Ziskin Siegel Family Website

Ziskin Family History (2016)

I grew up in Minneapolis, married Leighton Siegel and moved across the river to St. Paul where we raised three children and have 7 grandchildren. I am retired from the St. Paul Jewish Community Center where I worked for 31 years much of that time as Director of Adult Services. I attended University of Minnesota and University of California, Berkeley graduate school. I am a retired social worker. I have had an interest in family history for more than 30 years when the work was done on typewriters and the research was done in Washington D.C. and found on microfilm. I have visited GrandForks, ND where much of the Ziskin branch began. In July, 1988, the Ziskin family had a family reunion in Minneapolis, MN. It is my hope that this will be an ongoing family history that can be added to and passedon through the generations. If the memories and stories are not told and recorded, theyare soon lost. Putting this history together has been a project that I have very muchenjoyed and I hope that others will enjoy it as well.
Dianne

(You may also Download Unedited Version of this page Ziskin Posner Family History)

---

I want to dedicate this family history to my cousin Joni Ziskin who was my partner in this endeavor and died before it became a digitized family history. Joni died in 2008 after a 14 year battle with breast cancer.

---

Where Did The Family Come From?
Great Great Grandfather Mordecia (Nathan) Ziskin and Henya Poster

Using sources such as memories from family descendents, the naturalization papers of some, and other family histories it seems certain that the Ziskin family lived in that portion of Russia known as White Russia which lies close to the Polish border. White Russia is composed of three ‘Gubernas (provinces): Mogoliv, Smlensk, and Vitebsk. The principal concentration of our family appears to have been in the City or town of Berlinitz, Mogilev, on the Knepr River. Berlinitz is between Mogilev and Orsha. Possibly, the family spread out to the many small rural communities in the area. Some descendents recalled that the family came from a town near Minsk and that would fit with Mogoliv, which was the name of both a province and a town. Another descendent remembers her mother telling her about swimming in the Berezina River which would also be the same area. A descendent also told of sailing with her mother and a sibling from the port at Riga, which is the closest port city to Mogoliv.

In trying to verify the shtetl, I used www.Jewishgen.org. They believe that Berlinetz is probably Byalnichy in Belarus. It seems to reinforce what Harriet had learned in the letter above.

Posner Family

In pursuit of learning as much as possible about the Ziskin family, I was first sent to the Posner Family Tree because a Henya Posner married the oldest known Ziskin relative, Mordecai also known as Nathan. (I tend to go with Mordecai since Nathan is not a Russian name and he didn’t emigrate) Certainly the Posner Family Tree was a good place to begin.

The Posner Family Tree is long and interesting, and gives us a historical perspective on the period of time when our relatives lived in Russia. The authors mention that until 1812 Jews of Russia were not allowed to take surnames, thus contributing to the frequent confusion about names both in Russia and later in the United States. In Russia, families frequently changed their names in order for their sons to escape from the Russian Army, into which boys were drafted for 25 years. Also, many Jews took new, more American names when they came to the United States. The closest meaning to the name, “Ziskin” that I could come up with is that “ziskind” in Yiddish means “sweet child.” We have no idea how the family came to take that particular name. As various members of the family have searched for their roots, several people have discovered other Ziskin families that appear to be unrelated to ours. So I guess all Ziskins are really not related. I am oftenasked if we are also related to Ziskinds and to my knowledge the answer is “no.”

If we follow the Posner Family Tree it can be seen the oldest known relative whose name was Berel, born around 1760 and had a daughter, Teveh, who had eight children. One of those children was Henya. Between approximately 1800 and 1900, Henya was born, grew to adulthood, married Mordacai (Nathan) Ziskin and was the mother of eight children.
Henya Posner married Mordecai (Nathan) Ziskin

An interesting quote from the Posner Family History:
“Our first known family patriarch was Berel, who we estimate, was born around 1760. My family has often told me that he was the leader of his community and apparently his civic responsibilities included not only Jews but also non-Jewish neighbors. In order to meet the military conscription he was assigned a quota for his village and intended to allocate it proportionately between the Jews and the Gentiles. Bitter protests were made by some of the Russian peasants who felt that he should fill the entire quota from the Jewish population. He was threatened with death unless he did so. When he persisted in what he believed to be a fair selection and turned the list over to the government representatives, the threats were carried out. Shortly thereafter, he was seized by some of the townspeople, his clothes were saturated with alcohol and set afire.”

Daniel will be discussed separately since as a half brother he was not considered part of the Posner family line. However, Daniel is my Great Great Grandfather and thus central to my personal family history.

Hershel – A document entitled Papermaster-Jewish-History-Bnai-Israel-Grand-Forks-ND by Isadore Papermaster, was the source of information about Hershel, as well as information sent to me by his granddaughter, Harriet Ziskin.

Hershel is also known as Harris, Harry and Hank. I will use the name Harris in referring to him.

From the Grand Forks City Directories:
1889 Heris Ziskin, Peddler, 113 S. 5th St
1893 Harris Ziskin, Peddler, 709 6th Ave.
1895 Harris Ziskin, Patrolman, 709 6th Ave
1896 same
1898 same
1899 same
1900 Harry Ziskin, Policeman, 709 6th Ave
1901 Harris Ziskin, Patrolman, 709 2nd Ave
1902 H. Ziskin Propr Twin City Pawn Shop, 113 DeMers Ave Alfred Ziskin, employee of DeCamp Fruit Co, bds over 113 DeMers
1903 Harris Ziskin, Pawn Shop, 111 DeMers
1905 Harris Ziskin, Pawn Broker, 113 DeMers Morris Ziskin, (brother) bds at 113 DeMers Oscar Ziskin, (nephew) bds at 113 DeMers
1907 Harris Ziskin, Pawn Broker, 113 DeMers Av Thomas Ziskin, Clk H. Ziskin, bds same Wm Ziskin, helper E. Norquist, bds 113 DeMers Cyrus Ziskin (nephew) Clk S. Panivotz, bds 805 1st Ave Oscar Ziskin, Peddler, 805 1st Ave
1909 Oscar Ziskin, Peddler, 319 Skidmore

From the list above, you can see how Harris progresses to better jobs and you can see theprogression of bringing the others to Grand Forks, ND. Some were brothers and some were nephews.
According to the 1890 census: Harris Ziskin was born in May, 1863. He married Minnie Griver in 1882, immigrated to the US in September 1885. His occupation was policeman. He could read, write, speak English and he owned a mortgaged house.

