Frank Family Chronicles
A Word from the Family Genealogist
Jonathan R. Weiss
Those of you who know me well will probably agree that I was partially born to work on a project like this. My natural compulsiveness and my inclination to organize combined with my love of computers (Macs of course) all were crucial factors motivating me to take on this task. As the father of two sons, my interest in their being able to know more about their family background became very important to me.
I would like to first acknowledge those who worked on the original version of the family tree many years ago, namely Eugene Drucker and Danny Arbel. It's been a big enough job for me even with a computer and I can't even imagine how they did it without one. They deserve a great deal of credit for their efforts. Had they not provided the foundation, none of what I've done would have happened.
Thanks to a spectacular piece of software called "Reunion," the genealogy program that I used to create the tree, organizing and printing the information in a readily understood format was easy. The real job was collecting the information. I took on this project a few years later than I should have. Unfortunately, several senior members of our family died before anyone really sat down with them to obtain information, of which, in all likelihood, is gone forever.
Nonetheless, many other family members have answered the call for help (sometimes only after a little extra nudging) and have allowed me to fill in a substantial amount of information about the newest members of our extended family.
Alas, for reasons that I don't understand, some family members did not respond to several requests for information and so, many gaps in the tree remain. Perhaps after seeing this best "final" version, some additional information will be forthcoming.
For all of you, please don't conclude that with this printing (of the hardcopy original version), the tree is "done." A family tree is as much a living thing as the people who comprise it. I hope that with each new family milestone, be it a joyful event such as a birth or marriage, a routine event such as a change in address or phone number or a sad event such as a death or divorce, you will pass the information on to me. Our annual family reunions would be an excellent venue for any updates.
We are pleased to learn that Danny Arbel will be able to have a copy of this information placed in the permanent archives of the Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum in Israel).
It's been time consuming and it's been frustrating, but mostly it's been a labor of love as well as a great personal education. For the first time, I finally understand exactly how I am related to the many family members whom I've met only briefly each year at the annual family reunions. It is a privilege and a pleasure to be part of this great family and to reflect on the many lives that resulted from the unions of Herschel and Rivka and Lizer and Chavid.
One note: Almost everyone whose picture appears in this book or whose name appears in any of the articles can be found in the tree. In some cases the names will be maiden names and later on perhaps their married names will be used. With a little diligent digging almost every descendent of Herschel Frank can be traced.
Jonathan Weiss