The Ancestry of Lloyd Alexander

May next year will mark a decade since the passing of Lloyd Chudley Alexander, the celebrated author of the Chronicles of Prydain - a wonderful fantasy series which I read as a teenager.

Author Lloyd Chudley Alexander

Lloyd Chudley Alexander was born in Philadelphia on January 30, 1924 to stockbroker Alan Audley Alexander and Edna née Chudley. His parents were married in 1916. Alexander and his older sister Florence Elise [15.08.1918-20.01.1988] grew up in the western suburbs of Drexel Hill. The family was greatly affected by the depression. Alexander joined the U.S. army at the start of WWII. He trained and served as a military intelligence officer in Wales, where he later drew much inspiration for his famous book series. He met his wife Janine Marie née Denni [16.09.1920-02.05.2007] while attending the Sourbonne after the war. They were married in Paris on January 8, 1946 and Alexander formally adopted Denni's daughter Madeleine "Mado" Marie [08.11.1934-15.07.1990]. Returning to his native Philadelphia, Alexander started writing while working day jobs. His first books were rejected. It wasn't before 1955 that one of his works was published. "I wrote for adults for ten years. But for some reason, in the realm of fantasy for children, I was able to take up deeper Questions. To me it is liberating." In 1963 Alexander wrote "Time Cat" - his first fantasy for children and first major success. The story was inspired by Alexander's pet cat Solomon. The five books in the Chronicles of Prydain were published between 1964 and 1968, earning Alexander the Newbery honor and medal. The first two installments in the series were adapted into an animated Disney feature in 1985. Alexander recieved the Pennbook Lifetime Achievement Award, Parent's Choice Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and  World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. By the time of his death he had written some forty books, and had won the National Book Award twice. He passed away two weeks after his wife.

Alexander's maternal grandparents were tailor Harry Elwood Chudley and Mary Elizabeth née Gray. They were second generation immigrants, English and Irish respectfully, and were married at the Church of the Beloved Disciple in Philadelphia.

Alexander was brought up a Christian. He and his wife were members of the Holy Comforter Church in Drexel Hill, but his father was raised in a Jewish household. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Alan Audley Alexander was registered with the Amalgamated Jewish Congregation in the city. He settled in the US in 1905 and was naturalized in Pennsylvania in 1922. 
Lloyd Alexander's paternal grandfather, Solomon Elkin Alexander, was of mixed Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish ancestry. He was a merchant and a member of freemasonry in Jamaica. Alexander's grandmother, Frances "Fanny" Eliza Née DeSouza, was fully Sephardi Jewish.

1.Lloyd Chudley Alexander, 30/01/1924 - 17/05/2007

   2.1 Alan Audley Alexander, 05/04/1887 - 20/12/1958, married 1916

      3.1 Solomon Elkin Alexander, 30/07/1854 - , married 30/06/1873

        4.1 Thaddeus Alexander, 26/12/1831 - 08/01/1892, married 20/04/1853

          5.1 Joseph Alexander, married 03/10/1814

            6.1 Reuben Alexander 1759 - 20/03/1818

          5.2 Kate Elkin

            6.3 Solomon Elkin

        4.2 Sarah DaCosta, 11/11/1831 - 

          5.3 Moses DaCosta

      3.2 Frances Eliza DeSouza, 31/08/1853 - 15/05/1919

        4.3 Abraham DeSouza

        4.4 Louisa

   2.2 Edna Chudley, 22/12/1898 - 25/03/1963

      3.3 Harry Elwood Chudley, 07/08/1858 - 10/03/1924, married 07/08/1883

      3.4 Mary Elisabeth Gray, 30/06/1865 - 20/05/1939

        4.7 John Gray

        4.8 Elisabeth McCallum

The Drowning in Rozentova

I discovered this tragic accident while reading a very old newspaper. In a rural area like this, some of the local elders may still remember the drowning disaster that happened in the village 118 years ago. 

Detail from Ophelia by John Everett Millais, 1852

 

The wedding was a celebration to be remembered. Members of both families had gathered from afar to witness the young Kasriel Grinmann and his bride Rivka Weinstock united in matrimony. The ceremony took place in the small village of Rozentova [Malta, Lithuania], west of Rēzekne, on August 21, 1897. The bride was from Preiļi and the groom came from Višķi, two small villages lying thirty kilometers apart.

