- OPINION Specializing in Alzheimer's Care Finding Family Through A Friend SUSAN LIPTON-NEWMAN `;:Special to the Jewish News Scarsdale, NY 1 t might have been the move to New York nearly 12 years ago and leaving my family in . Detroit. It might have been the birth of my two children, Rachel and Jonathan, and wanting to know more about my ancestors and family history Whatever the motivation, I began to make telephone calls and charts of my family's roots. Family members filled out forms at a Thanksgiving reunion to help track the nine sisters and brothers, the > Meyerson family, who arrived on Ellis Island in the early 1900s from Odessa, Russia. Abraham Morachnik and Rose Mandell Morachnik had two children in Odessa, a son Meyer (Buddy) and a daughter Belle, my grandmother. A twin sister died ar birth. Seven other siblings, Estelle, Sarah, Faye, Jenny, Samuel, Harriet and George, would be born in /- Dubuque, Iowa, and Detroit. When the family arrived on Ellis Island, their surname was changed from Morach- nik to Meyerson. As things often happen, I became busy with my life in New York, my husband and children. My desire to learn about my family resided tem- porarily inside a f?.rnil-v room drawer with all the information I had so care- fully gathered. That was until I had a fascinating dinner with neighbors who have a son in my son Jonathan's kindergarten class. Our evening and conversation with Tammi Morachnik and her husband Marc Greenberg progressed. We dis- cussed how lucky Tammi is to have her grandparents and we mentioned \-1 our growing families, Ellis Island ic d finally, Odessa, Russia. I jokingly said to Tammi, "You know, my grand- mother vas born 2 Morachnik." Tammi remembered talking with her own family members about relatives from Odessa. There we were, sitting in a restau- Bloomfield Healthcare rant on the Upper East Side of Man- hattan, asking each other how large Odessa could have been and how many Morachnik families could have lived there. The anticipation was too great. Tammi called her Aunt Beverly Rorwein in Boca Raton, Fla., directly from our table and learned immedi- ately that we shared more than a sur- name; we were, indeed, related. Her Aunt Bev remembered my grand- mother's aunts, uncles and the entire Meyerson clan. She also recalled the Scotch & Sirloin, a Detroit landmark owned by the Meyer- son family. The next tele- phone call was to my mother in 'Farming- ton Hills. I told my mother I was walking down 74th Street with our newfound cousin, a woman whose family came from Odessa and whose surname was Morachnik. My mom immmdiately spoke to Tammi and said she was staring at a photo of her very own Aunt Bev- erly of Florida. After the initial excitement, Tammi and I needed to know exactly how we were related. Tammi's Aunt Beverly was a fountain of information. Through her, we found that my grandma Belle Morachnik-Meyerson and Tammi's grandpa Charlie Morachnik were first cousins. Their fathers, Abraham Morachnik and Samuel Morahcnik, were brothers. Therefore, Tammi and I share the same great-great-grandfather whose name we still have not been able to determine. We are still trying to put the pieces together. We would like to know any information about the Morachnik family from Odessa, Rus- sia, our great-great-grandfather and if our great-grandfathers had any other siblings. Please forward any informa- tion to Susie Lipton-Newman, c/o the Words cannot describe the excitement and joy of finding a missing piece of my family history in this way. • Proudly Presents • • SUTTON HOMES •"• 411 • • Single Family Residence • Staffing Ratio 1:3 • No Entrance Fee • No Hidden Costs (Supplies Included) • Quality care provided with dignity and compassion • Convenient Locations: West Bloomfield Troy Bloomfield Hills Philosophical commitment to doing whatever necessary and possi- ble within our means to meet resident's needs for care of dementia. A TRULY SKILLED ALTERNATIVE TO INSTITUTIONAL CARE For information call (248) 258-8282 REGISTERED ELECTROLOGISTS Come and let us remove your unwanted hair problem and improve your appearance. Near 12 Mile Rd. between Evergreen & Southfield Ask for Debby at 248.559 *1969 (Appointment Only) EINTRAUB I EWELERS WE SERVICE EVERYTHING WE SELL... AND EVERYTHING ANYBODY ELSE SELLS. k?. Anybody Can Sell Jewelry... 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