Vinitzky History

Vinitzky (Winitsky / Winitski)- History & Descendants


Inscription: Here lies an upstanding man Avraham Yitzhak Son of the Honourable Meyer Vinitzki who passed away Sunday February 1928 "May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life" – Paraphrase of what Abigail said to King David (I Samuel 25:29)

Left assumed Sheine Zisle Mesnikov, Right Lily - Mery Leja Rubin-Rubenstein

We don't know where Meyer Vinitzky (Latvia) originated but researchers suggest that the name means that he came from Vinnitsa in the Ukraine. It does not appear to be a very common name.

Meyer Vinitzky fathered Avraham/Abram Itzak Vinitzky (shown in photo below) and there is currently no trace of other family. However generally in those days families were large so there might be a chance of finding other branches eventually,

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Thanks to Tsar Nicholas the Second, Abram Vinitzky + Zizle Mesnikov and their children were recorded in the 1897 First All Great Russian Census http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire_Census in what today is Daugavpils http://maps.euroave.com/index_map.php?gocountry=latvia&gocity=daugavpils, was then Dinaberg / Dunaberg until 1891, then Dvinsk till 1918.

Aron Vinitisky would have been born around 1800-1825 under Tsar Alexander I Romanov (around the time Napoleon went to Russia).

Abram Itzik Vinitzky born: Abt 1849, Daugavpils, Latvia + Sheine Zisle Mesnikov born: 1852, Dinaburg (Daugavpils)

They had the following children at the time of the census

  • Doba Merka Vinetzky
    Family legend is that Doba Merka was taken by the gypsies. This may have been to explain away a child’s death to other young children
  • Haja Lea Vinitzky
    Reported as lost in the ghetto in 1941
  • Sore Mashe (Sarah) Vinitzky
    No other information available
  • Meyer Michel Henry Vinitzky (Dietch)
    Family legend is that the reason Meyer changed his name was that, most of the family followed socialist politics, and he was drafted into the Russian army to fight the fledgling Bolsheviks (something he supported). He deserted, had to obtain papers and escape. There is no evidence for this. Meyer went to England in 1905
  • Freide Vinitzky
    Reportedly fled to Russia with her children in 1941
  • Mnucha Zlata (Katie) Vinitzky
    Katie went to the USA in 1916
  • Feige (Fanny) Vinitzky
    Fanny went to the USA in 1917
  • Ruvin Rubin Vinitzky (Winitch)
    Rubin went to the USA in 1915

Some of the family were recorded later in the 1935 Latvian census.

Documentation provided by: Rita Bogdanova - researcher, Latvia, 2008

The birth records of the Jewish community in Daugavipils (Dinaburg - until 1891, Dvinsk - until 1918) for 1867, 1869-1870, 1872-1875,1878, 1887, 1889, 1890-1895, 1898-1899, 1903, 1905; marriage records for 1868-1869, 1871, 1875, 1878, 1889, 1894, 1904; and death records for 1870, 1872, 1876-1878, 1888 as available Census documents for 1897 and for 1935 contain the following information about the family Vinitzky:

The family Vinitzky belonged to the Jewish community in Dvinsk however they were not stated in the family lists (taxation lists for "petty-bourgeois", craftsmen, merchants, etc). The family lived in 1897 in Dvinsk at Sadovaja Street 20.

Abram Itzik son of Aron (in Russian the patronimic is Aronovich) Vinitzky (Vinetzky) was born in Daugvapils in ca 1849-1850 (aged 47 in 1896-1897). He was a shoemaker by occupation, not literate.

His wife Sheine Zisle daughter of Aron Mesnikov was born in Dinaburg in 1852 according to the Census for 1935. She was aged 45 in 1896-1897. Not literate.

