Berlinsky Family

Hadassah Berlinsky was born in Jerusalem on Chanukah, 31 December 1931. Her life is intertwined and rooted in the roots of her Zionistic family, which arrived to Palestine at the beginning of the 20th century from Vilna, Lithuania. In the photo album are portraits of descendants of the extended family. Families: Meletz, Rabinowitz, Berlinsky, Kozlovski, Vilkensky, Meltzer, Elazry, Volcani, Giladi and the family of Alexander Zaid and Zipporah nee Beker Mashiach Avrik. Written on each picture is the name of the person photographed. Rivka Beker Hadasshah's maternal great-grandmother Hodus Meltz, was born in Wilkumer, Lithuania, married Moshe Meltz and lived in Vilna. Hodus (Haddasah) was widowed at an early age. She supported herself with a sewing workshop. Hodus had two children: Raiza and Shachna-Calev. Her son immigrated to the US and raised his family there. Raiza, her daughter, married Menachem Mendel Beker in Wilumer. He too, as her father, Dov Beker, did, worked as a painter as well as an artist. Raiza and Menachem Mendel moved to Vilna. Riaza and Menachem Mendel had 7 children- 3 boys and 4 girls. The life story of the Beker children is interwoven with the Zionist Movement of the Second Aliyah. Moshe, The oldest brother, was the first to make Aliyah to the Land of Israel, in 1910. At first he ran an agricultural farm in Artuf and eventually settled in Rishon Le'Zion. He had 9 children; Nissan Beker was ordained as a Rabbi at the age of 17 and died from tuberculosis at the age of 20 in Vilna. Keila-Zelata moved to Israel and married Yisrael Giladi from Kalarash, one of the founders of the Shomer Movement. They had a number of children of which only two survived. Israeli Giladi passed away in 1918 at the age of 32. Tzipporan Beker married Alexander Zayed in Israel. He too was one of the founders of the Shomer Movement. They had 4 children; Alexander Zayed was murdered by Arabs in 1938. Rivka married Akivah Rabinovitz. They had 3 children; Esther (Chaya) married Meir Kozlobeshy. They had 3 children. The younger brother, David Beker, immigrated to the United States and had 3 children. Rivka Beker, the mother of Hadassah was drawn to sewing from her early childhood in Vilna. She spent a year in Odessa learning the trade and later opened a workshop and store for making corsets and women's underclothing. Akivah Rabinovitch He immigrated to Israel in 1908. His roots are from Eišiškės. His grandfather was Rabbi Lazar Vilkensky Hadayan. Rivka, Rabbi Lazar's daughter, from his first marriage, married Shmuel Rabinovitz, the father of Akiva Rabinovitz. Shmuel Rabinovitz was a Rabbi from the town of Sveir whose roots are in Vishnyeva. He served as the secretary of the 'Hafetz Haim.' Rabbi Lazar Hadayan, Rivka's father, remarried and his sons from this marriage were among the heads of the 'Ha'Poel Hatzair' and the Second Aliyah. They changed their name from Vilknesky to Elazry and Volcani. Yitzchak was a leader and scientist; Meir was an author and public figure; Mordechai was a talented scientist. They all arrived in Palestine at the beginning of the 20th century. Akiva was the eldest son of Shmuel and Akiva Rabinovitz. Afterwards, Elyakim came to the Land of Israel and studied in Bezalel. He later moved to Paris raised a family and was killed in the Holocaust. Rivka, and her sister Rachel and brother Aharon, were also killed in the Holocaust. The younger brother, Naftali, moved to Israel in 1921. Akiva and Rivka were childhood friends in Vilna. Akiva was one of the first members of the committee of the Po'alei Zion Movement in Vilna, along with Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi. He immigrated to Israel in 1908 and worked for his uncle, in Ben Shemen. In 1910, Raiza and Rivka arrived and they began arranging the wedding of Rivka and Akiva. The wedding took place in the home of his uncle, Itzchak Vilkensky, in Jaffa. Rabbi Kook, who was then the Rabbi of Jaffa, officiated at the marriage ceremony. Yosef Brenner attended the wedding and even gave a sermon. After their marriage, Rivka and Akiva moved to Jerusalem. Hadassah's youth were during the British Mandate, and in her memoirs she mentions the proximity of their homes to the entertainment center in Jerusalem, which included performances and orchestras. Raiza and Menachem Mendel Beker moved to Israel at the beginning of the 1900's. Menachem Mendal settled in Artuf. His son Moshe lived with him. He and his family eventually moved to Rishon Le'Zion. Raiza lived with her daughter Rivka. In later years, Raiza and Menachem Mendel moved to Jerusalem. They were observant Jews and therefore could not live in Kfar Giladi, where some of their family lived. Their daughter, Rivka, along with her husband Akiva, lived with them in Jerusalem. Menachem Mendel continued working as a painter and was one of the painters of the "Palace" in the Bucharan neighborhood. Raiza and Menachem Mendel