Eliezer “Lazer” Verbelov and Isaac Hirshfeld, the Maternal Great Grandfathers of Winnie, Tony, Bennie and Hackey Edelshtein

Zara, the bride is seated next to her mother Lena.
Message accompanying the photograph: It was sent from Lena to her sister Sophie in South Africa with the words translated from Yiddish: “Dear Sascha, Sophie and Children. A friendly reminder of our wedding, 5th ? 1937”. Thank you to Uncle Bennie for the Photograph and Translation

Number 84: Repetition of names, different spellings, cousins marrying each other, make things confusing! Oh to speak again with Ida and Solly – and expand these tiny windows into the lives of the Verbelovs, Hirshfelds and Edelshteins in Sasmaka.

Eliezer “Lazer” Verbelov had four children: Meyer, Samuel, Benno, Rebecca. Isaac Hirshfeld had six: Lena, Ben, Rose, Johanna, Jacob and another daughter who married an Edelstein.

Isaac, Samuel, Leopold, Rahle, Solly, Benno are all given names repeated at different generations or in the same generation. For example three Samuel Werbeloff’s came to South Africa. Samuel, son of Eliezer Verbelov, who married Emma Bergman, and Samuel the sons of his brothers who remained in Latvia: Meyer and Benno. Rebecca also came to South Africa and married Isaac Hirschfield, not to be confused with Isaac Hirshfeld, father of Lena.

Spelling changed over time: Sassmacken; Sasmarken; Sasmaka, then: Valdemarpils. Verblov / Verbelov / Werbeloff. Edelshtein / Edelstein.

Rebecca’s son Eddie Hirschfield married first cousin, Sophie’s sister, Joan. Rebecca’s daughter Theresa Hirschfield married first cousin, Meyer and Yente’s son: Sam! Another of Rebecca’s sons, Solly married Fay, first cousin from Isaac’s side.

Back in Sasmaka, Uncle Solly vaguely remembers his grandmother, Eliezer’s wife, fussing over her husband! Isaac Hirshfeld lived in a room at the back of the Verbelov house. Isaac’s wife had passed away and his children, outside of Lena, left for Chicago before the 1914 expulsion.

Meyer and “Tante” Yente had four sons: Chaim, Berl, Sam, Aaron, and one daughter Rahle: a Medical Doctor – exceptional achievement in those days! Except for Samuel in South Africa, the entire family of Meyer and Yente perished in the Shoah.

Attached a wedding photograph of Zara, Lena and Benno’s youngest child. The families Verbelov and Hirshfeld that lived many generations in Latvia came to a tragic abrupt end in 1941. In July, 150 Jews lived in Valdermarpils near Talsi, western Latvia. In August, none. Zara, her husband, children, mother, brother, and many other family members were all murdered. Mercifully, the progeny of their children and siblings live vibrantly on in South Africa, USA, and various other Countries.