Rachel Sklar Resnitzky (1895 – 1980)

Rachel with her husband, Pasi, and daughter, Anne

Rachel Sklar Resnitzky was born on July 1, 1895, in the Jewish agricultural colony of Sosnivka, near Oleksandrovka (now Kropyvnytskyi Raion, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine). This area, known as Alexandrovka in the past, had a shtetl established in 1765.1 During Rachel’s time, it was part of the Chigirin Uezd.2 The Sosnivka colony, founded in 1851, was situated near the village of Sosnivka. By 1886, the colony housed 399 people in 25 households and had a prayer house and an inn. In 1898, when Rachel was three, the population included 25 Jewish families totaling 134 people. The village spanned approximately 267 acres. By 1900, there were 28 households, each averaging ten people. Most residents were engaged in agriculture and trade, and the village had two forges. Today, the land has become part of the village of Sosnivka.3

Sosnivka, Kropyvnytskyi Raion, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine (formerly Chigirin, Kiev, Russian Empire)

Before leaving Ukraine, Rachel’s final permanent home was in Nesterivka, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine.

Nesterivka, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine (formerly Chigirin, Russian Empire)

In the words of Rachel’s daughter, Anne

“[My mother] came from a brilliant but erratic family. Her mother had died and her father married another young woman. They had a number of children but the mother was always ill and my mother took over the raising of the other children. They all became professors, etc.”

Anne Mendelson Rosenbaum, 1999

In the words of Rachel’s son, Irving

“My mother was one of many but was the only 1 in her family who came here so she really missed them very much.”

Irving Mendelson, 1997

Late Russian Empire and the Pogroms

Born in Ukraine, Rachel’s early life was influenced by the political instability and anti-Jewish pogroms of the late Russian Empire, causing significant Jewish emigration and economic hardship.

Voyage to America: May 8, 1912

Photo credit: Titanic Inquiry Project.4

Rachel was listed on the steerage and second-class passenger manifests of the S.S. Vaderland, which departed from Antwerp, Belgium, on April 27, 1912, and arrived in New York on May 8, 1912. She and her husband, Pasi, were initially on the steerage list but were moved to second class, as noted by a cross-out and a remark on the list. The information on both lists was nearly identical.

Eighteen years old and pregnant, Rachel was traveling with her 24-year-old husband, Peisech Mendelsohn (Pasi Mendelson). Pasi was a furrier, while Rachel was a housewife. Both were literate. They were listed as Russian and Hebrew. Their last permanent residence was Nesterivka, Cherkasy Govt., Russia, now part of Ukraine. Their closest living relative in their home country was Pasi’s father, Fischel Ch. Mendelson, who still lived in Nesterivka.

Rachel and Pasi’s destination was New York City, and they had $100 with them upon arrival. Their passage had been paid for by Pasi’s brother, David Mendelson, with whom they planned to stay at 334 East 101st Street in Harlem, New York. Rachel was in good health, standing 5’3” tall, with dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. Her birthplace was listed as Sasnowka, Russia. Name listed: Rachel Mendelsohn5

In the words of Rachel’s daughter, Anne

“My father and mother came about three or four months before I was born. My mother did not feel well so she was in the 2nd class of the boat – my father was in 3rd class. But he would come up and eat most of her meals.”

Anne Mendelson Rosenbaum, 1999

David Mendelson’s Home, formerly 334 East 101st Street, Harlem, New York

This block in East Harlem has been redeveloped and the original homes are no longer standing.

1915 New York State Census

In 1915, Rachel, 23 (spelled Rachael), lived with her husband, Pasi Mendelson, 27 (spelled Pasah Mandelson), and their daughter, Anna, 2. They rented an apartment at 339 East 101st Street, New York, New York, near David’s home in 1912. Rachel and Pasi were born in Russia, and Anne in the United States. Rachel and Pasi were still listed as aliens and had been in the United States for three years. Pasi was a cap maker. Pasi’s parents and a few of his unmarried siblings also lived in another unit in this building. Name listed: Rachael Mandelson6

In the words of Rachel’s daughter, Anne

“[My parents] got an apartment on the third or fourth floor of a tenement – probably with the bathroom to be shared by the other tenants... A couple of years after I was born my mother was expecting another baby. To start her stove she needed coal – almost at the end of her pregnancy she went to the basement to get a pail of coal – walking up the steps she fell. The baby was a beautiful boy and it was a very sad time.”