Harris was naturalized on October 15, 1892 with Max Rabinovitch and A. Yaffey, witnessing. In Russia everyone was poor. Harris served in the Czar’s army (something he was proud of) and married at 19. No one knows why he came to the United States or where he got the money for the passage. Harris was the first Ziskin to come to the United States and was responsible or at least actively involved in bringing over the rest of the relatives that were willing to emigrate.

He was one of the first Jews to settle in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

According to the Papermaster document, Harris Ziskin was a religious man and considered one of the leading personalities of Grand Forks. He believed very strongly in giving American Jews a Jewish education, but he also believed in modernizing Jewish life. He was instrumental in beginning the Talmud Torah in Grand Forks and he later helped establish the Talmud Torah of Minneapolis. He was also responsible for abolishing corporal punishment for children’s offenses in the Cheder (Hebrew School). He set up a court of inquiry and offered alternative punishments for offenses. This was a very modern approach.

Like most Jews in Grand Forks, he started out in the new world as a peddler. He was apoliceman for five or six years, making about $700 a year, and this was probably the only period of financial security his family experienced during his lifetime. He purchased a house on 6th Ave for $205 in 1895 (in 1901 the street was renamed 2nd Ave). In 1902, he became a pawnbroker, sold his house to Harry Peyes for $500 in 1904 and moved his family into the apartment over the pawnshop. Sam Paletz recalls lightening striking the apartment.

When Harris settled in Grand Forks, it was still a “western” town with a complement of brothels, saloons and gambling houses. The railroad had recently come through, making the city an important agricultural shipping center. This was the period of westward expansion in the United States. These settlers recreated the shtetl in a neighborhood of Grand Forks near downtown where streets were unpaved, plumbing was the outhouse, and light was by kerosene or gas. They formed a community whose members accepted responsibility for one another. As poor as they were, they helped newcomers start out in businesses and took responsibility for orphans and widows. The adults clung to their old world customs, but they were eager for their children to assimilate.

Harris was a Talmudic scholar, a highly respected leader of the Jewish community, remembered as a man of good humor who taught his sons how to wiggle their ears and whom people approached for help (often financial, even though he was poor and was a terrible businessman) and advice as he sat for hours at the dining table taking glasses of tea from the brass samovar.
Harris Ziskin was primarily responsible for the formation of a Zionist group in Grand Forks under the name of the Ahavath Zion Society and was first affiliated with the Knights of Zion in Chicago and then the Federation of American Zionists. This was approximately 1905. Harris would often go along to a bris or a wedding and make an appeal for his pet project, the Jewish National Fund.

Harris Ziskin was also a great believer in physical education. He furnished one room of his home as a gymnasium and provided two sets of boxing gloves where the boys could gather and practice the manly art of self-defense. While living in Grand Forks, Harris was active in the Chevra Kadisha, a burial society. He was the first Gabbai (President). There was a story told about the Spanish American War of 1898. It seems that Harris was considered the principal protagonist of everything modern in Jewish thinking and he said that participation in the war was a demonstration of our patriotism to the country of adoption.

Making use of the military training he had acquired in the Russian army, he began to train some of the young men in a vacant lot. Much to the disappointment of Harris and his trainees, however, the war was over before they could offer their services.
By 1905, his nephew, Oscar and Harris’s youngest brother, Morris, had immigrated to Grand Forks from Berlinitz and were living with the family. They had been involved in the revolutionary movement and were forced to immigrate to the United States. In 1908 Harris and his family moved to Minneapolis where Harris Ziskin died of diabetes in 1918 at age 55.

Harris and Minnie had five children, Alexander, Tom, William, Hannah and Daniel. Alexander Ziskin
According to 1890 census: Alexander was born December 1884 in Russia; worked in a factory; reads, writes and speaks English. Alex, Herschel’s oldest son, attended school for only a few years, and then went to work to help support the family. He moved to the east coast just before World War I and disappeared soon after. It was never known how or when he died or if he had, in fact, joined the army.

Thomas Ziskin – According to the 1890 census: born November, 1889 in Dakota territory; can read, write, speak English; attended school 9-1/2 months during *1889-1890 school year. Tom, Herschel’s second son, went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota with an MD and then to become a well-known heart specialist in theMinneapolis area. He married Tekla and they had one son, David. David was married to Elaine and later to Marie. He has one daughter, Sharon. From time to time David makes his home in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Tom died around 1962.

William Ziskin– According to 1890 census: born January 1891 in North Dakota; attended school 9-1/2 months during the 1889-1890 school year. Bill, Herschel’s third son, quit school after 3rd grade to help support the family. He later joined the army, worked for a while as a plumber and eventually worked for his brother-in-law, Harry Posner, in the Boston area as Vice President of the Worchester Paper Box Company. He remained unmarried until he died in 1970.

Hannah Ziskin – According to the 1890 census: born September 1893 in North Dakota; attended school 9 – 1/2 months during the 1889-1890 school year. Hannah, Herschel’s only daughter, did not complete school. She married Harry Posner, a wealthy cousin and the patriarch of an enormous extended family. They had no children. Hannah, like her brothers, had humble beginnings. She worked in a laundry in Grand Forks. She and her husband, Harry, lived in the Boston area for about 40 years. Harry and Hannah were very philanthropic, giving a $25,000 gift to Columbia University in memory of her brother Daniel and also gave the same amount to Israel. They also endowed a Dental School Building at Tufts University. Hannah died in 1972.

