Note: Yosef Olej and Chana Dvora (Olej) Saltz were discussed in chapters 8 & 9, this chapter reviews the remaining siblings who children/grandchildren escaped Poland.
*Moses was Aharon Mayer’s grandson
Building a family in Zdunska Wola and Łask
Avram Moshe moved to Zdunska Wola after the death of his wife, Baila Horowicz in 1871. He was joined by his younger sons, Isaac and Berek. Avram Moshe’s two eldest sons, Aharon Mayer and Machel, remained in Łask. Aharon Mayer had already married Ruchla Wajc (18th of August 1867), and by 1871, they already had 2 of their eventual 3 children.[i] After their third child, Ruchla passed away in Łask. Five months later, on the 16th of September, Aharon Mayer married Ruchla’s sister, Reina Wajc, they would have seven children. Machel was single until 1890, when he married Hannah Leya Joskowicz. [ii] [iii] [1]
In 1872, Avram Moshe married his second wife, Chana Glevitsky in Zdunska Wola. They had one child, Mordka Volv Olej who was born on the 19th of March 1876.[iv] All was quiet on the marriage front until on 6th of May 1889 when Issac Olej married Sara Pik. Like his father, Isaac was very religious and spent much of his time in yeshivah. This left raising the family to Sara who made wine and ran a wayside inn. Isaac and Sara had their first child, Bella, in 1890. They would have a total of eleven over the next 18 years.[v] [2]
On the 13th of April 1894, Avram Moshe passed away at the age of 75. He missed his son Berek’s wedding to Ajdla Goldberg by one month. Berek and Ajdla’s first child, Avram Moshe Olej, was born on the 15th of November 1895, he was named in honor of his grandfather.[4] [vi] [vii] Finally, in 1906, having reached adulthood, Avram Moshe and Chana Glevitsky’s son, Mordka Wolf married Brajna Rozynowicz.[viii]
Increasing Antisemitism in Poland
By the early 1900s, despite a near majority Jewish population in Zdunska Wola, and 68% in Łask, Jews faced growing antisemitism. Already limited to working as craftsmen, traders, and shopkeepers, financial crisis and boycotts left much of the population very poor.
This impacted Avram Moshe’s son, Machel, who seemed to lack the funds to even pay to register his marriage to Hannah Leya. They, likely, had a religious ceremony in the early 1890s, but only recorded their marriage on the 18th of April 1900.[ix] Poverty also was also a major cause of infant mortality. Again, Machel and Hannah were impacted and lost three of their children, Hersz, Eliezer and Hercke before they reached the age of two.[5] [x]
Over time conditions continued to deteriorate until Germany invaded Poland in 1939. As a result, twelve of Aharon Mayer, Machel, Isaac, Berek and Mordka Volv’s children left Poland in search of a better life. They went to Australia, Western Europe, Israel, Brazil and the USA.[6]
Brazil
When you consider which countries are likely to be the friendliest to Jewish immigrants, Brazil may not be on the top of your list, but it should be. While the USA and Canada established quotas restricting immigration, Brazil was much more welcoming. Therefore between 1924 and 1934, East European immigration to Brazil was over 90,000 people, many of them Jews.[xi] It is not known exactly when, but at some point, in the early 1920s, Berek’s son Michael left Poland for Brazil. His sister and her husband, Chiam Bresler, joined him sometime between 1921 and 1928. Machel remained in Brazil, but Bella and Chiam, for reasons unknown, ended up in Belgium in 1929, when they welcomed their only child, Adele Bresler.[xii]
Brazil was not quite done welcoming the Olejs, though it would have wait quite some time. At an unknown date, Mordka Wolf’s son, Machel, left Poland for somewhere in Western Europe. It is not known exactly where he went, but turned up in Italy after the end of World War II. At some point prior to 1946, he married Ella Auer, who was of Austrian descent. The two of them eventually went to Brazil.[xiii]
America bound
Though the United States had limitations, many of our relatives made it to the USA. One of the early ones was Aharon Mayer’s son Jacob Isaac who arrived in New York City in 1922. Likely due to a lack of funds, he had to leave behind his wife Baila Olej (Machel Olej’s daughter) and his young son, Michael.[xiv] With the goal of bringing his family to New York, Jacob Isaac worked as a Furrier.
