Chapter Seven: Besser and Popaver in Warsaw & Otwock

The Polish archives have been especially stingy in providing information on the Popavers and Bessers. Because of this we only see back into the mid to late 1800s. Even worse, we do not know the birth surname of many of your author’s 2^nd great-grandparents. As a result, we are not able to look directly at our ancestors before the birth of Kalman Besser and Frayda Popaver. Fortunately, many members of my family took the time to interview their parents and grandparents. Add to this the documented history of the area, and the story starts to come, slightly, into focus. Let’s take a look.

Warsaw

Family legend tells us that the Bessers had a long history in Warsaw Poland, dating well before ~1890 when Kalman Besser was born.[i] “A long history in Warsaw”, is not descriptive on its own. History tells us that it likely means that Kalman’s ancestors entered sometime after 1797, when Prussia established a Jewish community in Warsaw.[ii] It is possible, though not likely that it could have been much earlier.

In less than 70 years after Jews first entered Warsaw (1414),[iii] they were expelled (1483). The expulsion was not initially effective, however, in 1570 Warsaw obtained the privilege “de non tolerandis Judaeis”. This “privilege” prevented anyone who was Jewish from setting within two miles of the city limits. This remained in effect until 1797.[iv]

Once lifted, Jews rapidly entered Warsaw. Having been granted equal rights in the constitution,  Jewish immigrants quickly integrated into Warsaw’s society. Jews would again be granted equal rights in 1861 by the Austrians and again by the Prussians in 1869. In exchange for equal rights, Jews were required to take on a surname.[v] [1]

It is believed that Avram-Zamvel Besser was born right around the time that Jews were first granted equal rights in Warsaw by the Austrians. His father was likely Moshe Besser, but his mother’s name is unknown.[vi] [vii] Around 1880, Avram-Zamvel married Menucha bat Shmuel Yaakov.[viii] [ix]

Avram-Zamvel and Menucha had at least seven children. Kalman Besser (born ~1885) was the oldest and is your author’s great-grandfather. Rachel Besser was their oldest daughter. Their other children were Freyda, Leya, Giteal, Yitzhak (Isaac) and Shayona.[x] It is also possible that they had a son named Moshe.[xi]

Avram-Zamvel, Menucha, and their children were fortunate to live in Warsaw, Poland in the late 19^th century. This was one of the few places in Europe where Jews were integrated and had, nearly, equal rights. This was demonstrated in the opening ceremony of the “Great Synagogue” on the 26^th of September 1878. At its opening, Rabbi Izaak Cylkow welcomed the Russian governor, Paul Demetriues von Kotzebue by saying:

We put our faith in God that we [Jews and Poles]will never again be considered a separate society and treated as a separate people, but as eligible sons of our country, citizens of one country … that the light will spread and disperse, at last, the heavy fog of prejudices and fallacies that have lingered over our mutual relations for so long.[xii]

Otwock

The history of Jews in Otwock is short. Jewish settlement began in earnest after rabbi Kalisz Simcha Bunem moved there in 1880. Hassidic jews began visiting him and eventually set up a community. The popularity of its health spas attracted Jewish investment into the area.. In addition to the local Hassidic population, Otwock also attracted Jews who were fleeing pogroms from Russia, Lithuania, and Ukraine.

It is likely that in the 1880s Shlomo Popaver and his wife Rachel Leia moved to Otwock.[2] [xiii] It is not known if they were married prior to coming to Otwock or if they arrived separately. All we know about their early life was that Rachel Leia was born in Minsk Mazowiecki[xiv] and Shlomo’s mother was named Frajda.[xv] Around 1889, their daughter, and your author’s great-grandmother, Frayda Popaver was born in Otwock.[xvi] In addition to Frayda, they would have at least four more children: Nomi, Isaac, Rosa, and Avram Hersz.

It is not known for sure what Shlomo’s profession was, but at the time of his death, his wife, Rachel owned a store that was fondly remembered by her grandchildren.[xvii] Life in Otwock was  very different than in any other part of Poland as, here, a majority of the population was Jewish. Symcha Symchowicz provides us with a view of life in Otwock:[3]

 The liveliest day of the week was Friday, when the weekly fair took place. … The streets surrounding the market were crowded with pedestrians and horse wagons. The dressed in black Jewish merchants and housekeepers with wicker baskets in hand hurried to the marked from all directions.

The walkways in front of buildings were occupied by young butchers, with uncovered heads, in white shirts with pulled up sleeves, engaged in loud conversations. From the corner restaurant of Popower came lively sounds from people who feasted with jugs of beer. The corner in front of the Restaurant was host to debates of workmen and apprentices, members of youth parties and organizations, engaged in political discussions.[xviii]

A new century

At the turn of the century, it was time for the next generation to start getting married and raising a family.

In Otwock, Nomi Popaver married Pinchas Felner.[xix] It is believed that they remained in Otwock and had two children, Fela and Shlomo Felner.[xx] Isaac Popaver married someone whose name has been lost to time, but he, too, had a son named Shlomo Popaver, named after his father who had passed away by then.[xxi] Sadly, we have no information on Rosa or Avram Hersz.