Daniel Ziskin – born April 27, 1896 (or ’95) and died October, 1948. Dan was Herschel’s youngest son. He graduated from the University of Minnesota as a dentist. He was on the faculty of the U of Minnesota dental school, and then on the faculty of the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery where he eventually became chairman of the departments of Oral Surgery, Periodontal, and Oral Diagnosis – the latter a field he is credited with originating. He married Ann Lilienfeld and they had two daughters, Margaret and Harriet.

The history of this family indicates that we should all be grateful to Hershel for his initial decision to emigrate and his desire and success in helping so many of the other members of the family to emigrate. He was the first and it was to him that many of the others went. So Hershel, WE THANK YOU!

*Note: Every document lists different birthdates and they don’t necessarily go together with the school dates given on the census forms. My father, David Ziskin, was pretty clear about the year of his birth, but had no idea the date. It corresponded to some Jewish holiday in some year. Eventually he took a date and called it his birthday, but had a lot of explaining to do, when the birth date he took didn’t match with Social Security.

CRENE MALKA ZISKIN was the second child of Henya and Mordecai Ziskin. She had eight children. Nothing is known about them. Crene MaIka remained in Russia.

TEVEH ZISKIN was the third daughter of Henya and Mordecai Ziskin. Teveh, in turn, named her daughter, Henya. Since Jewish tradition dictates that one names a baby after someone that has died so that the name lives on, it is likely that Henya died before this granddaughter was born.
Henya, daughter of Teveh, married ZALMEN ZISKIN, her uncle, and settled in Worchester, Mass. Harris disapproved of the marriage, and took the trip from Grand Forks to Worchester to try to stop it. Henya and Zalmen had three children: Jennie, Helen and Doris.

ITKA ZISKIN was the fourth child of Henya and Nathan Ziskin. She is remembered as Tante (Aunt) Itka who lived in Hibbing, Stillwater and Minneapolis. Itka was married twice, first to Mr. Rosofsky and later to Eli Wolfan in 1906. She had one son, Max, who died at age 10. At one time, Itka wanted to adopt Ann Ziskin Collins, a niece, but her mother wouldn’t allow it. Eventually Itka came to live with the Ziskins in Minneapolis (probably Harris and family). In 1930 Etta lived at 4429 Aldrich Ave. So., Minneapolis. She is remembered as being “domineering” — taking over the Ziskin household, but also as being very kind and having a good sense of humor and a forceful personality. She came to the United States when she was 15, bringing with her the youngest brother, MORRIS who was five at the time. Itka is buried in Mt. Sinai cemetery in California where her tombstone reads: Etta Ziskin Woolfan May 7, 1957. The informant on her death certificate was Pearl Ziskin. Eli Woolfan, her second husband, was a Russian immigrant pioneer merchant in Hibbing. He was in the dry goods business and real estate. He and Itka lived at 406 Lincoln Street in Hibbing until his death in 1923.

MARY ZISKIN is the fifth child of Henya and Mordecai Ziskin. Her married name was Gutterman and she had six children. There is no further information as she remained in Russia.

SOREH ZISKIN is the sixth child of Henya and Mordecai Ziskin, the third from the youngest. She seems to have married twice, once to Gresnow Gendes and then to Abel Sonin. She had four children, Anna, Harry, Tom and Sylvia. This branch of the family may have settled in New York.

ZALMEN ZISKIN was the next brother and the seventh child of Henya and Mordecai. Ziskin was discussed above as having married his niece. He lived in Worchester, Massachusetts. He was close in age to his younger brother, Morris.

MORRIS SISKIN was the eighth and youngest child of Henya and Mordecai Ziskin born in 1880. He came to this country when he was four or five years old. He came with his older sister Itka who was then fifteen. Morris was dressed like a girl for his travels, because girls got special rates. He was raised on a farm in the Dakotas and went to school through the third grade. He had jobs being a messenger boy and an elevator operator.
In 1898 he joined the cavalry in the Spanish American War and was sent to Fort Snelling, to the Philippines, Japan and then back to Deadwood, S.D. He was a cholera nurse throughout the Philippines and received many letters of recommendation. In the letters he was identified as sober, reliable, a man of high character. He also was involved in helping control various outbreaks and plagues including rinderpest (an acute infectious disease of ruminant animals caused by a morbillvirous and caused high mortality in epidemics.) He was described as being in conditions treating cholera where there were great swarms of flies and hardly enough men were available to bury the dead.
Morris returned to South Dakota. He worked for the railroad, but they fired him because he was color-blind. Along with Mr. Breeding, he started the Barber Supply Business in Leeds, N.D. His sons, Bill and Harry worked with him in the business. The Barber Supply Business continued in Minneapolis. Jack Ziskin, a cousin with whom he was always close, alluded to his networking during prohibition with some local Jewish “tough guys.” Alcohol was the main ingredient in hair tonic and he was one of the few individuals licensed to procure alcohol as an ingredient. Use your imagination from there. Jack described Morris as a “gay blade, a man about town.” He came to Minneapolis, went to Boston and then came back to Minneapolis. Along the way, he married Marie, a girl he had known during his childhood as she, too, was a young girl growing up on or near the farm that Morris lived on. Marie was Catholic and later became a Christian Scientist. Marie died in 1936.
Morris’s second marriage was to Rose Bosowitz, a marriage that was arranged by his sister, Itka. Morris died in 1952 and Rose died in 1981.
Morris left Minneapolis and moved to California, worked for the May department stores in the men’s department (may not have mentioned his color blindness.)

There is some agreement that the name was misspelled when he joined the Spanish American War and that Morris simply kept the spelling. His war papers also spell the name with a “d” on the end – Siskind. It is possible that Ziskin was also spelled with a “d” on the end at one time, since the Yiddish word for sweet child is ziskind.