After the ceremony, a stroll and a picnic in a nearby grove had been planned for the younger guests. Small wooden fishing boats had been hired beforehand for a short rowing trip down the Vertukšnes river and were waiting at the riverbank. The day was balmy and the guests were lighthearted.

It was youthful folly that lead no less than ten young men and women to board the boat carrying the newlyweds. They hadn't made it past sixty feet before the vessel flipped in the current and cast its dozen passengers into the water. Within seconds the scene turned into a tragedy: Few of the guests could swim, fully clothed and likely intoxicated as they were. Two women managed to cling to the upside-down boat and were carried away by the stream, screaming for help. The groom and another guest barely made it to the riverbank. One man was saved by a soldier who bravely dove into the water and pulled him out. The rest of the passengers were swallowed by the murky river.

Five bodies were recovered later that day and buried in Rēzekne. The bride and her brother had drowned, as well as the brother's pregnant wife. The missing bodies were only found two days later and laid to rest in the Jewish cemetery. The whole of Rēzekne went into deep mourning, and many local Christians partook in the funeral. The widowed Kasriel Grinmann remarried years later. He was killed along with his wife in the holocaust.

The seven victims:
Sara Malka Pitak, 25 from Preiļi. Daughter of Mendel Pitak.
Rivka Grinman née Weinstock, 25 from Višķi. Daughter of Zerah Weinstock. [The bride]
Hanna Tserfat, 21 from Ludza - daughter of Behr Tserfat.
Sara Dobe Weinstock née ?, 27 from Višķi - daughter of Efraim ?. [Sister-in-law of the bride]
Yehosha Shalom Weinstock, 27 from Višķi - son of Zerah Weinstock. [Brother of the bride]
Moshe Michal Cohen, 22 from Preiļi - son of Yakov Hirsch Cohen.
Yakov Sorokin, 20 from Rēzekne - son of Kasriel Sorokin

The Menorah of Viborg

It is truly an amusing coincidence that I should come across this story on Hanukkah. Yesterday, while looking through a postcard album that was given to me by my great-aunt and had belonged to my great-grandmother, I came across some photos of the cathedral in Viborg and the idea for this article.

The menorah was a seven branched lampstand made of pure gold that was used by Moses in the Tabernacle and later illuminated the Temple in Jerusalem. It is central to the Jewish festival of lights, called Hanukkah, which commemorates the purification of the temple by the Maccabees after the Greeks had befouled it. As the story goes, after reclaiming the temple in a successful revolt, the Maccabees could only find one small cruse of the sacred oil used to fuel the eternal fire of the menorah. The oil was sufficient only for one day, but miraculously lasted for eight - enough time for more sacred oil to be prepared without the holy flames dying out.

Depiction of the menorah in a Jewish bible

  Cervera, 13th century

In 70 CE the temple was destroyed by Emperor Titus and the menorah was brought to Rome. After being paraded in the city with the other spoils from the temple, it was deposited in the Forum of Vespasian. A depiction of it can be seen on the Arch of Titus. When the Vandals sacked Rome in the fifth century the menorah was lost. It is theorized to eventually have found its way back to Jerusalem - only to be pillaged again by the Persians and disappear for good.

While the relic may have been lost, the motif of the seven branched lampstand or candelabrum survived. Adopted from Judaism by the first Christians, it gradually spread over Europe and eventually found its way into the Catholic Church in medieval times. The oldest artifact in Scandinavia, found in the cathedral of Lund, was crafted in 1325. Another noteworthy seven branched candelabrum was designed in 1515 by order of Bishop Niels Clausen [-15.12.1531] for the cathedral of Århus. But the oldest artifact in Denmark is the one found in the cathedral of Viborg.

The candelabrum of Viborg, 1875

Illus. by Christian Olavius Zeuthen

-Det Kongelige Bibliotek

Front view of the Cathedral Viborg, 1910's

The seven branched candelabrum of Viborg [Danish: Den syvarmede lysestage] was crafted in Lübeck, Germany in 1494 by order of Bishop Niels Globs [-1498]. Fully cast in bronze, it stands at a height of approximately 2.7 meters. The foot of the artifact rests on three lying lions, bearing some resemblance to the older candelabrum of Lund. Amidst the central pillar is an openwork bible-holder, depicting the Sun in His Splendour, and above it a miniature of Bishop Globs with the inscription “hr. bisschop glop”. At the base of the middle branches is an emblem of the letter P, with an inscription commemorating canon P. Povelsen’s partaking in its creation. Like the menorah of Jerusalem, the candelabrum of Viborg was no stranger to hardship.