In Warsaw, Rachel Besser married Chanoch (Hanock) Wasserzog. They had their first of 10 children around 1910.[xxii] [xxiii] Freyda Besser married someone whose name has been lost to time. We do know that she had a daughter named Pesa.[xxiv] Leya Besser married Isreal, but his surname is not known. Giteal Besser married Mendel whose surname is also not known. They had two children, Reina and Moses. Reina would later get married and have two children of her own, Genia and Moshe. Shayona Besser’s husband was named Topka, but that is all we know about them.[xxv] Moshe and Yitzhak (Isaac) Besser are complete mysteries. In fact, all we know about Moshe is that there is a gravestone near Avram-Zamvel’s that reads, Moshe ben Avram-Zamvel. It is assumed that he was the son of our ancestor Avram-Zamvel, but even that is not certain.

Kalman Besser and Frayda Popaver united these two families. They were married sometime prior to 1907 when their daughter Sonia Besser was born. Sonia was followed by Yichiel Besser in 1913, Pola Besser in 1914, Cypora Besser in 1915, Shraga (Fajwel) Besser in 1917 and Rose Besserin 1921. They lived in Warsaw on Rymarska St. Their living quarters were on top of their warehouse which held grains and other dry goods. They would summer in the resort of Otwock. We will further explore their lives in Warsaw and Otwock in Chapter 10.[xxvi]

Open Questions

• What was Rachel Leia’s and Menucha’s birth surname?
• Where did Popavers live prior to Otwock?

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[1] This late requirement for surnames could account for the difficulty in finding records of our Besser ancestors.

[2] Rachel Leia’s maiden name is unknown. It is also not known where they came from, but it is worth noting that there were Popavers recorded in Warsaw throughout the 19^th century.

[3] Note the name of the restaurant maybe it was run by one of our ancestors

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[i] Date is an estimate based on Cypora Olive’s memoir where she states that her father was the oldest among his siblings.

[ii] “1,000 years of Jewish Live in Poland”, by: Taube Foundation for Jewish life and culture, pg 8, available on-line at: Timeline_1000years.pdf.

[iii] IBID, pg. 3.

[iv] IBID, pg. 4.

[v] IBID, pg. 8.

[vi] “Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland”, Okopowa Cemetery in Warsaw, name: Avraham Zeinvel Besser, Father: Moshe, Available online at Wirtualny Cmentarz.

[vii] Cypora Olive’s Memoir, see Appendix B

[viii] “Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland”, Okopowa Cemetery in Warsaw, name: Menucha Besser, Husband: Avraham Zeinvel, Father: Shmuel Yaakov, Available online at Wirtualny Cmentarz.

[ix] Cypora Olive’s Memoir, see Appendix B

[x] Obtained by Keith Olive through interviewing cousins, aunts, uncles, and his parents. Provided to Sean Logan via a handwritten family tree. Remains in the possession of Sean Logan.

[xi] “Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland”, Okopowa Cemetery in Warsaw, name: Moshe Chaim Besser, Father: Avraham Zeinvel, Available online at Wirtualny Cmentarz.

[xii] Jewish Historical Institute, “The Great Synagogue on Tlomackie Street and its destruction”, by Jan Jagielski. Available on-line at: The Great Synagogue on Tłomackie Street and its destruction \ News \ The Great Synagogue on Tłomackie Street and its destruction \ Żydowski Instytut Historyczny.

[xiii] Date is Obtained through two sources: 1) Yad Vashem, the world holocaust remembrance center, Frajda Gitla Besser, information submitted by “Yekhiel Beser,” her son. Birth year, 1889. 2) Cypora Olive’s memoir (see Appendix B) stating that “My mother Frayda Popaver was born in Otwock.”

[xiv] Yad Vashem, the world holocaust remembrance center, Frajda Gitla Besser, information submitted by “Yekhiel Beser,” her grandson, available online: Rachel Leia Popower.

[xv] Obtained by Keith Olive through interviewing cousins, aunts, uncles, and his parents. Provided to Sean Logan via a handwritten family tree. Remains in the possession of Sean Logan.

[xvi] IBID.

[xvii] Cypora Olive’s memoir (see Appendix B)

[xviii] Zydzi otwoccy-HiStory (History of the Jews of Otwock), by Bez Kategorii, available on-line at History of the Jews of Otwock. – Żydzi otwoccy-HiStory.

[xix] Yad Vashem, the world holocaust remembrance center, Nomi and Pynchas Felner, information submitted by “Yekhiel Beser,” their newphew, available online: Nomi Felner

[xx] Obtained by Keith Olive through interviewing cousins, aunts, uncles, and his parents. Provided to Sean Logan via a handwritten family tree. Remains in the possession of Sean Logan.

[xxi] Obtained by Keith Olive through interviewing cousins, aunts, uncles, and his parents. Provided to Sean Logan via a handwritten family tree. Remains in the possession of Sean Logan.

[xxii] IBID

[xxiii] Cypora Olive’s memoir (see Appendix B)

[xxiv] Obtained by Keith Olive through interviewing cousins, aunts, uncles, and his parents. Provided to Sean Logan via a handwritten family tree. Remains in the possession of Sean Logan.

[xxv] IBID

[xxvi] First hand knowledge from Cypora Olive, their sibling.