Morris and Marie had three children. They were William (Bill), Harry, and Tom. His son Tom Siskin was born in 1922 and died in 1976 leaving no children.
Pictures and information about Morris were contributed by Mike Siskin. View Ziskin Photo Gallery

William Siskin was born February 12, 1907 and died in 1952. His wife’s name was Pearl. They had two children: Barbara and Douglas. Barbara Siskin Shugar is divorced. She lives in the Los Angeles area of California. She has two children, Wendy and David. Douglas lives in California with his wife Katherine.

Harry Siskin was born in 1912 and died in 1985. He lived in South Dakota as a child, and then moved with his family to Minneapolis. He went to New York to meet the Posners and ask for a loan from the Posner family fund to open up a bar and was rejected. He joined the Marines, went to Samoa, came back to the Military Post Office at Navy Pier in Chicago and met Florence. He moved to Minneapolis and worked for his Dad in the barber supply business. Later he bought the Playmore ballroom in Waconia. He worked for Curt Carlson at Gold Bond stamps. He started his own stamp business called Freeway Stamps, which were sold to grocery stores and other merchants and were given to customers with purchases. When a stamp book was filled, the customer received $3.00 cash back. There was always a basement filled with boxes of stamps. He later bought a superette called River Road Foods in Brooklyn Center and retired to Naples, Florida in 1978 with Florence. He and his wife, Florence DeKanec, had two sons, Daniel and Michael. Florence is also deceased. Daniel lives in Florida and is a golf pro. Michael lives in Minneapolis and is married to Vicki and they have a child Isabella.

Harry and Florence were close to Pauline and Dave and Jack and Marian and all of the cousins. Harry, Dave and Jack loved to play golf together and loved to laugh together.

---

GREAT GRANDFATHER DANIEL ELEAZER ZISKIN AND GREAT GRANDMOTHER DEVORAH ETTLESON ZISKIN
The next portion of this family history will concentrate on that branch of the family relatives that can be traced back to Daniel Eleazer Ziskin and Devorah Ettleson Ziskin.

According to everything that the family knows and everyone that they claim as relatives, Daniel was a half brother to the children of HENYA ZISKIN and MORDECAI (Nathan) ZISKIN. It is likely that Daniel was left off intentionally because he was only a half brother to the others, sharing the same father but with a different mother. Therefore he was not a son to HENYA, and not a Posner descendant. According to some distant memories, the family in some way rejected Daniel. There is some memory of a family feud involving Daniel being left out of the inheritance in Russia after the parents died. We have no way of determining the extent of such an inheritance or the accuracy of such memories, but perhaps it is indeed so. Another story has it that the entire family lived together in a compound in Russia. Apparently they fought over whom it belonged to for nine years. At that time it burnt to the ground. (I suppose, end of argument.)

Further evidence to the half-brother theory, is the fact that Daniel’s children were the same ages as their aunts and uncles. Oscar was the same age as his Uncle Morris. Thus we know that Daniel was the oldest.

Devorah’s maiden name has been said to be Ettleson or possibly Applebaum. They presumably had nine to twelve children of which five survived. Daniel and Devorah owned a small business in Russia. Tsippeleah, their daughter, also helped with the business. The business consisted of buying from the peasants and trading for other goods. They would take their goods to market and then they would trade for whatever they could, and thus they made a living. Devorah is remembered as having been the stronger of the two and possibly more ambitious than her husband. Memories of Daniel indicate that he was a mild mannered man and not very aggressive. The family was quite poor.

Daniel Eleazer Ziskin married Devorah Ettleson, thry never came to the United States.Daniel Ziskin died around 1912 in Russia. They had five children:

• Oscar 1872-1937 m. Etta Levin 1878-1951
• Tsippeleah (Leah) 1875-1963 m. Joe Meblin d. 1953
• Morris Berle (Mordecai) 1883-1963 m. Bertha Green 1888-1947 m. Helen Berkowsky m. Gertrude Epstein
• Cyrus b. 1888 (or so) m. Sadie (Sally Sugarman)
• Bess b. 1889 m. Harry (Hyman) Ziev

OSCAR ZISKIN was the oldest child of Daniel and Devorah. He was married to Etta Levin while still living in Russia. All of their children were born in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Oscar came to the United States aboard the Lucania, which sailed from Liverpool in 1904. He sailed with two Meblins, Moscha and Itska. All three went to Oscar’s cousin and the Meblin’s Uncle, S. Meblin in New York. They listed their last residence as Krncia. Oscar was 25 years old when he came to America. He lists his birthdate as February 15, 1879 in Baliwitz, Russia. However on his census record he says his birthday is 1872 or 1873. Baliwitz is close enough to Berlinitz to assume that it was probably the same place. He filed a petition for naturalization on May 28, 1912, listing four children, all born in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Etta came to the United States a year later, pretending to be Cy’s wife. Cy was Oscar’s youngest brother. On one census form she is Ester born in 1874 or in another place born in 1880. Her tombstone says that she was born in 1878 and died in 1951.

Oscar and Etta, like the family before them, went to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Oscar was a peddler. Oscar and Etta had six children: Rose, David, Jack, Ann, Daniel, and Mary. The family moved from North Dakota to Minneapolis in 1920. They lived in a house owned by Dr. Tom Ziskin or his father, Harris. The house was on Highland Avenue; a very nice street in North Minneapolis, not far from what is now Glenwood Avenue near downtown. The family considered moving to California, but others persuaded them to stay in Minneapolis. Oscar and Nate Witebsky went into the clothing business together. Oscar was a poor businessman and when they went out of business, Oscar lost everything. He then couldn’t work because he was ill with diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. He died in 1936, a relatively young man of 63 years. The children worked to support the family. The three oldest children did not graduate from high school.

Rose Ziskin Jackson was born March 8, 1906. She was married at least four times. The first time was a romantic union with a young man named Claude. The second marriage was to a man that was called Tiny. They lived in Montana and both worked on the railroads, Rose as a cook on the Great Northern Line. Rose raised Tiny’s children and heard from them for many years after Tiny died. When she returned to Minnesota, Rose took care of her mother who was ill and suffering from early senility. Her third marriage was to Simon. Rose was married to him for 17 years. Her last marriage was to Mac Jackson, who she met late in life. They lived in St. Paul. He busied himself during his retirement making fancy boxes and lamps out of stones and shells and selling them. After Mac died, Rose moved back to Minneapolis where she lived until she died.