On June 17, 1501 the cathedral was struck by lightning and went up in flames. The west tower, roof, transept gable and the top of the apse were destroyed by the fire. Only three artifacts survived the blaze - a crucifix, the ark of saint Kjeld [-1150] and the fairly new seven-branched candelabrum. After the cathedral was restored these objects assumed a place of honor in the high chancel next to the chest of saint Villehad [-789]. 

The candelabrum of Viborg, 1910's

A fire which broke out in Viborg on May 16, 1567 again damaged the cathedral. It was reportedly so intense it melted the bells in the two spires as well as the copper roof of the building, but the objects in the chancel were unharmed. Viborg suffered two more fires in 1615 and 1667, but the worst blaze in its history struck on June 25, 1726. The greater part of the city was laid to ashes in this fire and the cathedral suffered severe damage. Claimed by the flames, the right spire came falling down on the roof and crushed the arches, leaving nothing but the outer walls standing. All woodwork within the cathedral was consumed, including the saints’ arks. But the seven branched candelabrum miraculously survived the devastation with only slight damage to its foot. In the following four years the ruined cathedral was reconstructed in an impressive feat by master builder Claus Stallknecht of Altona [1681-03.03.1734]. Bellfounder Caspar König of Danzig [1699-14.01.1780] repaired the damaged foot of the candelabrum for the reconsecration in 1730. It was returned to its place in the chancel, and was later drawn by naturalist Søren Pedersen Abildgaar [18.02.1718-02.07.1791] in his survey of monuments in the cathedral.

Interior view towards the altar, 1910's

But Stallknecht's construction work did not hold long. Within a few years alarming cracks appeared in the arches, gradually turning into gaping holes. The cathedral went into repairs time and again, until finally being shut down in 1862. It was only opened in September 10, 1876, having undergone renovation and reconstrution by three different architects. The ceiling of the cathedral was decorated with marvelous murals by history painter Frederik Christian Lund [14.02.1826-31.10.1901], depicting various biblical scenes. The seven branched candelabrum was brought to Copenhagen in 1875 to undergo a meticulous restoration at the workshop of metal worker Pers. Three granite stones were attached to its foot under the lying lions to better its balance. Since its return, the menorah of Viborg has stood in a place of honor in the middle of the crossing. There the artifact is admired by many of the cathedral's visitors and often pictured, but few know its origin and meaning.

The Fate of Pets in the Holocaust

While it may have been a tiny fraction of the suffering inflicted in the Second World War, the question of what fate befell Jewish owned pets in the holocaust is an interesting one.

Jewish girl with her dog,
prewar France -USHMM

There was no consistent Nazi policy for treatment of Jewish owned pets before the spring of 1942. The question arose quiet often when dealing with the segregation or deportation of Jews, since they owned pets just as commonly as any other group. Most often, Jews were banned from bringing their pets along and had to find foster families for their dogs, cats or birds within a very short time. This was the case, for example, in the uprooting of Jews from the shoreline of the Netherlands in 1941.

As long as the deportation had been announced a few days prior, finding a solution for domestic animals was the responsibility of the owners. But in an event of sudden mass-deportation or sealing of a Jewish neighborhood as a ghetto no time was given for such actions, and the problem thus became very much that of the authorities. In Eastern Europe, for example, Jews sometimes naively brought their pets along to the roundups prior to Einsatzgruppe executions, believing they were being resettled.

Jewish man with his dog, France -Yad Vashem

Sometimes pets were put in the care of willing locals, but when there was no immediate solution at hand, as was most often the case, owners were forced to leave their dogs and cats in their empty homes with the hope that someone would find them. During the round up of the Jews in Baden and Saarland, receipts were kept by the Germans for pets that were turned over to obliging neighbors, while in the notorious overnight roundup of Parisian Jews at the Vélodrome d'Hiver, French policemen were instructed to leave the pets they find with the concierge for lack of any clear German orders on this matter. The abandoning of hundreds of domestic animals at once could pose a serious sanitary problem.