passed away in Jerusalem in 1927 and were buried on the Mount of Olives. Akiva and Rivka Rabinovitz moved to Kfar Giladi in their old age. Hadassah herself was a member of Kfar Giladi during the years 1937-1941. Most of the Beker family members are buried in the Shomer plots in the Tel Hai Cemetary. Hadassah's maternal relatives were the founders of Kibbutz Giladi and her two brothers, Yehudka and Shmulik, also joined the kibbutz. Hadassah Belinsky nee Rabinovitz: Hadassah Berlinsky was born in Jerusalem on Chanukah on the 31st of December 1913. She and her brother Yehuda, born one and a half years after her, were born while their parents lived near the French Consulate next to the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. They moved a number of times, from apartment to apartment, until they built a house on a plot of land they bought at 28 Alharizi Street. Shmuel, her brother, was born when she was 9 years old. After the First World War her parent's financial status improved. During the pogroms of the 1920's, all the family from the Galilee came to live with them. Hadassah studied at the 'Lemel School'. She was a good student. At the age of 5, Hadassah became ill and missed a whole year of school. Later, she studied at the Gymnasia Hareali in Jerusalem. She studied in the commercial program. Her program was a three year program. Hadassah completed her studies and received a matriculation certificate in 1929. She was 17 years old. Raiza and Menachem Mendel passed away at the end of the 1920's. Rivka and Akiva continued living in their apartment on Alharizi Street until 1953, at which point they moved to Kfar Gilad until their death. They are buried there. Hadassah's mother, Rivka, was religious. She observed the Sabbath law and the laws of Kashrut. Akiva moved away from the religious practices. At the beginning of their marriage they used to spend the holidays with Rivka's parents, Hadassah's grandparents-Raiza and Menachem Mendel Beker. Hadassah tells of close family relationships with her aunts and uncles and cousins. Hadassah spent a lot of time with her relatives who lived in Kfar Giladi, Rishon Le'Zion, Atarot and Givatayim. The family reunions, the trips and activities with cousins were an important part of her life. Upon completion of her studies, Hadassah started working in her parent's store. In addition she joined the Hagannah Movement and for awhile she was the Commander of the Women in Jerusalem. Hadassah spent a year in Egypt in 1935 as an emissary of the 'Hachalutz Movement'. She taught Hebrew and worked in the Youth Movement. Hadassah spent two months in Paris visiting her father's brother, Uncle Elyakim. In 1937-1941 she lived in Kibbutz Kfar Giladi. She lived in the room of her widowed aunt, Kaila Giladi and Tova Portugeli. She worked as a kindergarten teacher; taught Hebrew and mathematics; worked in the garden and sewed women's underclothing. Her parents were not happy with this decision. Yet they also moved to Kfar Giladi in1953 and lived there or man years. In 1940 she met Naftali Berlinsky, who came to Israel from Poland with the 'Chalutz' training group in 1930. Naftali worked in the Dead Sea Works, Ltd. Afterwards he joined the Jewish Settlement Police, as a guard, from 1936-1946. Naftali enjoyed dancing and travelling. After their marriage, Hadassah returned to live in Jerusalem. They resided at 9A Ovadia Street in the Kerem Avraham neighborhood. Uzi, the son of Hadassah and Naftali was born in 1942. Half a year later the family moved to 28 Alharizi Street, living in one of the back rooms of the house, next to Hadassah's parents. The Menchel Family, the parents and two children, Tirza and Ehud rented the three room apartment in the front of the house. A few years later their daughter Batya was born. Naftali started working in the Jewish Agency in the 'Search Bureau for Missing Relatives'. Akiva and Rivka closed their store. During the first cease fire of the War of Independence, the Menchel Family moved out of the apartment and the Berlinskys moved into the 3 room front apartment in the building. After the founding of the State, Rivka and Akiva decided to move to Kfar Giladi. Hadassah began working in the archives in the Prime Minister's Office, where she worked until her retirement in 1978. At the same time, she raised her two children, Uzi and Batya. Her mother Rivka passed away in1972 and her father, Akiva in 1979. They are both buried in the cemetery in Tel Hai. Her husband passed away suddenly in 1974. Hadassah found consolation in her children and grandchildren. Her son Uzi had three daughters. Her daughter, Batya Carmon, had 6 children. Until her death in 2011, Hadassah invested much time and effort into arranging the family picture albums that include photographs, letters and documents that memorialize the history of the family and the times. Hadassah passed away in October 2011 at the age of 97. Read more