David Ziskin, my father, was born September 12, 1908 and died February 12, 1988. He married Pauline Wilensky who was originally from Devils Lake, North Dakota, but was living in Minneapolis when they met and married. David and Pauline had three children: Dianne Dale, Alan Mark and Ellen Marti. Dianne is married to Dr. Leighton Siegel, a retired Otolaryngologist in St. Paul and they have three children, twin girls, Pamela Beth and Lesli Robyn and Jeffrey Brian. Dianne is a retired Social Worker. Alan, is married to Bonnie Chez from Hibbing, Minnesota. They have two children: Amy Jo and Adam Nathan. Alan was self-employed in the wholesale woman’s clothing business and is now semi retired. Ellen is divorced from Barry Steinman. They have three children, Maury Daniel and Shelby Ann and Dana Ziskin. All of the children live in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Ellen currently lives in Tucson. Pauline and David spent their retirement in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when they weren’t in Minneapolis. They both loved golf.

David, began his work career by selling newspapers. He quit school at age 16 along with his brother Jack in order to help support the family. He learned the upholstery trade from Max Livon, in Minneapolis. He went to Milwaukee where he worked for the Secman Body Company, which made seats for the Nash automobile. Then he traveled by boxcar to Detroit where he also worked as an upholsterer. After the stock market crashed, Dave came back to Minneapolis where he continued to work as an upholsterer.

David went to work for “Silent Sales” a business that sold and leased coin operated machines. The business dissolved in the late 40s. Wouldn’t it have been fun to have kept one of those ‘old fashioned’ pinball machines or one of those fancy Wurlitzer record changers with all the pretty colored lights.

David tried a number of other businesses before going into the grocery business in about 1955. He owned and operated the “Famous Bar” on Riverside Ave in Minneapolis for a number of years. He sold Muntz Televisions during the beginning of the television era. David was my father and we were one of the first families to have a television and every kid in the neighborhood came to the house to watch the box with moving pictures. The screen was amazingly small and we often sat and watched the test pattern.

He owned and operated two grocery stores before retiring in 1979. The first store was “Tony’s Superette” on Fifteenth and Lyndale Ave. North, in Minneapolis. It was a family business and all of the family worked there. After ten years, the city bought the property in order to rehabilitate the neighborhood and David bought “Von’s Superette” on 34th and Hennepin, in South Minneapolis. He had that store for 10 years before retiring in 1979. Pauline went into the real estate business a little later in life and had a very successful career until she retired in 1985. David was a well-known and well-liked figure to the customers in the neighborhoods in which he worked. He couldn’t stand to see families go hungry and would often give food away to those he knew needed it. He was a very happy, mild mannered man, but one of his pet peeves was people who he had helped out and then stopped shopping in the store because they owed him money.

He loved to play golf, as did his wife Pauline. They were founding members of the Brookview Country Club in Minneapolis and later moved with the club to Rolling Green. When that became too far to go, they joined Minneapolis Country Club, which was near their house and had the added benefit of being at the same club as his brother, Jack, with whom he loved to play golf.

Jack (Samuel) Ziskin was born May 4, 1910 in Grand Forks, N.D. He was married to Marian Arleen Jones. Jack’s given name was Zalmen or Samuel in English, but he was always called Jack. Marian was born in Sheldon, Iowa. They had three children: Joanne Barbara, Steven Paul and Denise Ann. Joanne worked in marketing research in Chicago and is deceased. Steven was married to Marlys Isakson of Opheim, Montana. They had two children: John and Skyann Kay. Steve took over his father’s business, Ziskin Enterprises and lived in Minneapolis until he died in a tragic accident. Denise is married to David Gregory Hughes from St. Louis, Missouri. They have two children, Eric David Hughes, and Lauren Ann Hughes. They live in Highland Park, Illinois.

Jack was ten years of age when his family moved from Grand Forks to Minneapolis. He left Franklin Junior High School at the age of 14 to start selling newspapers (for two cents each) from a stand on Seventh and Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis.

Jack joined his brother, Dave, in the upholstery business in Minneapolis, recalling that their mother went to the owner of the firm and asked that he hire her sons. After a brief attempt to enter show business, in which Jack auditioned for a part in “Penrod and Sam,” he decided that theatre didn’t pay. He joined his father in the clothing business. Jack worked for Nate Witebsky for five years, learning the men’s clothing business and the fine art of sales.

In 1935 he left Nate’s and went to New York City, traveling in the caboose of a cattle train. Upon arriving in New York, he called on his father’s cousins, Hannah and Dan Ziskin, who were not at all pleased with Jack’s mode of travel. After a brief stay in New York, Jack returned to Minneapolis where he met and courted Marian Jones. On December 27, 1938, they were married in Sioux City, Iowa. Marian always claimed that he “married her for her money” — she had $8.00 at the time of their marriage.

From 1935 to 1944 Jack worked for the Linpark Clothing Corporation in Minneapolis,
starting as manager of the downtown store. He was supervising twelve stores when he left the firm in 1944 to go into the war surplus business.Jack was in business with Joe Burns from 1944-47. At that time he and Herschel Wolpert established a partnership and a new company known as “Sales Enterprises.” They were innovators in their field, establishing the first discount stores in Minneapolis. The first
“Factory Outlet” store opened in 1947 at a location on East Hennepin Avenue. Therewere eventually six stores in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Jack continued a successful career in this business until his retirement in 1977 when his son, Steven, took over the firm.

Like his sisters and brothers, Jack has a great sense of humor and a quick wit. He could be seen most any day on the golf course or enjoying a game of billiards at the Minneapolis Athletic Club. David and Jack were not only brothers, but also great friends and golfing buddies all through the years. They shared not only good times, but they loved to laugh and always appreciated each other’s jokes.

