Family Tree including people most discussed in Helene’s letters and papers (for example, not all of Helene’s siblings or Julius Zerzawy’s children are included; red underline indicates someone who is a main part of the family history):

Below is a timeline of locations and dates for key family members.

Brief biographies of People discussed most on the website:

Helen/Helene Cohen (née Loewy/Löwy): Eva and Harry’s mother, born 1886 in Bilin/Bilina in Czechoslovakia/Bohemia/Austria-Hungary – survived Ravensbruck and came to US on SS Vulcania 29 April 1946, died in 1981.

Haim/Vitali Cohen: Eva and Harry’s father from Istanbul, Turkey, born 1888, imprisoned in Buchenwald; although letters from 1950’s say he might have survived, he was never heard from after the war. In the summer of 2021 I discovered that he perished on a death march in April 1945 after Buchenwald’s liberation (see August 24, 2021 blog post)

Adolph Wilhelm Loewy/Löwy, Helene’s father, married to Rosa Kraus. Originally a teacher, ultimately a printer and newspaper publisher in Bilin. Several siblings, including brother Jacob and sister Wilhemina.

Eva Marie Goldsmith (née Cohen/Kohen/Lowell): Helene and Vitali Cohen’s daughter – born in Vienna in 1921 and came to US on SS Rex 15 October 1939, died in 2011.

Harry Lowell: Eva’s brother/Helene and Vitali Cohen’s son – born in Vienna 13 January 1924 and came to US on SS Rex 15 October 1939, died in 2017

Paul Zerzawy: born in Bilin in 1895, died in San Francisco in 1948. Harry and Eva’s (much older) first cousin, Helene’s sister’s Ida’s son with Julius Zerzawy. Worked as lawyer in Vienna and Prague before coming to U.S. in 1939.

Robert Zerzawy: born 1899, died in London 28 November 1968. Harry and Eva’s (much older) first cousin, Helene’s sister’s Ida’s son with Julius Zerzawy, Paul Zerzawy’s younger brother; born in Bilin.

Matilda/Tillie (Loewy/Levy) Zentner: Born January 1882 in San Francisco and died in San Francisco in 1962. Daughter of Jacob Loewy/Levy. Helene’s first cousin. Married to Julius Zentner.

(Claire) Hilda (Goldberg) Firestone: granddaughter of Jacob Loewy/Levy, Adolph’s brother, born in San Francisco in 1904 and died in 1984. Raised by Tillie after mother Hilda died soon after she was born. After that was called by middle name Hilda rather than given name. Helene’s second cousin. No children. Married to Nathan Firestone, a violist in the SF Symphony who died in 1943. Harry lived with Hilda and Nathan when he came to San Francisco.

Bertha (Kohn) Schiller: daughter of Wilhemina (Loewy) Kohn and George Marcus Kohn, possibly in 1871 in Bohemia (perhaps Litoměřice) and died in 1954 in San Francisco, first cousin of Helene, mother of Arthur, married to George Marcus Schiller. Eva lived with Bertha and George when she came to San Francisco.

Arthur Schiller: born in San Francisco 7 September 1902, died 10 July 1977 in Oneonta, NY. Son of Bertha and George Schiller. Arthur sponsored Paul Zerzawy to come to U.S. in 1939 and Paul lived with him in NYC for a time. Wife Irma H. Coblentz in 1926, Erna Kaske in 1947. Two sons.