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Number 06: Attached is the only known photograph of the “Plottele Rebbe”,  Rav Shlomo Shkolnik (meaning Talmudic scholar), spelt שקאלניק in Hebrew: great, great, great grandfather of Yair and Maya.

Rav Shlomo married twice, first to Malka Margalios / Margaliyot (meaning precious stone) who bore two children and then to Channah Leah Margaliyot – who bore seven. Malka, Channa Leah and also Fruma Nera were sisters.

Channah Leah passed away in 1897 when her grandson Victor, great grandfather of Yair and Maya Schkolne, was 1 year old.

Rav Shlomo in his old age was sadly knocked over the head by “anti-Semites” on his way to shul one evening. His health deteriorated rapidly after that and he passed away in 1915, 13 Elul 5675.

The attached Hebrew page in the book “Tipheret Moshe” written by Nina Bellows’ father, describes: “For eternal memory the Gaon (Great), Famous, Righteous and Humble Rabbi Shlomo Shkolnik, son of the Rabbi, extreme in the Torah, Eliezer (“Lazar”) Shkolnik. Rav Shlomo wrote “Teshuvat Shlomo” and held the crown of the Rabbinate in Plottel, Lithuania over a 50 year period. He passed away in Plottel in his old age with a good and great name”.

“Teshuvat Shlomo” means the answer, response, repentance or return of Shlomo.  While the individual chapters apparently exist somewhere, the book was never compiled.  He was a an Ultra- Orthodox Mithnaged (not Chasid!) Jew. Rav Eliezer came from the Shtetl “Veksnor”.

“Channa Leah was the Rebbetzin – important, respected, humble, enlightened and elevated in all. The daughter of exceptional in the Torah, righteous and humble Rabbi Eliyahu Margaliyot. She died in Plottel in her “choice” years with a good name”.

“They loved each other in life and in death they were not separated. May their pure souls be bound in the bond of life with the Lord our G-d”.

Rav Eliyahu and his wife Bluma came from the Shtetl “Salant”

Inscribed inter alia on the attached photograph of Rav Shlomo’s Gravestone is: “The great, righteous, humble, focused on Torah night and day alike. Worked all the days of his life with a straight and pure heart”.