Gerschon Judkowicz

Abraham Jutkovits was born around 1857, in Cabiny, Slovakia, which is in Sub-Carpathia and was a part of Hungary at the time of his birth. Abraham married Ruchel Minz, born around 1857 in Sanok, Poland (then Galicia). He moved to his wife's village and started to raise a family. Not being the oldest male son, Abraham apparently was not in line to inherit his father's forest land in Cabiny at the time of his marriage to Ruchel, under the assumption that he would have brought his wife to Cabiny, rather than move to Sanok. Jewish Polish records record the family name in Galicia as Judkowicz.

In Sanok, Abraham and Ruchel had three children: Feige, born in 1878, Gerschon, born in 1882, and Joseph, born in 1886. Abraham, who may have been a tax collector, was robbed and murdered shortly after the birth of Joseph.

Ruchel remarried a widower, Alter Leibenhaut, born around 1847. He and his first wife, Sarah (Brauner) Leibenhaut had seven children together. Two of them lived long enough to marry, while three died as infants and the other two as teenagers. Ruchel moved with her three children from Sanok to Alter's village of Skole, Galicia. In 1889, a daughter, Dwore Golde Leibenhaut, was born to Ruchel and Alter. Dwore died in 1891. In 1893, another daughter, Jenty Brandel Leibenhaut was born. Jenty, died in 1915.

Unfortunately, on February 16, 1890, when Gershon was 8 years old, he was killed by Alter Leibenhaut. The story told to future generations stated that Gershon was "kicked in the head and killed by his stepfather during a fight". The Polish Jewish Record of Gershon's death indicates the cause of death was (in German) "inflammation of the brain". It is hard to imagine an eight year old in a "fight" with a 43 year old man, so one may assume this was a disciplinary action that went too far. Gershon was probably buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Skole, which was destroyed during the Nazi occupation in WWII.

The youngest child of Ruchel and Abraham Judkowicz, Joseph, became the heir to his grandfather's forest land. It was said that Joseph was raised primarily by his paternal grandparents. Therefore, it makes sense that upon Gershon's death, Joseph, age 4, was taken by his grandparents, Hersk and Necha (Grunspan) Jutkovits, to Cabiny. Joseph's ship records on his voyage to New York, eight years later in 1898, indicate he was from Cabiny. His WWII draft registration form indicates his birthplace as Sanok.

As for his older sister Feige, Joseph learned his mother and sister were dead by the end of WWII. It is known through Yad Vashem records that Feige was sent to the Lwow Ghetto in 1941. A Yad Vashem Witness Page (Item ID 946244) signed by Avraham Elner, her Uncle, and written in Hebrew, stated that Feige was Murdered in the Shoah.

There is a record of Feige Judkowicz in the Lwow Ghetto. Also, Yad Vashem records report the following:

FEIGE JUDKOWICZ

Feige Judkowicz was born in Skole, Poland in 1878. During the war she was in Skole, Poland.

This information is based on a list of persecuted persons found in Lists of Jewish forced laborers who worked in lumber factories in Skole and Broszniow, 03/1942. She is listed as living at Wrsodwsi 47 in the Lwow Ghetto, along with her step uncle, Isak Leibenhaut from Skole (b. 28 April 1900), and his wife Estera (b. 1910), daughter Chana (b. 1933), and son, Azeis (b. 1935). These individuals all are located on this family tree. The factory they were assigned to is the Hobag Holzbau Aklengesellschaft Breslau - haltung. This was next to Isak's name on the list and the word "haltung" roughly translates to a good attitude. His "profession was indicated to be "Fuhrmann" which means driver or wagoner.

Joseph Judkowitz, residing in New York since 1898, learned that his sister Feige, who was eight years his senior, was dead by the end of WWII.