Eastern Minkoff Blog

Here are some other photos that Roberta sent last week.

This is undoubtedly my dad.

This one, despite being attributed to Dad, is not my father. I've convinced myself that this is Mashy Lipman. Anyone have thoughts one way or another?

In WWII Dad served in the 8th Airforce, 34th Bomb Group, 391st Squadron. He was a navigator for both B-17's and B-24's. His nickname was "The Flying Litvak". His buddy, another navigator named Sidney Doppelt, was "The Flying Galitzianer".

Crew Photo (his name is mispelled as "Braverman"):
http://valortovictory.tripod.com/photo/Sheridan-ph.htm
Mission List:
http://valortovictory.tripod.com/crews/Sheridan.htm
Dad wrote some commentaries about some of the missions. Open this page and do a FIND for Braveman:
http://members.tripod.com/VALORtoVICTORY/1944-10.htm

I'll post some more related items for you war buffs.

First some shameless self promotion! If you want to check out some recent photos of my gang, I'm starting to post them under the "Minkoff Musings" link on this site: http://planetminkoff.com/blog/index.php/easterns?cat=20

Cousin Roberta (Fine) DiNitto sent some wonderful photos last week! Here is the Zayde, Nochem Wolfe from 1942.

Here's a photos from April 1930 of Dad (on left) and Solly Fine sparring. Love those knickers!

As I mentioned in a previous entry, my Hebrew name is Chashka Esther. Chashka, a Yiddish twist on Hadassah, was my maternal grandmother's name, and Esther is after Cousin Esther Fine. There are lots of photos of Esther below. BUT FIRST here is an assignment for those of you who remember her: please send me some memories you have of Esther either by clicking on "Comments" or just emailing me.

School Photo of Esther Fine (undated)

Esther on bike - undated, Winthrop Rotary, near Beacon Street

Beach photo of Esther

Esther and Ruth - dated Summer 1948, summer home Winthrop Beacon Street

Esther and relatives more - dated 1950, location Beacon Street Winthrop... in photo Sam and Fanny Fine, Ruth (Fine) and Marvin Rubin and daughters Claire and Dorothy, Esther Fine, Shirley (Musiker) Fine, Janet Fine (in center) - Dorothy is on Esther's lap.

Esther and Roberta - dated April 1964, in front of Roberta's childhood home, Floyd Street Winthrop MA

I'll have to post some of the others later. Remember your assingments! Please send me some memories of Esther.

Here are some favorite images from the spring and summer of '06.

Left to right/back to front: Aaron, Aviva, Leora, Eli and Sydra

Grandma at 100 (This was from 1988) - This was published in "The Harrisburg Patriot News". Grandma died the next spring.

Here is Milt with Shirley and Laike Shapiro (Aunt Laura's Daughters). This photo is on our mantle. Sadly there is some discolored tape at the top, and some dark specks on Dad's face. Still, I love this photo.

I shared this photo and story with Jenny Simon Tabak, and then decided it should go on this site as well:

Mom started a really lovely ritual 3 years ago. My dad had wanted to be buried in his tallit, but with the confusion and coordination that takes place around funerals, his request regrettably fell through the cracks. She felt so sad about it. To her credit, she came up with a great idea. In the weeks preceding Ezra Match’s Bar Mitzvah (Ezra is my sister Janna's son), Mom went with him to the cemetery and watched as he put on Dad’s tallit and said the blessings for the first time. Next Ezra passed it down to his brother Aaron prior to his Bar Mitzvah. In the attached photo were at the cemetery where Aviva and Leora had just received the tallit from Aaron prior to their B’not Mitzvah on 9/16/06. The next grandchild to become Bar Mitzvah will receive it from the girls. In the picture I’m holding my daughter, Sydra. Janna is in yellow; Mom has the white shirt on; Leora has the green skirt and Aviva has the gray fleece on.

Bubbie and Leora (I can see where Leora looks like a Cohen descendant)

Hello! Thanks to those of you who responded to the first posting. Here are some more photos.

Dad wasn't able to identify anyone other than Aunt Laura on the top right. He thought this would have been around 1920.

The following pictures were part of a series taken with the Bravman/Braveman side of the family. In each photo of Grandma she is somehow obscuring her belly, which led Dad to think she was pregnant with him at the time. The dashing man with her is of course Grandpa, Harry Braveman (who managed to hold himself taller than he was).

I'm named after Cousin Esther Fine (my Hebrew name is Chashka Esther). She was lovingly referred to as "Esther, mine schvester" (Esther, my sister). This is one of the rare photos that actually has a date on the back: February 5, 1926.

This photos is a little random. This is the YMHA Lincolns Social/Athletic Club in Roxbury. I actually found a link to an alumni association for the YMHA, but my email bounced back when I tried to send this to them. Dad took this photo in 1941.

Here are photos of the revered and almost mythical Uncle Morris AKA Uncle Mashy AKA Uncle Maurice Coburne. Legend goes he was the brighest of the bright. Grandma always spoke of him with absolute adoration. Somewhere there is a letter to him from President Woodrow Wilson. There are also letters from him telling of his university life and always asking for money -- or thanking her for money previously sent. Below are some photos that may have been taken at the University of Wisconsin before his untimely death by an ice-skating accident. Grandma mourned him through the rest of her life.

The following picture has handwritting on the back (no clue who wrote it):
"This is for Lena. This is Maurice and a boy two girls whom I don't know. They are two sisters from Bath Maine Maruice says. These girls were to the dance with Maurice."

Please don't hesitate to comment on these!

Can any of you believe how long it's taken me, of all people, to finally start blogging? I'm still a little shaky on the technical end -- even on the etiquette -- none-the-less, it's nice to be here. Thanks to Max for creating this space for us.

Hello World, and welcome to Carra's first blog!

One of my treasured possessions is my grandmother, Lena Braveman's, photo album. It's a Victorian era book with a brass latch and tattered binding. In no chronological order, you can find photos from the 19-teens to the 1970's. I've scanned some here to share with my cousins who have been archiving information on Cohen/Cookes family. If you have any more information about these photos, please let me know. If you have a site of interest to our family, please let me know and if I can figure out how, I'll post the link.

This picture of Grandma (third from left) and Aunt Laura (far right) is one of my favorites. I'm guessing it was pretty risque when taken around 1918. Grandma looks a lot like my sister, Janna, in this photo.

Lena and Harry Braveman -- pretty much how I remember them.

They seem so young and carefree! Uncle Morris and Grandma are in the foreground. I just found out from Cousin Harvey Lipman that this was taken at Norumbega Park in Newton. They are paddling on the Charles River.

Dad didn't know what this photo was from. Grandma is on the top right, and I'm pretty sure that's Aunt Laura just below her and to her left.

I so wish this image was more clear! This is my great-grandmother, Rochel Axelrod Cohen with Aunt Laura and Uncle Morris.

The Zayde -- Nachum Wolfe Cohen circa 1940 or 1941.

My Daddy -- long, long before he was my daddy! Milton Braveman.