Anne Mendelson Rosenbaum, 1999

The tenements where Rachel lived with her family no longer exist, having been replaced with much bigger buildings or open grassy areas.

1920 United States Census

In 1920, Rachel, 26 (listed as Rosie), her husband, Pasi, 33 (listed as Percy), and her daughters Annie, 7, and Dorothy, 1 year, 7 months rented an apartment at 52 East 101st Street, New York, New York. Of the 11 households in the building, theirs was the second. Rachel and Pasi had been born in Russia, as had their parents, and they were still not naturalized, having immigrated in 1912. Annie and Dorothy were born in New York, and Annie was in school. Both Rachel and Pasi could read, write, and speak English. Pasi worked in a factory as a cap maker. Name listed: Rosie Mendelson7

George Washington Carver Housing Project, formerly 52 East 101st Street, New York, New York

The street where Rachel and her family lived in 1920 was once full of brownstones and tenements, but in 1955 it became the George Washington Carver Housing Project, and the street has been removed.

1925 New York State Census

In 1925, Rachel, 31, lived with her husband, Pasi Mendelson, 37, and her three children, Anna, 12, Dorothy, 7, and Irving, 5. They lived on Thompsonville Road, Thompson, New York. Pasi was a self-employed hotel proprietor, Rachel was a housewife, and Anne and Dorothy were both in school. Rachel was listed as an alien, but Pasi had become a citizen in Monticello, New York. They had lived in the United States for 13 years. Name listed: Rachel Mendelson8

Thompsonville Road, Thompson, New York

1930 United States Census

In 1930, Rachel, 35 (listed as Ray), lived with her husband, Pasi (listed as Percey) Mendelson, 37, and her three children, Anne, 17, Dorothy, 12, and Irving, 10. They rented apartment 4H at 1148 Boynton Avenue, Bronx, New York. Rachel and Pasi immigrated from Russia in 1912, and both were naturalized. All three children attended school. Pasi worked at a grocery store. Rachel and Pasi spoke Yiddish and they married when Rachel was 17 and Pasi was 23. All the children were born in New York. Everybody in the household could speak English, but Rachel could not read or write it. They did not own a radio. Name listed: Ray Mendelson9

1148 Boynton Avenue, Bronx, New York

Their tenement was built in 1929, making Rachel and her family among the first to live there.10

Rachel with her husband, Pasi, and Pasi’s extended family at the wedding of Pasi’s niece, Ruth Kornbluth Zuckerman, August 10, 1930. The two women standing in the back, center are Dorothy and Anne Mendelson.

1940 United States Census

In 1940, Rachel, 44 (listed as Ray), lived with her husband, Pasi Mendelson, 50, two of her children, Dorothy, 22, and Irving, 20, her husband’s business partner and his wife, Morris and Sadie Kriegel, both 50, and three employees: bookkeeper Irene Eby, 21, of New York; bell hop Sydney Schrager, 28, of New York; and bus boy Morris Friedel, 34, of Austria. They rented and operated a hotel at 121 7th Street, Lakewood, New Jersey. Five years earlier, they had lived in Liberty, Sullivan County, New York. Pasi and Morris were hotel operators, Rachel and Sadie were both housewives, Dorothy was a receptionist at a beauty parlor, and Irving was a college student. Rachel and Pasi had completed 8th grade, Dorothy had graduated high school, and Irving had completed three years of college. Name listed: Ray Mendelson11

During the 1940s, Lakewood transformed from a rural community into a more developed area, partly due to its proximity to military installations and the increasing suburbanization following World War II. The hotel industry in Lakewood expanded rapidly during this time.12

Formerly 121 7th Street, Lakewood, New Jersey

Once a stand-alone hotel, the building has been absorbed by the larger hotel next door and is now used as an assisted living home.

