The R. Naftali Miller Family

R. Naftali (1845 - 1930 [14 Adar]), son of Pesach Dovid Miller, was born in Malcov, Slovakia. He was first married to Sura Chivala and had 5 children. They lived in Gorlice (in SW Galicia), Poland, where he was dayan for over forty years. He was a student of the Divrei Chaim, R. Chaim Halberstam of Nowy Sacz. After his wife's passing, R. Naftali traveled to Sienewa for Yom Tov. While there, R. Chezkel Shineva, eldest son of R' Chaim Halberstam, proposed a match with Mirel, daughter of R. Yakov Spira, ABD Tertzel, widow of Avrohm Yitzchok Reiss. The marriage was only in Jewish law, with no civil ceremony. R. Naftali had two children, Itcha & Sarah, with her. Because a civil marriage was not performed, these two children retained the family name of Reiss. Mirel perished in the Holocaust, during its onset, either in the Sulig or Bochnia ghetto.

• R. Shmuel Aron, Labiva (Labowa) Ruv (1865 - 1942 [17 Elul]). He and almost all of his descendants perished in the Holocaust. R. Shmuel Aron was extremely sharp, and at the age of 18 was appointed Rabbi of Yidlitch, Galicia. He was married more than once, although only one wife is known: Chava, daughter of R. Matisyahu Vildstein, of Labowa (near Maciejowa). They had 4 children. After World War I, R. Shmuel Aron accepted the post of Rabbi at Labowa, where he became known as Labiva (Labowa) Ruv. He headed a yeshiva there. In 1940 he was sent to the Nowy Sacz ghetto, where he perished.
  • Yoel (18? - 1942?) of Labowa (near Maciejowa), Galicia, married Pessil, daughter of R. Shimon Leiber of Sanok. They had at least 2 children. He perished in a Nazi prison in Tarnow. His wife & one of his sons, Hersh, also perished in the Holocaust.
    Itcha Dovid & Hersh
  • Ben-Zion (18? - 1942?) of Bochnia & Wielopole Skrzynskie, married Leah Lipschutz. They had at least 12 children. The youngest died as a baby and the rest of the family perished in the Holocaust.
    Nuta, Shea, Moshe, Faiga, Rochel, Alta Chaya, & others
  • Sara Chula (1897/8 - 1943) married Aba Wax. They lived in Krakow and had at least 6 children. From 1919-1922 R. Aba assisted his father-in-law with the rabbinate in Labowa. In 1923 R. Aba moved to Preshovitz, where he served as rabbi. In 1924 R. Aba became Rosh Yeshiva and dayan in Krakow. Except for Miriam, everyone perished in the Holocaust, in the Krakow ghetto, on 10 Adar II, 1943.
    Miriam Epstein, Yehoshua, Chana, Bracha, Chaya Rasha, & Shlomo Leib
  • Rochel Leah (? - 1942?) was married around 1937, to Moshe Shea Reich, of Czudec, Galicia. Jack (Yakele) Weiss, a first cousin to Moshe Shea, told how he traveled from Lancut to the wedding in Labowa. He said thousands of people attended. Moshe Shea was a tremendous talmid chochum and had written many seforim (books). They had no children and both perished in the Holocaust. Mr. Weiss' cousin remembered seeing Moshe Shea in '43 in Germany, close to his end.
    

• Nechuma (c1872 - 1940) of Gorlice, Poland was married to Yitzchok Nuta Stengal. They had 10 children, 5 of which survived to adulthood. Yitzchok Nuta and two of his children, with their families, perished in the Holocaust.
  • Sara Chivala (14 Mar 1899 - 1942), shows up in the JewishGen records of Gorlice Jewish Students 1893-1925. She married Yakov Volf Dym. They lived in Gorlice and had three children. The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
    Roza, Dov, & Yechezkel
  • Yechiel (1902 - 1960) married Rochel Morgenstern and went to Israel. They had one son.
    Shaya Shachar. He changed his last name to a loose Israeli equivalent of Morgenstern (Shachar = dawn, Morgenstern = morningstar).
  • Luzer (1904 - 1989) married both before & after the war. He had no children.
  • Boruch (1907 - 1939?) of Gorlice was married to Sarah Rivka and had two children. The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
    Naftali & Shaindel
  • Avrohm (19? - 19?) died young (before adulthood).
  • Roza (19? - 19?) died young (before adulthood).
  • Chaskel lived in Gorlice and came to the US after the war. He married Blima Posner & they have 4 children.
    Baila Leiser, Rochel Goldberg, Itcha, & Sura Sturm
  • child (19? - 19?) died young (before adulthood).
  • child (19? - 19?) died young (before adulthood).
  • child (19? - 19?) died young (before adulthood).

