I was privileged last weekend to experience something I never would have been able to share if I hadn’t started on this genealogy journey over four years ago. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while (or even just know its title), then you know that the first family I researched was that of my maternal grandmother, Gussie Brotman. From my mother and my aunt, I knew some of the names of my grandmother’s siblings—Hymie, Tillie, Frieda, and Sam. And eventually I found three of her half-siblings as well—Abraham, David, and Max.
Gussie Brotman, my grandmother
But my mother had long ago lost touch with her cousins, the children of her mother’s siblings, and had no idea in many cases of their names, let alone their whereabouts. So I set out to find them, and as I’ve described elsewhere, the first two long lost cousins I located just about four years ago were my second cousin Judy, granddaughter of Max Brotman, and my second cousin Bruce, grandson of Hymie (Herman) Brotman. From Judy and Bruce, I learned so much about the family and also was able to find all my other Brotman second cousins.
Max Brotman, my great-uncle
Hyman Brotman, my great-uncle
A little over three years ago, some of the grandchildren of Hyman Brotman and some of my grandmother’s grandchildren met in New York City and had a wonderful reunion—or more accurately for some of us—a first meeting. It remains one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences I’ve had since starting to research my family history. And thanks to the miracle of email and Facebook, I’ve managed to stay in touch as best I can with many of these new second cousins.
Celebrating Ben’s bar mitzvah—some of the Brotman cousins, all descendants of Joseph Brotman and Bessie Brod, and their spouses
So I was thrilled and honored to be invited to the bar mitzvah of my cousin Benjamin—my second cousin, once removed. As I sat in the sanctuary of his family’s friendly congregation, I marveled at the fact that I was sitting in this place with many of my second cousins, sharing in a Jewish tradition that dates back long before the time when our great-grandparents lived in Galicia. What would our great-grandparents Joseph Brotman and Bessie Brod have thought about this whole thing?
Bessie Brotman, Ben’s great-great-grandmother
As Ben led us through the prayer that includes the phrase L’dor v’dor, from one generation to another, I got goosebumps. I realized that our great-grandparents could have sat in that sanctuary and felt very comfortable, hearing prayers that would have been just as familiar to them as they are to me and as they are now to Ben. Would our great-grandparents have ever expected that over 120 years after they came to the United States their great-great-grandchildren would still be learning these ancient prayers, reading from the Torah, and chanting the Haftorah?
Surely they would have been amazed to see that sharing in this experience in the synagogue that morning were not just other Jewish people, but people of all different faiths and backgrounds, all learning from the wonderful rabbi about Jewish practices and values. Everyone was welcome, and everyone there wanted to be there.
Joseph and Bessie would likely smile to think that they had made the right decision coming to the US, despite all their travails, because today in 2016 not only do their ancient traditions survive, they also can be practiced openly in creative, inclusive ways without fear of persecution.
L’dor v’dor. The family and the traditions continue. Mazel tov, Ben!
(I just realized this is my 500th post on Brotmanblog—how appropriate!)
Brotmanblog: A Family Journey 
What a wonderful entry, Amy, brought me to tears! Love you, cuz! Bonnie (named for Bessie)
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
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Thanks, Bonnie–it was so great to see you, and I hope we can do it again before too long. And so glad we share our great-grandmother’s name! xoxo
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Everyone who was there wanted to be there, such harmony. What a great day you must have had.
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It truly was. Thank you, Shirley.
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Amy..Coffee in hand this morning, I really enjoyed this blog post and once again your in depth introspection on this post has sparked and inspired me to write about a similar experience, about 2 years ago, on my new baby budding blog 🙂 Sharon
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Thank you, Sharon. I look forward to reading your post! It is experiences like this one that motivate and inspire me to continue doing genealogy. The rewards are immeasurable.
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I so agree!
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Touching, inspiring, and beautifully written – as always.
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Thank you, Denise! Good to hear from you.
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Reblogged this on Janet’s thread.
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Thanks for reblogging this post, Janet!
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Congratulations on your 500th post on Brotmanblog ~ and what a great one it is. I look forward to what is to come.
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Thank you, Cathy! I can’t believe it’s 500!
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500 post, wow! However the best thing about your 500 post is how well they are done. So when is the book coming out?
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Thanks! Well, I am actually working on a novel…and all my blog posts are published in volumes every few months on Lulu. 🙂
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Wonderful! I sometimes think about the cousins I have met through my research and blogging and wonder how our shared ancestor would feel knowing he/she brought us all together. I know they would be moved to know how much their stories mean to us, how we love to share, and how we honor them. Mazel tov to Ben and the entire family!
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Thank you, Debi! I agree. I often think about them hovering over us, thinking, “Who’d ever have imagined they’d care, all these years later?”
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Many blessings to Ben on this important moment in his life and thereafter. Beautifully written from the heart, Amy. Thank you for sharing the Bar Mitzvah with us.
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Thank you so much, Emily! I hope this also gave you a taste for what a modern bar mitzvah is like—traditional but inclusive.
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Yes, I got a sense of that.
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What fun being able to celebrate with extended family members. I have often had the sense that ancestors were there beside me when I’ve visited churches where they worshiped and homes where they lived. Congratulations, too, on your 500th post.
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Thank you, Linda. And yes, I’ve had that feeling also. It’s eerie!
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Amy, very moving!
As a non-Jewish non-believer, I also have experienced several very moving bar /bat mitzvot
both in the US and here in Germany. Most recently we celebrated the bat mitzvah of Deborah (American Jewish mother and German non Jewish father) in the beautiful old synagogue
in Mainz-Weisenau (which you will see next year!) with a lot of music.
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How lovely! Yes, I do hope to get there. Thanks, Dorothee.
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Congrats on your 500th post, a wonderful milestone. Congrats also on a wonderful story of family lost and found. Genealogy, I hope, is less about data (oh yes, those primary documents and evidence are important), and more about our family stories, how we connect, what we share with other people both past and present. I always enjoy what you share.
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Thank you so much, Janice! I agree completely. The search is fun, but it’s the human stories that matters.
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Who’d have thought, indeed? And 500 intriguing, interesting posts, although I missed some because I was a late arrival. Thank you, Amy.
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Thank you, Frederick!
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