Abram Itzik and Sheina Vinitzky had following children all born in Dvinsk:

  • Daughter Doba Merka Vinetzky (sic) born on July 2, 1875. She does not appear in the Census for 1897 as she could be already married or died in the childhood.
  • Daughter Haja Lea Vinitzky, born in 1876 (according to the Census for 1935) and aged 18 in 1896-1897 according to the Census for 1897. By the time of 1897 she was working in Daugavpils at the Zaks match factory on Shosseinaya St, now 18. Novembra iela, and was the only one in the family who could write and read in Yiddish.
  • Daughter Sore Mashe Vinitzky, born in ca 1880 (aged 16 in 1896­1897. She also worked at the match factory.
  • Son Meyer Michel Vinitzky, born in ca 1883-1884 (aged 13 in 1896-1897). The birth records of the Jewish community in Daugvapils for 1883-1884 have not survived therefore we can not establish the exact date of birth.
  • Daughter Freide Vinitzky, born in ca 1886 (aged 8 in 1896-1897).
  • Daughter Mnucha Zlata (Sweetness) Vinitzky, born in ca 1891 (aged 5 in 1896/­1897).
  • Daughter Feige (Bird) Vinitzky, born in ca 1894 (aged 2 in 1896-1897).
  • Son Ruvin Vinitzky, born on September 17, 1895.

Haja Lea Vinitzky was married to Itzik Behr son of Mowsha Elia Rodman from Daugavpils, born in 1874. They had children born in Daugavpils:

  • Son Moisey Rodman, born on July 21, 1899,
  • Daughter Esphir Rodman, born on September 11, 1903, her further fate is not known.
  • Son Jacob Rodman, born on June 6, 1907. He fled during the WWII and survived and submitted some information about his perished family to Yad Vashem in 1990 while living Riga, at Gogola Street 13-11.
  • Son Meyer Rodman, born on on July 14, 1909, family fled to Kirov (Vatere Е. - "Latvian Jews in fight against Nazism". 2005 (Israel). It could be 90% accurate as Meyer fled and served in the Red Army – only those who left for Russia at the beginning of the war could be in the Red Army.)
  • Daughter Sara Rodman, born on October 11, 1911. Her further fate is not known.
  • Daughter Hava Rodman, born on October 30, 1918 in Ryazan, Russia where the family was during WWI. She was not married and during WWII fled to Russia. (Stated in the house register)

Moisey Rodman was married to Zivja Rasha Koblenz, born on August 17, 1893 in Daugavpils. Moisey and Zivja Rasha had two sons:

  • Haim Orchik Rodman, born on November 21, 1926 in Daugavpils,
  • Abram Rodman, born on June 16, 1928 in Daugavpils.

According to Census of Daugavpils for 1935 Moisey was a tailor and the family lived there at Raina Street 52-2. The whole family perished during WWII in Daugavpils or in Ludza in 1941. (Stated in Yad Vashem database)

Meyer Rodman was married to Cecilia Lowi; born in Daugavpils on July 20, 1906. They lived in Riga at Maskavas Street 48-8 and had a son David Rodman, born in Riga on February 2, 1938. During WWII the family fled to Russia, Kirov region. Meyer was called to the military service in the Red Army and was killed on December 29, 1944 on the Latvian territory near Saldus where he was buried. (Vatere E. - "Latvian Jews In The Fight Against Nazism" -2005-Israel). It is possible that David Rodman is still alive.

Note: David Roman or his surviving family please get in touch.

Freide Vinitzky was married to Zodik Kaplan born in 1888 in Disna. He was a smith: The family lived in Daugavpils at Raina Street 30-1, Imantas 101/43, Lacplesa 35. Freide and Zodik had children:

  • Daughter Sora Kaplan, born in 1920 in Russia where the family obviously lived during WWI,
  • Daughter Fruma Kaplan, born in 1923 in Daugavpils,
  • Son Srul Kaplan, born in 1925 in Daugavpils,
  • Daughter Masha Kaplan, born in 1928 in Daugavpils,
  • Son Abram Isak Kaplan, born in 1928 in Daugavpils.

Zodik Kaplan was killed on June 25, 1941 by his neighbour three days after the war started. Supposedly Freide with children fled to Russia. The book И. Рочко. Они были нашими соседями / Евреи в Даугавпилсе / Книга четвертая. Даугавпилс, 2005, стр. 127-173. (J. Rochko. "They Were Our Neighbours/Jews In Daugavpils"/ Book Four, 2005).

Note: I have contacted the author but the book is now out of print.