While Jacob Isaac was saving to bring his family to the U.S., Isaac’s daughter, Lifcha would be the next to leave Poland. In 1926, her cousin, Abe Olive (formally Abraham Olej) returned to Poland, after following the Saltz family to Chicago. While in Poland he married Lifcha, who recently turned 18. Soon they were back in Chicago, where they had three children.[7] [xv] Lifcha’s sister, Toby soon joined her in Chicago with her husband, Sam Kirsh, around 1927, they had three children.[8] [xvi]
Back in New York City, in 1928, Jacob Isaac had raised enough money to bring his family to New York City.[xvii] The fur trade must have been good for Jacob Isaac, as according to his grandson, Baila and Micheal came over first class, in a State Room.[xviii] They lived in the North Bronx and in 1929 they added Reina to their family.
It is around then that they were joined by their nephew, “Moses Oley”. At that time, he was 33 and an artist. It is believed that Moses was the son of Yehoshua and Marien Wajc’s, Aharon Mayer’s grandson.[xix] Moses came to New York vis Cherbourg France, where he boarded the SS President Harding. He arrived in New York on the 2nd of December 1926.[xx]
Moses remained in New York City, getting married to Lisa Frieda on the 15th of January 1933.[xxi] It does not appear that they ever had any children. Unfortunately, not much is known about Moses other than he was a talented artist.
Isaac’s daughter, Dvora, also managed to make it to the United States with her husband, Judel Klein. They one son Itzchak, but in 1938, for unknown reasons, they returned to Poland. Their story will be told in Part Six.[xxii]
The many roads to Australia, Europe and the Promised Land
The early 1920s marked a western departure for three of Isaac’s sons. The first to leave was Vovo (Wolf) and his wife Channa who went to Romania. In 1923, Vovo’s younger brother, Machael Olej, boarded a train and moved in with them.[xxiii] The third to leave was their brother, Abram Moshe. Abram Moshe and his wife, Rashel eventually ended up in France. Family lore states that he did not work when he was in France but instead spent his time in Cafe’s discussing politics. It is believed that his brother-in-law, Abe Olive, provided financial support.[xxiv]
Machel’s sister, Bella’s departure opened a new continent. Bella and her husband Zephania Jakubowicz (who she married around or before 1913) and their two children, Ruchla (Rosa) and Chana (Anna) arrived in Australia on the Commissiere Ramel on the 24th of September 1927.[xxv] [xxvi] Their destination was Melbourne where they lived for the rest of their lives.
Meanwhile, after a short stay in Romania, Machel and Vovo decided to go to the promised land. It is believed by Machel’s children that, having inherited his mother’s resourcefulness, he was able to sneak into Palestine much like his Cousin Leon did, as described in chapter Eight.[xxvii]
After Machel arrived in Palestine, he established communications with Bella and Zephania Jacobowicz. Having established their residency in Melbourne they were able to send a grateful Machel a permit to come to Melbourne. He arrived in 1935, and from that time forward was known as Max Oliver. Vovo and his family remained in Palestine.
Had Max not come to Melbourne he would never have met Rachel Rosenfeld who also had an amazing story. She and her 3 younger siblings survived in Lodz for 10 years after the death of both parents. They had an uncle, Hirsh, who lived in Melbourne and was able to send them permits to come to Australia. Rachel took on the mother role and brought her sisters to Australia. Rachel and Max met in 1940, got married and had 3 children: Frances Anita, Leslie Edward and Sarah Susan.[xxviii]
Open Questions
- Did Machel and Vovo (Wolf) travel together or did they just go to the same locations?
- How did Abram Moshe and Rashel get out of Europe?
- Are we correct about the identity of Moses Oley? Did he have any children?
- Future researchers may want to evaluate the Wajc family. There are multiple generations of Olej and Wajcs getting married.
[1] Aharon Mayer and Rana had seven children between 1875 and 1893, they were: Chaja Bajla, Eliezer, Glikel Rakhel, Machal, Shimoo, Mendel (who died at the age of 5), and Jacob Isaac.
[2] Isaac and Sara’s children were: Vovov, Abram Moshe, Esther, Pesa, Rachel, Chana, Devora, Toby, Machel and Lifcha.
[3] The Author has identified the people in the picture after family members positively identified Zephania, Baila and Rosa Jacobowicz. Sara and Max were also positively identified. Given Max’s age it is believed that he is standing next to his sister Toby, who is next to her sister Lifcha. Given the presence of the young girl holding Sara’s hand it is the belief of the author that she would be the very young daughter of Vovo and Channa (last name unknown).
