History of our family Hirsch...
The Hirsch family has been frequently thrown out of country after country. Where they were allowed to live at all, they were made to live and carry out their businesses in ghettos which were usually walled completely around so as to contain the Jews to a certain area. They were allowed into the general towns and cities only to ply their trade and then had to return to the ghetto. Being considered as "Christ Killers" they were blamed for every illness that turned up, including the Black Plague, and were suspected of poisoning the wells and killing young Christian children-sometimes even of cannibalism. They were considered as a scourge and all evil deeds and unfortunate occurrences were laid at their doors; they were the scape-goats of society. After trouble in a land, there would be destruction of Jewish property and usually the Jews residing in the town were thrown out into the wilds of nature with only what they could carry. And so the Hirsch family migrated from Israel > Italy > Spain > Germany > Russia > America escaping the constant pogroms that were inevitable. The move from Spain to Germany was to escape the Inquisition where Jews were forced to be baptized into the Catholic Church or to be tortured and burned alive at the stake, or boiled in oil, if they would not convert.
The Kol Nidre is chanted each evening before the start of Erev Yom Kippur to remember the forced vows of the oppressors and disavow them or any other vows they may have unwisely made during the past year. It underlines the reason that we all need to repent of the sins and omissions we may have committed during the past year and do teshuvah (turn away from our sins, which is the correct translation of the word "repentance" [teshuvah] in the Torah).
The movement of the Hirsch family from Germany to Russia was brought about by increased persecution in Germany followed by an offer from the Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, to re-locate Jewish farmers to Southwest Russia and farm vast open fields to help her improve Russia. (Not many Russians were living in that area-kind of like our prairies before the pioneers arrived [which is probably why when they came to America they chose the prairie states/territories to settle in].)
A generation back from great-grandfather, Henry Hirsch, there was a marriage-by his parents-of second cousins (both families were Hirsch's but from different families). The family has a tradition that they are related to Rabbi Samson Abraham Hirsch, the great leader of the Hasidic Movement in Germany. (We have a book by him that will belong to Skeeta II, who was given his name for his Hebrew name. There is a picture of Rabbi Hirsch in the back of this book, and the book currently resides in my library.)
Aunt Becky used to have a dream where she was from a Spanish family and I was actually her child. She used to love that dream and felt that we must be descended from a Spanish family. I think she is remembering a past life game and not that her father's father was Spanish (of course he was during the middle ages) in this life game. My apologies to anyone in the family who is invested in the thought that Grandpa Albert Hirsch is not their real grandfather, because he definitely is.
Let me wish everyone who reads this an excellent Yom Tov (Good Day, usually a sabbath or special religious day's greeting). This evening at sundown begins Yom Kippur which is an entire 24 hours devoted to repentance (teshuvah) and fasting, as we prepare ourselves for this New Year by recommitting ourselves to our growth towards righteousness and praising the glory of God. May you all be blessed this year of 5774 as we await the arrival of Malachi William Self, who is due to arrive on Simcha Torah (Joy of the Torah) to his parents, Walter Self and Lourdes Acosta.
Our Hirsch family is growing by leaps and bounds and thanks our Heavenly Father for being preserved as a unit filled with love and attracting others of different faiths, beliefs, and descent.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
Davida Ruth bat Avraham Aveenu
The Hirsch family has been frequently thrown out of country after country. Where they were allowed to live at all, they were made to live and carry out their businesses in ghettos which were usually walled completely around so as to contain the Jews to a certain area. They were allowed into the general towns and cities only to ply their trade and then had to return to the ghetto. Being considered as "Christ Killers" they were blamed for every illness that turned up, including the Black Plague, and were suspected of poisoning the wells and killing young Christian children-sometimes even of cannibalism. They were considered as a scourge and all evil deeds and unfortunate occurrences were laid at their doors; they were the scape-goats of society. After trouble in a land, there would be destruction of Jewish property and usually the Jews residing in the town were thrown out into the wilds of nature with only what they could carry. And so the Hirsch family migrated from Israel > Italy > Spain > Germany > Russia > America escaping the constant pogroms that were inevitable. The move from Spain to Germany was to escape the Inquisition where Jews were forced to be baptized into the Catholic Church or to be tortured and burned alive at the stake, or boiled in oil, if they would not convert.
The Kol Nidre is chanted each evening before the start of Erev Yom Kippur to remember the forced vows of the oppressors and disavow them or any other vows they may have unwisely made during the past year. It underlines the reason that we all need to repent of the sins and omissions we may have committed during the past year and do teshuvah (turn away from our sins, which is the correct translation of the word "repentance" [teshuvah] in the Torah).
The movement of the Hirsch family from Germany to Russia was brought about by increased persecution in Germany followed by an offer from the Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, to re-locate Jewish farmers to Southwest Russia and farm vast open fields to help her improve Russia. (Not many Russians were living in that area-kind of like our prairies before the pioneers arrived [which is probably why when they came to America they chose the prairie states/territories to settle in].)
A generation back from great-grandfather, Henry Hirsch, there was a marriage-by his parents-of second cousins (both families were Hirsch's but from different families). The family has a tradition that they are related to Rabbi Samson Abraham Hirsch, the great leader of the Hasidic Movement in Germany. (We have a book by him that will belong to Skeeta II, who was given his name for his Hebrew name. There is a picture of Rabbi Hirsch in the back of this book, and the book currently resides in my library.)
Aunt Becky used to have a dream where she was from a Spanish family and I was actually her child. She used to love that dream and felt that we must be descended from a Spanish family. I think she is remembering a past life game and not that her father's father was Spanish (of course he was during the middle ages) in this life game. My apologies to anyone in the family who is invested in the thought that Grandpa Albert Hirsch is not their real grandfather, because he definitely is.
Let me wish everyone who reads this an excellent Yom Tov (Good Day, usually a sabbath or special religious day's greeting). This evening at sundown begins Yom Kippur which is an entire 24 hours devoted to repentance (teshuvah) and fasting, as we prepare ourselves for this New Year by recommitting ourselves to our growth towards righteousness and praising the glory of God. May you all be blessed this year of 5774 as we await the arrival of Malachi William Self, who is due to arrive on Simcha Torah (Joy of the Torah) to his parents, Walter Self and Lourdes Acosta.
Our Hirsch family is growing by leaps and bounds and thanks our Heavenly Father for being preserved as a unit filled with love and attracting others of different faiths, beliefs, and descent.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
Davida Ruth bat Avraham Aveenu
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