Jewish couple with their dog, Lodz ghetto -Yad Vashem

In the process of sealing off Jewish neighborhoods as ghettos, a lot of pets were also confined within the walls - even though incoming transports carried no animals. The presence of dogs was particularly problematic, since they could attack the German soldiers during house raids. Dogs were therefore often shot. In the Lodz ghetto, however, a different solution was devised. All pet owners were forced to register their animals with the local authority under German orders. Records testify that several hundred dogs of various breeds were found in the ghetto in spite of the harsh conditions. Following the registration, all dog owners were informed that a compulsory rabies inspection by the German sanitary police was to be held on July 22, 1940 at number 8 Kośielny street. A fee of two Reichmarks was even charged per dog. All animals that were brought in for inspection that day were put to death due to an alleged "prevailing outbreak of rabies." Dogs were then strictly banned in the ghetto, and the inhabitants were ordered to bring in any strays to the Ordnungsdienst. Harboring a dog would result in collective punishment for all house tenants. In the great hunger that ensued the severe food rationing and overpopulation of the ghetto, stray animals were sometimes consumed by the starving inhabitants. At least on one occassion, the Germans intentionally fed Jewish workers cat meat, as recorded by diarist Tamara Lazerson on November 13, 1942 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Lithuanian Jews, prewar
-Yad Vashem

Killing of pets as a mean of terror was also practiced by the Nazis. During the Kristallnacht several dogs and cats were killed by the rioters, sometimes cast out of windows in high story buildings. On January 14, 1942 all Jews in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, were ordered to bring their pets to the small synagogue at Veliuonos Street. There the animals were shot by German soldiers and their carcasses left to rot for months by order of the Nazi authority, as Avraham Tory, a secretary of the Jewish Ältestenrat, reported in his diary.

It was only after the Final Solution was set into motion that the Nazis presented a clear policy for Jewish owned pets in Germany and the annexed countries. The decree banning Jewish ownership of pets was published on May 15, 1942. According to the new act, all citizens and foreigners obligated to wear the yellow badge, as well as their cohabitants, were to deliver their domestic animals by May 20 at special collection points for euthanizing. Alternatively, they could present a veterinary certificate confirming that their pets had been put to death. According to the announcement made in the Jewish newspapers, failure to comply would result in measures by the Gestapo. Handing over the animals to third parties or foster care was strictly forbidden.

Jewish baby with kitten,
prewar Poland - Yad Vashem

The euthanizing of the collected pets was carried out by veterinarians of the German Animal Protection Association (Tierschutzverein). A questionnaire addressing domestic animals in each household had already been filled in major cities prior to the implementation of the decree. In smaller towns, Jews were ordered to file a report with the local Jewish authority regarding the domestic animals in their possession.

Czech Jewish girl with her cat,
prewar -Yad Vashem

Unlike earlier decrees, this ordinance did not address only Jewish citizens by racial definition, but also their "Aryan" partners in intermarried households, regardless of the registered owner of the pet. In Berlin, the publishing of the decree lead to a stream of pleas from Jewish and non-Jewish pet owners alike. At the Jewish hospital on Iranischestrasse 4, where pets were collected for euthanizing, columns of intermarried Germans reportedly protested against the act. Some owners sent photographs of themselves with their cats and dogs, others spent days at various city and state offices in search of exemption, which only a few received. Diarist Victor Klemperer and his gentile wife Eva chose to euthanize Eva's beloved cat Muschel on May 19 rather than hand him over to an "even crueler fate at the hands of the Gestapo." In Prague, survivor Helen Lewis witnessed a collection point for pets, describing a heartbreaking scene where both owners and their caged dogs and cats were greatly distraught and crying. Her Jewish friend, of mixed marriage, was allowed to keep her husband’s poodle provided she wasn’t seen with it in public.

Young Jew playing with a dog,
prewar Germany -Yad Vashem

There were some who chose to ignore the order. In 1943 the widow of a German Jew from Berlin reported to Rabbi Martin Riesenburger during the funeral ceremony of her husband: “We had a parakeet. When we received the decree stating that Jews were forbidden to have house pets, my husband just couldn't part with the animal… Perhaps someone denounced him, for one day my husband received a subpoena to appear before the Gestapo… After many fearful weeks I received a postcard from the police, stating that upon payment of a fee of three Reichsmarks I could pick up the urn containing my husband.” Rabbi Riesenburger was himself forced to have his thirteen year old Spitz euthanized.