Ann Ziskin Collins was born January 4, 1912 and died in 2003. She was married to Jack Collins. They had two children: Arlene Sandra and David Gary. Arlene’s first marriage was to Sidney Goldberg and then she married Martin Dockman, who is now deceased. They had two daughters, Meredyth Goldberg Edelson, a Psychology Professor at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon and Jodi Elisabeth Goldberg, a Professor Biology at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Jodi lives in St. Paul and is a science professor at Hamline University. Arlene lives in Minneapolis. David is a retired C.P.A. in California, and has one son, Michael Shaun and is married to Sandy, his second wife.

Ann, or should we say “Sarah Bernhardt”, was a frustrated actress. When she was a young girl, she wanted to be a dancer and a movie star and act with Victor Jorre. She used to look for auditions and tryout for parts. When she was 14, her cousin Frankie Meblin gave her a black dress with a full skirt. Ann loved it and wore it to school one day with bright orange bloomers. After a trip to the ladies room, she was the object of lots of stares and attention. Ann discovered that her skirt was tucked into her bloomers. Ann was the first in the family to graduate high school.

Dan Ziskin is the next son of Etta and Oscar Ziskin. He was born in April, 1914 and died in 1985. He was married to Beatrice (Beady) Rosenberg. They lived most of their married lives in Los Angeles. They had one son Steven Allen. Dan was in the fruit business with his uncle, Morris Ziskin. At one time Steven worked in audio as a projectionist and a theatre manager. He also did some stunt work and is an honorary member of the Stunt Man’s Association.
Danny was always mechanically minded. He built the family’s first radio – crystal set by himself. Sometimes, he would let the others listen on the earphones. Danny used to run away frequently; always to nearby Anoka, so the family knew where he was. Dan was artistically talented and painted as a hobby.

Mary Ziskin Karatz, the youngest child of Etta and Oscar, was born on October 15, 1916 and died in 1990. She was married to Hy Karatz, who died in 1977. They had twochildren: Gail and Marilyn. Gail Klugman lives in Minneapolis. She is divorced fromEddie Klugman. She has three children: Valerie, Sheree, and Stuart. Marilyn was married to Paul Krause and is now divorced and they have one daughter, Alli, who is married and a marine biologist.

In Junior High School, Mary tried out for a class play and won the part over Maxine Andrews (of the famous Andrews sisters). Mary was a finalist in a beauty contest at age 14 – of course, she had been “forced” by big sister Ann to enter the contest. Once, when she was five years old, a neighborhood drunk picked her up by the ears. Brother Danny “came to her rescue and beat up the drunk.”

---

TSIPPELEAH ZISKIN MEBLIN was born around 1875 and she died in 1963. She had been in business with her parents in Russia, buying from the peasants and trading for other goods. She was married at age 27 (about 1903). As arranged by her parents, she married Joe Meblin in Russia. They had two children born in Russia, and four more after immigrating to the United States. Joe went to the United States before the rest of the family. He stopped in New York and worked in the clothing business, but he didn’t like it. He then went to Grand Forks where he worked as a peddler. He set up shop near the railroad track s and apparently did well selling to people who were coming and going on the train. All of the family members first went to Grand Forks, North Dakota because Harris Ziskin was already established in that community. Immigrants tended to go to family, who would then help them to get started in the new world. The second Meblin house had an inside toilet. Houses had running water. Baths were taken on Saturday night with water heated on the stove. Tsippeleah used the pool at the Y for her Mikvah. The family collected rainwater to wash their faces and their hair. Eventually, Tsippeleah wanted to be near her son, David and she moved the family from North Dakota to California.
Tsippeleah spoke often of the rift between her father, Daniel, and the other brothers and sisters (or half-brothers and half-sisters). She always felt that a great injustice had been done because Daniel had not gotten his share of the family inheritance, whatever that might have been. (From this distance in time, its hard to imagine what sort of inheritance would have been possible.)

Tsippeleah and Joe Meblin had six children, five survived. The children are: Anne, Frances, Bess, David, Samuel (who died at age 5) and Denise.

Anne Meblin Rowe is one of the two children born in Russia, recalls sailing to this country with her mother from the port of Riga. She remembers that the conditions were terrible. People brought their own food and sheets were hung for privacy. Anne Rowe, born in 1903, is divorced and has one son, Jack, who’s given name is Jasper Crane. He was named after Crene Malka who never left Russia. Jack has three children and has been married twice. The three children are Evan Joseph, Jason John, and Susan Leah. Anne was a teacher of Spanish. She has had an active and an interesting life and has taught in such faraway places as Puerto Rico and Moscow. In her retirement, she was active in the peace movement (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) and attended the International Meeting with one of her sisters. She was always active politically, especially in liberal and socialistic causes. Anne pointed out that her father, Joe, took the socialist paper when the family still lived in Grand Forks.

Frances Meblin Hartstein born in 1904, is the next daughter of Tsippeleah and Joe Meblin. She was married to Judd Hartstein. They had one son, Malcolm (Max) Hartstein. The family was in the furniture business in the Bay Area around San Francisco, California. Those who know her called Frances, Frankie.

Bess Meblin Lueb was born in 1908. She married Leo Leub in 1948, was divorced and had no children. When she was employed, Bess did office work. She was also active in the Peace Office. She lived in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sam Meblin was the next child. He died at age 5.

David Meblin was born in 1910. He wife is Margo. They had two children, Amy and Andrew. David was the first in the family to move to California. He served in the Second World War and was demobilized in California. David had attended the University of North Dakota as did Anne and Denise. Frankie and Bess went to business or vocational schools. Ann talked about how inexpensive college was at that time. It cost her about $25 a quarter. They could almost walk to the University it was so close to their house. David liked California and decided to stay. Tsippeleah wanted to be near her son and so the family eventually moved from North Dakota to California.
Denise Meblin Kessler was born in 1917. She married Saul Kessler and is divorced. She has a daughter Joanne born in Fargo, North Dakota. Joanne is divorced and living in California. Joanne has a daughter, Michelle Lynn Bagan, also in California. Denise was active in a cheerleading group called “The Last Hurrah”. They got paid for entertaining at events and I understand that the group was very popular. She also lived in the San Francisco Bay Area.