• R. Moshe'le dayan (1875 - 1942 [9 Av]) of Gorlice, Poland was married to Nechama Yuta (daughter of Chana Rivka) Eisenberg and they had 5 children. R. Moshe'le assisted his father, and after his passing, took over his position as dayan. He was also a posek, teacher of talmud (daf yomi), orator, mohel, the only m'sader gittin in the city, active in all community affairs, and beloved by all. He was sent to Belzitz on 9 Av, 1942, along with 200 other Jews. His entire family perished in the Holocaust.
  • Dovid (19? - 1942) was not married. He perished in the Holocaust.
  • Sara Chivala (18 Jul 1908 - 1942), shows up in the JewishGen records of Gorlice Jewish Students 1893-1925. She married a Spira shortly before the war. They lived in Gorlice but had no children. They perished in the Holocaust.
  • girl (19? - 1942) was not married. She perished in the Holocaust.
  • girl (19? - 1942) was not married. She perished in the Holocaust.
  • Chezkel (1927/8 - 1942) was not married. He perished in the Holocaust.

• Yankel (187? - 1940) of Gorlice, Galicia was married to his cousin, Rochel Schermer of Tylicz, Galicia. They lived in Presov, Slovakia & had 5 children. Only one, Moshe, survived to adulthood (The Presov records available through the Family History Centers, should give conclusive dates of birth/death & full Hebrew names). The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
  • Yosef (19? - 1939 [third day Chol Hamoed Succos) died of TB.
  • Chula (c1909 - 1931 [Shiva Aser b'Tamuz 5691]) died in an accident.
  • Moshe (c1913 - 1942) lived in Presov and was married to a Schwartz. They had 4 children. The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
    Sara, Dovid, Lytchu, & Chaskel
  • Yitzchok (January 5, 1924 - 19?) drowned. On his Presov birth record he is recorded as Abraham Isak Muller. It can be viewed at FHC film 1793549 (DGS 4227640), Item 3.
  • child? (19? - 19?) died young.

• Chaya (187? - 194?) of Gorlice, Poland was married to Shimon Nussbaum & had 5 children. The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
  • Yitzchok (19? - 194?) was not married. He perished in the Holocaust. JewishGen has a Mauthausen/Gusen Death Book that lists a NUSSBAUM, Izak under ID 19639, Mauthausen prisoner 87931, born 20 Jun 1900 in Gorlice, and perished 13 Mar 1945.
  • Dovid (19? - 194?) was not married. He perished in the Holocaust.
  • Boruch (19? - 194?) was not married. He perished in the Holocaust.
  • Sara Chivala (27 Sep 1904 - 194?), shows up in the JewishGen records of Gorlice Jewish Students 1893-1925. She married an Eisen, in 1940. They were not known to have had children. They perished in the Holocaust.
  • Yankel (19? - 194?) was not married. He perished in the Holocaust.

• Itcha (June 12, 1901 - 1944 [18 Shevat]) was born in Majdanka. His surname was Reiss. He lived in Mukachevo, Ukraine and was married to Ratzah, daughter of R. Menachem Katz. They had 6 children, 5 of which survived to adulthood. During the Holocaust he was taken to a work camp and later to Ramsdorf-Buchenwald, where he perished. His number was 56757. His wife and young children were put in a work ghetto in Mukachevo. From there they were sent to Auschwitz, where they perished, on 4 Sivan 1944. The only survivor was Jack (Yankel), who related many of these details.
  • Avrohm (1923 - 1944) was not married. He was a student of yeshiva in Mukachevo & Satu Mare. He perished in the Holocaust, in a work camp.
  • Malka (1925 - 1945) was not married. She perished in Bergen-Belsen, at the end of the war, due to the great ailments inflicted upon her in the Holocaust.
  • Jack married Esther Cohen. He is the only survivor from R. Naftali's second wife. He lives in Chicago, IL & has 3 daughters, one of which lives in Brooklyn NY.
    Rachel Diamond, Miriam Seleski, & Shoshie Kahn
  • Naftali (1931 - 1944) perished in the Holocaust.
  • Basha Raizel (1934 - 193?), died before the war.
  • Fraida (1940 - 1944) perished in the Holocaust.

• Sarah (29 Jul 1904 - 1940) of Gorlice, Poland was married to Leibel Yugund of Sukol, a chasid of Belz and son of Sumer Jugend and Hinde Bruh. JewishGen points to their marriage record in Sokol during 1926 (akt 9). They lived in Gorlice & had 5 or 6 children. R. Leibel was a dayan there. The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
  • child, child, child, child, & child

I would be very interested to hear from anyone with knowledge or an interest in the Miller family.

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Last updated 19 Apr 2020