Egg
Chametz
Sandwich
14. Kos Shel Eliyahu is: a) special dish, b) special seat, c) special cup,
d) none of these
15. What is the symbolic meaning of: a) Maror, b) Karpas, c) Zeroah,
d) Charoset
Answers on Page L - 5
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