“The first time we wrote the family name in English was here, in
Israel,
” Ira said.
A relative suggested that Ira access the online Shoah Victims’
Names Database of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial
museum in Jerusalem. The database includes scanned Pages
of Testimony from the museum’s Hall of Names. (See
sidebar.)
In 2011, Zygie took the time to complete a Page of
Testimony for his nine lost immediate family mem-
bers. Zygie’s name and address are at the bottom
of each document. This mitzvah ensures that his
Allweiss parents and siblings are remembered
always as among the 6 million Jewish victims of
Nazism.
When Ira located her father’s page using the
name “
Allweiss” and saw my dad’s relationship
to Fishel stated as “brother,
” she learned for
the first time what her grandpa had only
dreamed of — that his younger brother
Zygie (and she was soon to find Sol) were
survivors of the Holocaust, just like Fishel
himself. New relatives all around!
I was the first in our family that Ira con-
tacted on April 28. Below my comment on
a picture posted to the Facebook “
Allweiss
Family” page, Ira wrote: “Esther, my name
is Ira. I am from Israel. I found documents
that your father filled out at Yad Vashem.
Your father and my grandfather, Fishel
Allweiss, were brothers.
“I would like to contact you to match. My
grandfather thought all his life that there is
no one alive from the family. He searched in
Poland after the war and didn’t find anyone.
”
She attached a photo of her grandfather’s Page
of Testimony with my father identified as the
submitter. She wrote another message below: “My
Grandfather Fishel Allweiss.
” Ira then asked me:
“Did I get to the right place?”
What? I thought, then, Wow! I took a beat as the
enormity of what I’
d just seen and read registered. Then
I clicked the Facebook “Love” emoji and sent Ira, my new
first cousin once removed, this message: “I am surprised,
shocked and delighted. We must communicate! God bless
Facebook. I will PM [Private Message] you, Cousin.
”
I immediately shared the exciting news with my sisters Irene
Wise of Hartland and Janice Allweiss Young of Farmington Hills.
For the next few hours, which, in retrospect, felt very surreal, Ira
and I sent each other questions, family information and pictures
on Facebook Messenger. I immediately forwarded what she was
sending me to a Zygie family message group. I also emailed my
Aunt Frieda Allweiss in Arizona and her and Sol’s three surviving
children.

FISHEL ALVAIS
(ALLWEISS)

Lived: May 10, 1921-

Aug. 23, 1981

Born: Jaslany, Galicia,

Poland

Died: Belarus, USSR

Work: Watchmaker for a com-

pany

Wife: The late Klara, formerly Avshtein, of Belarus

Children: The late Arkady (the late Raya) and the late

Michael Alvais; the late Faina (Felix) Kuravsky, all of Israel

Grandchildren: Gershon (Olga) and Alexander (Marina)

Alvais, and Irina (Yaron

Zonnenshein) Kuravsky, all of

Israel

Great-grandchildren: Nick

and Rada Alvais, Linoy and

Lian Zonnenshein and Liam

Alvais, all of Israel

SALEK “SOL” ALLWEISS

Lived: Sept. 15, 1925-Aug. 1,

2004

Born: Jaslany, Galicia, Poland

Died: Farmington

Work: Partner, Sol & Zygie’s

Standard & Mobil Oil gas and

service stations in Detroit

and Southfield; Owner,

Sol’s Complete Car Care in

Berkley

Wife: Frieda, 89, formerly

Schiller, of Chortkow, Poland.

She lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Children: Jack (Patty)

Allweiss of California, Ben

Allweiss of Arizona, Ilana

Moss of Oregon and the late

Phil (Kat) Allweiss of Michigan and Florida.

Grandchildren: The late David (Meghann) and Jonathan

Allweiss, both of California; Erin (Paul)

Lietzan of Washington state and

the late Sara Sophia Allweiss of

Michigan

ZYGA “ZYGIE”
ALLWEISS

Lived: May 8,

1927-Aug. 20, 2014

Born: Jaslany,

Galicia, Poland

Died: West Bloomfield

Work: Partner, Sol & Zygie’s Standard &

Mobil Oil gas and service stations in Detroit

and Southfield; Owner, Prime Auto & Truck

Repair in Troy

Wife: The late Irma, formerly Burg, of Bronx,

N.Y.

Children: Esther (Mike Ingber), Irene Wise,

Janice (Loren) Young, Elizabeth Allweiss and

Michael Allweiss, all of Metro Detroit

Grandchildren: Erica Bak, Alison Tschirhart,

Jennifer (Mat) Stolman, Sarah Allweiss-

Rosenbaum, Julianna Tschirhart, Renee Wise

and Aiden Allweiss, all of Metro Detroit

Great-grandchildren: Benjamin, Nathan

and Ella Bak; Clara and Violet Stollman,

all of West Bloomfield

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

continued from page 12

14 | AUGUST 25 • 2022

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