---

MORRIS BERLE ZISKIN (Mordecai) grew up in Russia. He was the second child of Daniel and Devorah Ziskin. Morris was born January 6, 1885 in Berlinitz and died March 24, 1963. He escaped from Russia at the time of the pogroms. He separated himself from the other escapees on a train and jumped off while the train was moving. He was a big, massive man. He picked up a railroad tie, knocked over the Russians and ran away. There was a well-organized underground with underground agents in every town. He escaped from Russia, went across Europe to Bremen, Germany and then to London. In London he met Baron de Hirsh (or representatives) who apparently helped him to emigrate. His ship stopped first in Boston and then went to Canada. After getting off the ship in Canada, he went through Winnepeg to Grand Forks.

On the ship’s record, he indicates that he is a locksmith, that he is 22 years old, that is from Mogoliv, Russia and that he will be joining his brother Oscar in Grand Forks, ND.

He was characterized as an adventurous soul and is remembered for being boisterous and for pulling such stunts as roller-skating in the shed. A slightly different emigration story for Morris is one I always liked. The story goes that Morris came to this country in a feather bed, or at least that’s the way he left Russia. He was fleeing the draft and was not able to get a passport. His friends carried him over the Polish border wrapped in a feather bed and their plan worked. In those days, many immigrants brought their own feather beds with them when they emigrated. So apparently it was not unusual to be carrying a bed across the border. Morris is also remembered as being an ambitious man.

He first went to North Dakota, as did all the others, because there was family there. He then homesteaded in Western South Dakota near the Montana line for three years. He lived in a sod hut and was a farmer for a time. He then sold his homestead and moved then North Dakota where he was a peddler. We know that he lived with Harris in 1905.

He married Bertha Greene in Minneapolis on June 23, 1912. She was born in 1891. He and his wife Bertha moved to Revere, Minnesota, a town of 75 people and then to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Morris was in the department store business. He left North Dakota in 1930 for California. He opened one of the first drive-in supermarkets in 1931. His nephew, Dan Ziskin, was also in business with him. He died in Los Angeles on March 24, 1963 at the age of 85.

Morris and Bertha had three children: Alvin, Hershel and Daniel.
Dan describes his father as a marvelous husband and father. He loved life and lived it to the fullest even after four heart attacks.
Morris was married three times. His first wife was Bertha Green from Sioux Falls. His second marriage was to Helen Berowsky, a sister to Rose Berowsky Siskin. His third wife was Gertrude Epstein, from Fargo.

Dr. Daniel Ziskin – Dan was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota on March 26, 1913. At age 3 he moved with his family to Sioux Falls, SD and went through high school there. He attended the University of Minnesota from 1929 to 1930 and then moved with his family to Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California. He received his BA in 1932; and MD from the University of Southern California School of Medicine in 1936. He was an Ophthalmologist in Los Angeles. He married Marge on September 27, 1942. Dan was a Major in the army from 1942 to 1946. Dan and Marge love to travel and play golf and they have a condo in Palm Desert. They both died in 2010.

Dan and Marge had two children, Daniel B. and John T. Daniel B. was born in 1947 in Los Angeles. He received his degree from the University of Southern California. Dan B. lives in Studio City, CA. He owns his own business – Ziskin Financial Services. Dan loves to run and is a marvelous athlete according to his proud father.

John T. Ziskin was born in 1950 in Los Angeles. He attended California State University. He was the assistant vice president of Big Five Sporting Goods, a subsidiary of Thrifty Drug and Pacific (Lighting) Enterprises. He is also a good athlete. The entire family loves to sail. He died in 2016.

Hershel Ziskin – Hershel was born in 1923 according to the 1930 census. The census form spells his name: Herbal. He is married to Marilyn Jo Brandel. Marilyn was born in 1924. They were married in 1943. They have three children: Bruce Edward Ziskin, b. 1948; Donald Alan Ziskin b. 1953 and Robin Jean Ziskin b. 1956. Bruce is married to Karen Ullman b. 1954. They have three children: Mathew Jeremy b. 1976; Jamie Allison b. 1979; and Kristopher Brandel b. 1984. Robin has one child, Joshua b. 1983.
Alvin Ziskin – Alvin was born in 1919 in South Dakota and died in 2012. Alvin was a real estate developer and lived in Ranco Santa Fe. He and his wife, Dorothy Elizabeth had five children: Michael David, Suzanne Elizabeth, Patricia Ann, Barbara Tracy Gray and Peter Thomas.

Alvin D. Ziskin 06/23/1918 ~ 05/20/2012 RANCHO SANTA FE — On May 20, 2012, Alvin David Ziskin looked at Dorothy, his wife of 59 years, then closed his eyes for the last time. It was a peaceful end to 93 colorful years. A decorated World War II pilot, real estate entrepreneur, father of five, husband of one, golfer, skier, tennis player, bon vivant, raconteur – Al Ziskin lived life in the passing lane. He was the life of the party, an indomitable free spirit who thrived on action. For Al, the journey was always more interesting than the destination. Al was born in Sioux Falls, S.D., but grew up in Los Angeles. An aviation enthusiast at a young age, he attended the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Okla., eventually becoming a flight instructor. When the United States entered World War II,

CY ZISKIN was the fourth child and youngest son of Daniel and Devorah. He was born in 1888, 1889 or 1890 depending on which census record one looks at. He died in 1962. He was married to Sadie (Sally) Sugarman. Of their six children, only three survived. The children were Dorothy, Earle Dean and Jay. Cy was remembered as being a revolutionary in Russia. Stories were told of his attending secret meetings in the woods and of participating in revolutionary activities.