1947-49 Miami Directory

From 1947 until 1949, Rachel and Pasi (listed as Ray and Percy) lived in and operated the Maxine Hotel at 1756 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida.13

Maxine Bistro & Bar, 1756 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida

The neighboring Catalina Hotel and Beach Club has absorbed the Maxine Hotel. However, the building’s first-floor restaurant still retains the Maxine name, which is prominently displayed on a billboard on the roof.

Maxine Hotel Postcard

Above is a postcard Rachel and Pasi sent to a former guest, inviting them to visit their new hotel, following a previous stay at the Cherry Hill Hotel, which the Mendelsons previously managed. Although there is no evidence of a Cherry Hill Hotel in the area, it’s possible they operated a hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.14

1948 Marriage of son, Irving

A notice in the September 19, 1948, edition of the Atlanta Constitution reported the marriage of Rachel’s son, Irving, to Gloria Adele Lazear. Irving’s parents were listed as Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lazear of New York and Miami, Florida. They often ran a hotel in Miami in the winter months.15

1950 United States Census

In 1950, Rachel (listed Ray), 53, and Pasi (listed Percy) Mendelson, 61, resided at 304 17th Street, Miami Beach, Florida. Although not employed at the time, they had additional sources of income. Both were born in Russia and held citizenship.16

300 17th Street, Miami Beach, Florida

It is unlikely that 304 17th Street, Miami Beach, Florida, ever existed as a regular address. Advertisements from the time offered one and two-bedroom apartments at 300 17th Street. Currently known as Kaskades Hotel South Beach, the first two floors of the building were constructed in 1952.17 It is possible that a different building with multiple addresses existed there in 1950.

1953-58 Miami Beach City Directory

From 1953 to 1958, Rachel (listed as Ray, Rae, and Anna) and Pasi (listed as Percy) Mendelson resided at 1407 and 1411 Meridian Avenue, Apartment 11, Miami Beach, Florida. 18

1407-11 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida

1407 and 1411 Meridian Avenue belong to the same building, indicating that Pasi and Rachel did not relocate during this period.

Rachel in Group Photos with Family

1969 Wedding of Granddaughter, JoAnne

Rachel Resnitzky Mendelson, right, August 24, 1969, at the wedding of granddaughter, JoAnne. In-law Jennie Spivack Lazear is on the left.

Death of Rachel Resnitzky Mendelson, August 31, 1982

Rachel died on August 31, 1982, at the age of 85 (from a heart attack, according to her daughter, Anne). Her final home was the Isabella House, at 525 Audubon Avenue, New York, New York.19

