We are NO LONGER searching for family members or relatives of Nathan ABELOVICH

All the spellings in this notice must be taken phoneticaly, and not as being accurate. They can vary as in ABELOVICH, ABELOVITCH or ABELOVITZ, ABELOWITZ or even ABALOVICZ.

Likewise - the political lines changed in time - Poland, Lithuania, Belarus are almost interchangeable in the context of this search notice.

We are here concerned about a location, often spelled ZELWA now in Belarus.
There is also a Zelva in Lithuania. That is NOT our location.

We have the following information about the history of this family:

Gedaliah SCHEVACH (son of Berl) married Dvorah Leah DOVITZ around 1900.

The family was originally from Piesk in Poland which is a Shtetl near Zelva (or Zelwa) which lies between Volkovk and Slonim, now in Belarus.

Dvorah Leah and Gedaliah SCHEVACH lived in Zelva.
They had two daughters: Ruchel and Rivka.

Ruchel Schevach Abelovitch On the back of the picture is written (translated from Yiddish) This is my picture, dear father, that I am sending to you at this opportunity, only I do not know if you will recognize your own child, who has disappeared [from your life] for so long. Your daughter's appearance, in the deepest fundamental way, has changed profoundly with the passage of time. Years have passed since we were separated! With you, and through this [circumstance], I have lost your fatherly love. Your children find themselves in deep isolation, who long [for you] and seek ways to awaken your fatherly love. That is the reason that I send my picture to you. From me, your daughter, Rachel Shevach, who wishes to meet with you, and from me the same, and I plead that you send a reply as quickly as possible.

The family left for America (arrived there on June 10th, 1910) where a third chid, Samuel SCHEVACH was born in March 1911

Several years later, Dvorah Leah deserted Gedaliah and took her three children back to Poland. She was pregnant with a fourth, a girl who was born after her return to Poland and whom she named Haika.

Haika Schevach

Dvorah Leah and her children lived in Zelva on Volkovsk Gasse where she ran a small food store out of her house.

Her husband remained in the USA. He never followed her back to Zelva

At some time Dvorah Leah moved to Slonim and lived there close to her daughter Ruchel and her grandchidren.

We believe that Rivka was also married, Haika possibly not.

We seek any information available about the fate of these people.

Samuel SCHEVACH left Zelva in 1929 and came to America.
He found his father Gedaliah living in New York. He had changed his surname from SCHEVACH to SHEBITZ.

The last letter from the family in Poland arrived in New York 1939.

In the mid 1960's or early 1970's Nathan ABELOVICH found Samuel.
Natan ABELOVICH had been married to Ruchel SCHEVACH, Samuel’s sister at some time before the start of World War II.

Nathan had married again after the War and for years had searched for the SCHEVACH family who were living in the Bronx – but with the changed name of SHEBITZ .
Apparently Nathan had jumped off a deportation train in Poland and had fled into the woods. He spent the war with a group of Jewish partisans.

Despite this reunion, contact between the families was lost again.

We have no knowledge of the fate of the family in Poland - and no trace of .
It is believed that Nathan was living in New Jersey.

It is likely that Nathan is no longer alive, and we hope to find any children whom he may have had, and any knowledge about the family as a whole.

Does any of this ring any bells with you?

Can you guide us in any way?

If you have no information, do you know of anyone else, anywhere, where we can ask?

please e-mail me at searchandunitem [AT] lewinsdlondon [DOT] org [DOT] uk