Cy was in the furniture business first in Minneapolis and later in California. In 1914 when Cy filed his Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States he was 27 years old. His document lists the Great Northern Railroad as the ship and Nechi, North Dakota as the point of entry. Apparently the ticket that he purchased was designed to deliver him to his destination and it was probably purchased from the Great Northern Railroad who had agents in Europe selling such accommodations.

Neche (spelled with an e) North Dakota is located at the NE corner of the State, just where ND meets Canada. The dates and the ages on both the Declaration of Intention and the emigration index card would verify my theory that the above information is about Cy. According to the official record, Cy was using his Hebrew or Yiddish name: Ephriam. He was 17 years old, a carpenter, came from “Moheliv” and was going to 113 Dickus Ave. in Grand Forks, ND. He had $15.00 in cash. He sailed from Liverpool on September 28, 1905 and the SS Canada to the Port of Winnepeg. He sailed with Ethel Ziskin (Etta) who was 27 at the time.

Cy is listed on the 1910 City records in Minneapolis. He was living at 3 Highland Avenue, which we know was Harris Ziskin’s house. Cy was a clerk for Issac Segal, also living at 3 Highland Ave. Living there also was Harris, listed as a travel agent, and Maurice (Morris?) a washer, Thomas a student and William a plumber. The 1910 census records show the house occupants to be: Harris Ziskin, Minnie Ziskin, Thomas, William, Hannah, Daniel and nephews: Modeguini (Morris), Syrus and Bessie. Seems as though Harris’ house was full of relatives.

Cy’s daughter Dorothy changed her name to Diane White and is living in New York. She has a daughter. Earle lives in California. He has a daughter, Vikki. Jay Hershel Ziskin is married to Mae Billet. Jay is a psychologist and an author. Jay has two children by a first marriage, Kenneth and Laura. Jay has a son and a daughter Nina and Randy, with Mae, his second wife. Kenneth is married to Joan Tracy. They have two children, Andrew Paul and Jennifer. Laura has a daughter Julia J. Barry. Laura was a film producer and her name is often seen in the credits on the movie screen.

Jay H. Ziskin 1920-1997 son of Cy Ziskin, Psychologist and Lawyer. Jay became a nationally known expert on psychological testimony and wrote a three-volume guide, Coping with Psychiatric and Psychological Testimony , and Brain Damage Claims: Coping with Neuropsychological Evidence . As the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Although he was frequently called upon as an expert witness in criminal trials, Ziskin long advocated banning expert psychiatric testimony. “There is absolutely no scientific or medical criteria for determining the presence or absence of mental capacities.” he said in 1981. His contributions to this field and to Cal State L.A. as a professor were substantial and significant.

Laura Ziskin (1950-2011) daughter of Jay Ziskin
Laura Ziskin, a prominent Hollywood producer who ventured into the largely male world of special-effects movies to become a shaping force behind the blockbuster “Spider-Man” franchise. In 2001, she was the first woman to produce the Oscar telecast.

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, Ziskin had largely devoted her life to raising money and awareness. These efforts had latterly been channelled through the organization Stand Up to Cancer, of which Ziskin was a co-founder.

As executive producer of “Pretty Woman” (1990), the megahit fairy tale about a romance between a prostitute and a business tycoon, Ms Ziskin insisted on an ending in which Julia Roberts has changed Richard Gere as fully as he has changed her.

BESS ZISKIN ZIEV was the youngest child of Daniel and Devorah. She was born April 15, 1889 and died in June, 1973. Bess stayed in Russia to take care of her mother since she was the youngest daughter. When her mother died, the brothers brought her over on one condition – that she didn’t work. She was 16 and came through Canada. She went to Grand Forks first, then to Minneapolis where she lived with Hannah’s folks. She entered the first grade and went through the eighth grade all in six months time. That was the end of her formal education. She learned to read and write while in school. She was known as Aunt Bessie to her family and over time several of her nieces and nephews were sent to live with her. One of the Meblin women said that she had been sent to Aunt Bessie to learn how to be a lady. She married Hyman Burt Ziev and they had a general store in Larimore, North Dakota. Her name was really Edith Bessie. Bess and Hyman had four children: Doris, Dr. Daniel, Frances and Harriet.

Doris Gross was born January 6, 1914. and was married to Morey Gross, who is deceased. They have two children: Janet and Carol. Janet is married to Larry Shutan. They have twin boys, Greg and Gary. The family lives in Munster, Indiana. Carol was married to Joel Yonover, who is deceased. They have three sons: Scott, Brad and Paul. They live in Indianapolis, Indiana. Doris also lives in Indianapolis and Chicago.

Dr. Daniel Eleazer Ziev was born March 30, 1915 and is married to Julia Goldsmith. They have two children: Francine and Harmon. Dr. Dan was Chief of Radiology at St. Catherine’s Hospital in East Chicago. He is presently retired and lives with his wife in Park Forest, Illinois.

Frances Marie (Fran) Ziev Herman was born February 4, 1921 and is married to Irving Herman. They live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Irv was a dentist and was also in the construction business. They have three children: Barbara, Deborah and Jeffrey. Barbara was married to James Rubin, who is deceased. She is now married to Barry Greenberg. They have three children: Beth Anne, Benjamin Lee and Nathaniel Ari. Deborah is married to Scott Cooper. They have a son, Michael and two daughters, Laura and Stephanie. Scott is in the home construction business. Jeffrey is a Radiation Oncologist and is married to Caryn Zembrosky, a Gynecology/Obstetrics specialist.

Harriet Ziev Pearlstein was born March 29, 1919 and was married to Alfred Pearlstein. Al died May 27, 1961. Harriet lived in Los Angeles until her death in 1998. They had two children: A. Randolph (Randy) and Marvin. Randy is a physician in Los Angeles and Marv is a lawyer in San Francisco. Marv is married to Gwen Gold. Marv has a son, b. 1994, Jacob Raphael Suhami, by a previous marriage. Randy is married to Carol Rose Wulf. They have two children, Adam Nathan Pearlstein and Jonathan Evan Pearlstein. Jonathan is married to Dr. Kathryn McClellan. (2016)