The pet decree was undoubtedly a strong hint of things to come. As was evident until its introduction, the question of Jewish owned pets could easily be solved by allowing the animals to be put into foster homes. The inclusion of intermarried households in the decree also strongly suggests that this was an intentional act of agonizing Jews and those associated with them. Many survivors, children most often, remembered this decree as one of the cruelest. Very few pets were recovered after the war. Cats in particular lingered around their former homes, even ruins, perhaps because of their less dependent nature. In Denmark, many neighbors tended Jewish pets after the mass escape to Sweden.

The Year of Jewish Beauty Queens

Erzsébet Simon was born on February 15, 1909 in Keszthely, Hungary, on the shores of Lake Balaton. Her father was the district chief medical officer, Dr. Sándor Simon [1869-08.07.1944]. He was an esteemed member of the Jewish community, son of Samuel and Rozalia née Hoffmann. Erzsébet’s mother, Janka née Hoffmann, was the daughter of Bela and Rozalia née Heidenfeld. Erzsébet, whose Hebrew name was Elisheva, was nicknamed “Böske.” She was a doelike beauty with blue eyes and blonde hair. At the age of twenty she would gain worldwide fame. 

Miss Europe, 1929

It was in early 1929 that Simon was picked out of over a hundred participants in the annual Miss Hungária competition. Winning the pageant came as a surprise to her, as she later admitted: "I don't know why I won. There are many more beautiful than I in Budapest.” Soon after, the newly crowned beauty queen was sent to Paris to represent her country in the very first annual Miss Europe beauty pageant. The competition was established by Belgian-born French journalist Maurice de Waleffe [15.07.1874-03.03.1946], who also founded the Miss France beauty pageant a decade earlier. The event was held in the great Paris Opera house on February 18, and inspired great public interest. Simon, who had from a young age dreamed of becoming an opera singer and taken extensive singing courses, had hoped participating in the pageant would help her find means to become a pupil at the Conservatoire de Paris.

Simon, 1929

Seventeen delegates from all the corners of Europe took part in the competition, which lasted four hours, at the end of which Erzsébet Simon was crowned the most beautiful woman in Europe. Reportedly, she was the only candidate not wearing any makeup. For the coming month Simon was greatly celebrated in France. She met the president and the crème de la crème of French society – politicians, celebrities and artists. She declined multiple offers from leading theaters and several marriage proposals. Returning home to Budapest on March 13, she was welcomed by a jubilant crowd at the train station. Hundreds of people had gathered to witness her return to the fatherland. A speech was given by the mayor, who congratulated Simon on behalf of the capital for her victory against the delegates of Hungary’s opponents in the Great War. Simon expressed her gratitude over the warm welcome and her joy over having glorified her country and her Hungarian people. "I'm very happy to be home again" she concluded. Someone in the crowd yelled "Miss Palestine" and "filthy Jew" at her, but was ignored. A cheerful ball was later thrown in her honor.

As the local press reported, Simon would only sign autographs once, on March 17. On this day she was publicly attacked by a large group of Hungarian nationalists, who hooted her and called her an "ugly Jewess" and "not Hungarian.” Police intervened and scattered the crowd. Later, nationalist students rioted outside her apartment, shouting slurs against Simon and Jewish people. A cinema that showcased her picture was also vandalized. After these events Simon decided to retire from public life, as advised by her father. She had already laid to rest her dream of singing and withdrew from the Miss Universe pageant, much to amazement of the world, claiming she was afraid of the long journey to America. Playing a part in her decision was perhaps also a letter she received from Bishop Christopher Edward Byrne [21.04.1867-01.04.1950] of Galveston, Texas, where the International Pageant of Pulchritude was to be held. The Roman Catholic clergyman urged Simon to abstain from participation in the competition, which he described as a “vulgar advertising stunt”, for the sake of her modesty and self-respect.

The same letter was received by another contestant, Vienese beauty Elizabeth “Lisl” Goldarbeiter. Goldarbeiter, an only child, was born in Vienna, Austria, on March 23, 1909 to Izsó [03.05.1877-12.03.1945] and Aloisia née Schimek. Having read an advertisement in the newspaper in early 1929, Goldarbeiter’s cousin applied her name to the Miss Austria beauty pageant. Goldarbeiter, who had just graduated high school, was then chosen out of 1,200 entrants and forty three finalists, thus becoming Miss Austria of 1929.