[4] Berek and Ajdla’s children were: Avram Moshe, Bella, Manya, Zyskind (1901 – 1907), Luba, Cerla and Michael (Machel)
[5]Machel and Hannahs children were: Chaja Bina, Szyja, Hersz, Baila, Jakow, Mordechi, Eliezer, Hercke, Ichack, and Mackla.
[6] See Figure 40 for the complete list.
[7] Abe and Lifcha’s children: Julius, Anita and Stewart
[8] Toby and Sam’s children: Daniel Sol, Francis and Joseph.
[i] Professional Genealogist Petje reviewed birth, marriage, and death records on Metryki GenBaza, source of vital records. Petje transcribed and summarized in a tree located in Appendix E. Available online at (Metryki GenBaza – Księgi metrykalne i USC. Genealogia.).
[ii] IBID
[iii] IBID
[iv] “Lódz, Poland, Vital Records of Jews in the Lódz Jewish Ghetto, 1939-1944 “, database at Ancestry.com, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Washington, D.C.; Lódz, Poland, Vital Records of Jews in the Lódz Ghetto, 1939-1944; Record Group: rg-15_083m; Name: Mordka Wolf Olej, Birth date: 19 Mar 1876, Names Parents: Abram Moszek Olej and Chana Olej; Accessed on 3 Aug 2025.
[v] Professional Genealogist Petje reviewed birth, marriage, and death records on Metryki GenBaza, source of vital records. Petje transcribed and summarized in a tree located in Appendix E. Available online at (Metryki GenBaza – Księgi metrykalne i USC. Genealogia.).
[vi] IBID
[vii] 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.
[viii] Professional Genealogist Petje reviewed birth, marriage, and death records on Metryki GenBaza, source of vital records. Petje transcribed and summarized in a tree located in Appendix E. Available online at (Metryki GenBaza – Księgi metrykalne i USC. Genealogia.).
[ix] IBID, noting their dates of child birth and the date of their marriage.
[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] The Immigration and Integration of Polish Jews in Brazil, 1924-1934* | The Americas | Cambridge Core
[xii] Story provided by Bernard Markowicz, great-grandson of Berek Olej, grandson of Bella, son of Adelle.
[xiii] Story related by Beni Olej, son of Machel Olej
[xiv] Story of the two relatives provided by Jacob Isaac’s grandson. He did not know who they were, and their identity is not obvious. Possibly, he arrived earlier with Michal Saltz.
[xv] Leon Olive and Sara Olive’s memoirs. See Appendix C.
[xvi] “1940 United States Federal Census“, database and image at Ancestry.com, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940 Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls; Samuel Kirschenbaum and family, Names: Toby, Sol, Francis, and Joe; Location Chicago IL, Accessed on 3 Aug 2025
[xvii] “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists “, database and image at Ancestry.com; The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA, Names: Baijla and Michal Olej, Date: 4 May 1928; Accessed on 7 Aug 2025.
[xviii] Recollections from David Olive, son of Michael, grandson of Jacob Isaac and Baila Olej.
[xix] “1930 United States Federal Census“, database and image at Ancestry.com, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930</i>. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls; Jacob I Olive and family including his Nephew, Moses Oley; Location Bronx, New York, Accessed on 3 Aug 2025
[xx] “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957“, database and image at Ancestry.com; The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA, Names: Moses Oley, Date: 11 Dec 1926; Accessed on 7 Aug 2025.
[xxi] “New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882-1944″, database and image at Ancestry.com; The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions For Naturalization From the U.s. District Court For the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 1316, Names: Moses Oley and Lisa Frieda Oley, Marriage Date: 15 Jan 1933; Accessed on 7 Aug 2025.
[xxii] Story of Dvora’s departure to NYC and return to Poland courtesy of Fran Feldman (born Frances Anita Oliver).
[xxiii] 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.
[xxiv] IBID
[xxv] Arrival date reported by Mina Williams Waks, via Ancestry. Bella’s daughter, Anna, married Leo Waks. I have been able to independently verify the dates or find the ship’s log.
[xxvi] Date of arrival is confirmed being prior to 1933, when Ruchla Jakubowicz married Chaim Dorevitch: “Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1962“, database at Ancestry.com Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1962. The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.; Names: Ruchla Jakubowicz and Chaim Dorevitch; Location: Victoria Australia, Accessed on 4 Aug 2025
[xxvii] Story courtesy of Fran Feldman (born Frances Anita Oliver). Vovo was met by Keith Olive in Israel.
[xxviii] Story courtesy of Fran Feldman (born Frances Anita Oliver).
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