“17…. Aunt Khayuchin? Gnessa? Samoilovna 83 in Moscow? Supported by her children [if this is Levik’s wife and Margolia’s mother, how could she be 83, and why Moscow? mixup]”
I don’t know how much trust to put into the details of such arrest forms. Maybe you can enlighten me.
While the name is similar, the age isn’t compatible. Khaya was born in 1895 (so 43 in 1938), while “Khayuchin Gnessa” is 83.
The place, Moscow, also doesn’t make sense, as Levik’s family lived in Chernigov.
Also, Khaya couldn’t have been “supported by her children”, as: a. her husband Levik was alive & well (at that point), and b. Margolia & her brother Avrohom were still young.
Finally, why would he call his first cousin’s wife his “aunt”?
It’s more likely that this “Khayuchin Gnessa Samoilovna” was actually his aunt, wife of R Avrohom (b. R LY of Podobranka & brother of R MM of Repke). She has yet to be identified on Geni, and I’ve never seen her name mentioned.
But calling her “aunt” makes sense. Her age, 83, fits. The place, Moscow, isn’t contradictory to other info (… because we have none).
And it makes sense that she was “supported by her children”, as Margolia wrote that her grandfather R Avrohom (Khayuchin’s husband) passed away young. It was because of that early death that Margolia’s father, Levik, was “raised in the Cheder.”
Also, while Geni lists no other children for R Avrohom besides Levik, Margolia does briefly mention an uncle who was taken away to exile, and who died on the road. So “children”, pl. makes sense as well.
(While this is the only aunt on Boris’ side who this can possibly refer to, it can also be an aunt of his wife, Sofia)
Margolia writes: "I graduated from the Mechanical Faculty of the Leningrad Institute of Technology, lived in Chelyabinsk for many years."
So there is a connection to Chelyabinsk. I would not give much credence to Boris writing in prison, "aunt in Moscow". He might have wanted to throw them off. Or they were at the time in Moscow.
Also, Margolia writes: "I retained the reputation of being the "daughter of the enemy of the people."
Was she referring to her father, Boris or Mendel? Perhaps all of the above.
Would this be December 2 on the Julian or Gregorian calendar? If the former, his birthday is 12 Kislev 5652, and if the latter, it’s 1 Kislev 5652 (unless born after sunset, in which case it’s 13/2 Kislev).
I am curious myself. Even more complicated, many people had an intentionally wrong birthday because of the army draft, etc. You need a bigger historic authority than me. I don't know.
But Boris was a Jew and a sophisticated man, I would say Boris had no trouble assigning a new accurate date to his birthday.
“17…. Aunt Khayuchin? Gnessa? Samoilovna 83 in Moscow? Supported by her children [if this is Levik’s wife and Margolia’s mother, how could she be 83, and why Moscow? mixup]”
I don’t know how much trust to put into the details of such arrest forms. Maybe you can enlighten me.
That said, Levik’s wife/Margolia’s mother *was* Khaya Samoilovna, according to Geni & a headstone (in Chelyabinsk), here: https://toldot.com/images/cemetery/chelyabinsk/IMG_3066.JPG
While the name is similar, the age isn’t compatible. Khaya was born in 1895 (so 43 in 1938), while “Khayuchin Gnessa” is 83.
The place, Moscow, also doesn’t make sense, as Levik’s family lived in Chernigov.
Also, Khaya couldn’t have been “supported by her children”, as: a. her husband Levik was alive & well (at that point), and b. Margolia & her brother Avrohom were still young.
Finally, why would he call his first cousin’s wife his “aunt”?
It’s more likely that this “Khayuchin Gnessa Samoilovna” was actually his aunt, wife of R Avrohom (b. R LY of Podobranka & brother of R MM of Repke). She has yet to be identified on Geni, and I’ve never seen her name mentioned.
But calling her “aunt” makes sense. Her age, 83, fits. The place, Moscow, isn’t contradictory to other info (… because we have none).
And it makes sense that she was “supported by her children”, as Margolia wrote that her grandfather R Avrohom (Khayuchin’s husband) passed away young. It was because of that early death that Margolia’s father, Levik, was “raised in the Cheder.”
Also, while Geni lists no other children for R Avrohom besides Levik, Margolia does briefly mention an uncle who was taken away to exile, and who died on the road. So “children”, pl. makes sense as well.
(While this is the only aunt on Boris’ side who this can possibly refer to, it can also be an aunt of his wife, Sofia)
Margolia writes: "I graduated from the Mechanical Faculty of the Leningrad Institute of Technology, lived in Chelyabinsk for many years."
So there is a connection to Chelyabinsk. I would not give much credence to Boris writing in prison, "aunt in Moscow". He might have wanted to throw them off. Or they were at the time in Moscow.
Also, Margolia writes: "I retained the reputation of being the "daughter of the enemy of the people."
Was she referring to her father, Boris or Mendel? Perhaps all of the above.
All said, the similarities between “Khayuchin Gnessa Samoilovna” and “Khaya Smoilovna” cannot be ignored, regardless of all the questions it creates
“Birthday: December 2, 1891”
Would this be December 2 on the Julian or Gregorian calendar? If the former, his birthday is 12 Kislev 5652, and if the latter, it’s 1 Kislev 5652 (unless born after sunset, in which case it’s 13/2 Kislev).
We can't tell for sure if he used the old or new calendar that changed in 1917. Good question that didn't occur to me.
I’d be curious to know if there are broader trends of people born before 1917 keeping with the Julian calendar, at least for pre-1917 events.
I am curious myself. Even more complicated, many people had an intentionally wrong birthday because of the army draft, etc. You need a bigger historic authority than me. I don't know.
But Boris was a Jew and a sophisticated man, I would say Boris had no trouble assigning a new accurate date to his birthday.