Miss Universe, 1929

Goldarbeiter’s father Izsó (Isidor), the son of Mór (Moriz) and Roza née Buchner, was a fashion trader from Szeged. Her paternal grandfather was burnt alive by rebels during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Her father was blonde and blue eyed, and she inherited his light complexion with the darker hair of her brunette mother. She reportedly never used any cosmetics. By her own account she was a practicing Jew.

Goldarbeiter, 1929

The Bishop’s letter did apparently not go entirely unnoticed in Goldarbeiter's case as well- she was accompanied to the annual International Pageant of Pulchritude in Galveston, Texas, by no other than her 49 year old mother. It was the first year international beauty queens could participate in the pageant. Miss and Mrs. Goldarbeiter's ship, the Rochambeau, set sail from Le Havre and arrived at New York on May 11. Journalists were already awaiting the mother and daughter at the port. A few days later the jury at Galveston reached a unanimous decision, crowning Lisl Goldarbeiter the first ever Miss Universe. “I’m very happy” she told the cameras, “and I hope I succeeded in giving the proud American people a good impression about the Austrian women and Vienna.” Apart from the title, Goldarbeiter also claimed a prize of $2,000. A banquet was held in her honor at the hotel Galvez. Suddenly world famous, she was now bombarded with offers from Hollywood and other studios, to which she shyly replied “Papa must decide.”

Miss and Mrs. Goldarbeiter, 1929

Goldarbeiter toured the Europe extensively following her return. During her visit to Romania she too fell victim to antisemitism. A mass of curious onlookers had gathered at the train station in Bucharest, where the young Miss Universe was expected to meet miss Romania, Magda Dimitrescu. As Goldarbeiter stepped into the crowd she was approached by a gang of Romanian nationalists who hurled rotten eggs at her, shouting antisemitic slurs and "Magda is our weight!" Miss Romania repotedly grabbed the frightend Goldarbeiter and lead her to safety as police intervened. One policeman was seriously wounded by the crowd. The women escaped by vehicle and found shelter in the Bucharest cathedral. Goldarbeiter decided to return to Austria the very same day and cancelled their planned visit to the mountain resort of Sinaia. Dimitrescu was instead invited to visit her in her homeland. The incident made front page news in the US, where the grim reminder of the ever growing antisemetism in Europe was recieved with unfamiliar shock. Like Erzsébet Simon, Goldarbeiter eventually dismissed publicity and sought a quiet family life.

Miss Judea, 1929

Oldakówna, 1929

Latvian newspaper
caricature, 1930

The first Miss Europe and first international Miss Universe contests in 1929 sparked a sensation around the world. Beauty pageants sprung up like mushrooms after the rain all over the globe, and Jewish communities were in no way an exception. Noteworthy was the coronation of Poland's "Miss Judea", which caused a bit of controversy within and without the Jewish community. On  February 3rd the editors of Warsaw's Jewish daily newspaper Nasz Przeglad announced the upcoming beauty pageant to find Poland's most beautiful Jewess. The ideal candidate would embody, so the newspaper declared, the "characteristic features of the Polish Jewish female type". Over the course of six weeks 131 women entered the competition, of whom eleven made it into the finals. Only one blonde bright-eyed contestant was found among the finalists - miss Roma Gliksman. In an interview before the final judging at hotel Polonia started, miss Gliksman expressed her feeling of disadvantage on account of her apparent physical shortcomings. The winner of the pageant was 19 year old miss Zofja Ołdakównę, who applied under the pseudonym Judyta. She was described by the jury as bearing the perfect physical hallmarks of the "Jewish race" and noted for her "Sephardi looks." However, in a poll the newspaper ran among its readers Oldakówna was only ranked in the sixth place, with just 10,205 votes in her favor. The readers, who were instructed to choose the candidate best delineating ethnic Jewish beauty, favored miss Marja Łobzowska.

Łobzowska, 1929

In Latvia, the city of Daugavpils chose its own Miss Judea. The title went to the young Sarah Gamze.