Isabella House, 525 Audubon Avenue, New York, New York

Sources

  1. “Alexandrovka,” History of Jewish Communities in Ukraine (https://jewua.org/alexandrovka/ : 11 June 2024). ↩︎
  2. “Oleksandrivka, Ukraine,” JewishGen (https://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/community.php?usbgn=-1049206 : accessed 11 June 2024). ↩︎
  3. “Сосновская: Кропивницкая область, Кропивницкий район,” Jewish Religious community of Zhmerinka (https://myshtetl.org/vostok/sosnovskaya.html : accessed 15 June 2024). ↩︎
  4. “Vaderland,” Titanic Inquiry Project (https://www.titanicinquiry.org/ships/vaderland.php : accessed 1 July 2021). ↩︎
  5. “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957,” S.S. Vaderland arriving 8 May 1912, sailing from Antwerp, Belgium to New York, NY, entries for Peisech, Rachel Mendelsohn, list 33, p. 100, lines 1-2, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 July 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T715; “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957,” S.S. Vaderland arriving 8 May 1912, sailing from Antwerp, Belgium to New York, NY, entries for Peisech, Rachel Mendelsohn, list 10, p. 28, lines 6-7, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 July 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T715. ↩︎
  6. 1915 New York Census, New York County, population schedule, New York, p. 188, line 26, Rachael Mandelson, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 July 2021) citing New York State Archives, Albany, New York. ↩︎
  7. 1920 U.S. Census, New York, New York, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 1184, p. 46 (stamped), 3B (penned), dwelling 11, family 52, Rosie Mendelson, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 July 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T625, microfilm 236, roll 1218. ↩︎
  8. 1925 New York census, Sullivan County, population schedule, Thompson, p. 18, line 41, for Rachel Mendelson, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 January 2021), citing New York State Archives, Albany, New York. ↩︎
  9. 1930 U.S. census, Bronx County, New York, population schedule, New York City, enumeration district (ED) 3-430, p. 24B, dwelling 82, family 616, Ray Mendelson, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 January 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T626. ↩︎
  10. “1148 Boynton Ave, Bronx, NY 10472,” realtor.com (https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1148-Boynton-Ave-Apt-1A_Bronx_NY_10472_M49339-25261 : accessed 19 January 2021). ↩︎
  11. 1940 U.S. Census, Ocean County, New Jersey, population schedule, Lakewood Township, enumeration district (ED) 14-33, p. 5A, household 68, Ray Mendelson, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 January 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 2374. ↩︎
  12. “Historic Hotels of Lakewood,” Lakewood Historical Society (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/208acf0511024d9686f5fa812fbf535d : accessed 15 July 2024). ↩︎
  13. Polk’s Miami City Directory, 1947, (Miami, FL: R.L. Polk & Co., 1947), p. 704, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024); Polk’s Miami (Dade County, Fla.) City Directory, 1949, (Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers, 1949), p. 704, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024). ↩︎
  14. The Maxine, Miami Beach, Fla., 1948, Postcard, Colourpictures Publication, Boston, MA, images, Hippostcards (https://www.hippostcard.com/listings/listing/watch/name/1940s-maxine-hotel-miami-beach-florida-fl-b5079/id/15939222: accessed 13 July 2024). ↩︎
  15. “Atlantan Marries in New York Rites,” The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 19 September 1948, p. 14C, col. 4, image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution/21077781/ : accessed 19 June 2018), clip page by user genistory. ↩︎
  16. 1950 U.S. Census, Dade County, Florida, population schedule, Miami Beach, enumeration district (ED) 13-250, p. 71, dwelling 83, Ray Mendelson, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024), citing NARA publication P1, roll 3601. ↩︎
  17. “300 17th Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139,” PropertyShark (https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Property/27331110/300-17-St-Miami-Beach-FL-33139/ : accessed 14 July 2024). ↩︎
  18. Polk’s Miami (Dade County, Fla.) City Directory, 1953-54, (Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk & Co. and Publishers, 1953), p. 770, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024); Polk’s Miami (Dade County, Fla.) 1955 City Directory, (Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk & Co. and Publishers, 1955), p. 259, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024); Polk’s Miami (Dade County, Fla.) City Directory 1957, (Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk & Co. and Publishers, 1957), p. 337, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024); Polk’s Miami (Dade County, Fla.) City Directory 1958, (Miami, FL: R.L. Polk & Co. and Publishers, 1958), p. 319, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 July 2024). ↩︎
  19. Social Security Administration, “United States Social Security Death Index;” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 July 2021), entry for Ray Mendelson, 1982, SS no. 101-12-0594; “Isabella House,” MJHS (https://www.mjhs.org/our-services/isabella-center/isabella-house/ : accessed 1 July 2021); Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85648234/rachel-mendelson : accessed 1 July 2021), memorial page for Rachel Mendelson (1895–31 Aug 1980), Find a Grave Memorial ID 85648234, citing Riverside Cemetery, Saddle Brook, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, Maintained by LoveTrees (contributor 47972380). ↩︎

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