Gamze, 1929

Meanwhile, in Palestine, another Jewish beauty queen assumed her throne. Chana Meyuchas was born in Jerusalem on March 22, 1900, the daughter of Yossef and Margalit née Pines. Her father was head of Jerusalem’s Jewish Council (ועד הקהילה בירושלים). The Meyuchas family was of Sephardi origin, and had lived in Jerusalem since the 16th century. Chana, pale and blonde haired, married Avraham Polani, one of the leading citrus growers in Palestine. In March 1929, Mrs. Meyuchas-Polani won a beauty pageant in Tel Aviv and was crowned "Queen Esther of the land of Israel" for the upcoming Purim celebration. The contest was witnessed by a crowd of four thousand.

Zmira Mani

Miss Jerusalem, 1929

Sarah Chelbi-Lazar

Miss Petah Tikva, 1929

Chana Meyuchas-Polani

Miss Palestine, 1929

Mrs. Polani's coronation was the talk of the town, overshadowed only by the passing of a German Zeppelin in the city skies amidst the holiday fete. Some even suggested sending her to the International Pageant of Pulchritude in Galveston. Over eighty thousand people attended the Purim festival in Tel-Aviv in 1929, and a large crowd gathered to witness Polani being escorted by a colorful entourage to the gaily decorated City Hall. There she was welcomed on the front balcony by mayor Meir Dizengoff [24.02.1861-23.09.1936], who gave a warm speech. “Today you are crowned the queen of Tel-Aviv, and your kingdom reigns from the Jordan river to the borders of Jaffa. This great audience bows before your beauty and welcomes you not only as the queen of Tel-Aviv, but as queen of the entire land of Israel. As is costume in Europe – you are now Miss Palestine!” The crowd chanted cheerfully "Long live the queen!" as Mrs. Polani lead the festival.

Moses and Manischewitz, 1929

Phanye Moses

Queen Esther, 1929

For the following month, Mrs. Polani was expected at a handful official events, where she was addressed as ‘Her Majesty’ and ‘The Queen’. One of her first and most anticipated duties became hosting her American counterpart, the winner of a Purim beauty pageant that was put together in New York by the editors of Yiddish daily "Der Tag" and the Jewish National Workers' Association on April 6th. Miss Phanye Raquel Moses [1907-] of Brooklyn, and her Lady-in-Waiting miss Esther Manischewitz of Cincinnati were received with great honor by Mrs. Polani, and for the coming days toured the land together. 

Berta German

Miss Israelita Mexico, 1929

But Mrs. Polani was hardly the only Jewish beauty queen in the holy land that year. In fact, every major Jewish town in Palestine had picked its own beauty queen for the Purim festivities: Zmira Mani, a Yemenite-Jew, was crowned the queen of Jerusalem, Batya Eisenstein was the queen of Haifa, Sarah Chelbi-Lazar was the queen of Petah Tikva and Dinah Avramov was the queen of Rishon LeZion. Some Hebrew scholars condemned the events, maintaining that they went against Jewish values and exposed the participants to unwanted attention. Avraham Sharon called the phenomenon a part of a piquant popular culture he opposed. The Miss Palestine beauty contest was cancelled the following year, but local pageants on Purim became a tradition.

Finally, on November 7th, one might say unfashionably late, the Jewish Union of Mexico held a beauty pageant of its own. The winner was a young emigrant from Kovno, Lithuania, who moved to Mexico a year prior to be reunited with her parents. Berta German was picked out of twenty-two contestants and crowned "Miss Israelita Mexico".

Miss Europe 1929, Erzsébet Simon, married textile wholesaler Pál Brammer after returning to Budapest. But their marriage quickly fell apart and ended in a divorce. She later married theater director Dániel Jób. Both survived the holocaust, while Simon’s elderly parents perished. She died in Budapest on October 28, 1970 and was buried next to her husband in the Jewish cemetery. 

Miss Universe 1929, Lisl Goldarbeiter, married necktie manufacturer Fritz Spielmann in 1930. He left her following the rise of the third Reich because she was Jewish. Goldarbeiter and her mother survived the holocaust, but her father perished in Mauthausen, as did much of her extended family. In 1949 she married her cousin Marci Tänzers and lead a quiet life in Budapest until her death on December 14, 1997. 

Miss Palestine 1929, Chana Polani, had two children. She died on Febraury 2, 1990 and is buried at the Yarkon cemetery near Tel Aviv. 

The fate of Miss Judea 1929, Zofja Oldakówna, remains unknown. She likely perished in the holocaust alongside most candidates of that beauty pageant.