From: Donald Strauss Date:August 23,2023 19:58 > On Aug 23, 2023, at 6:55 PM, Donald Strauss wrote: > > Dear Jochen: Somehow, I missed your wonderful review of your immediate family members and your attached family pdf that I will add to my ever growing compendium. I was thrilled to receive it and apologize for not writing sooner. Unfortunately, I am absolutely swamped with daily incoming emails and unless I go back and do a search, I miss important emails like the one you sent. Once every three weeks or so, I find that my email inbox contains 7000-8000 emails that I have to purge, i.e. very time consuming and frustrating. Conversely, in this new world that we live in, it is nice to be informed (much easier than via telephones, mail, radio/TV, and newspapers/magazines). > > So far, only two nieces in New Jersey share my interest in our shared ancestry. One or two of my children occasionally express interest in the subject matter, but quickly drift away from it when matters of current work, relationships, household tasks and so forth enter their consciousness and send them in new directions. One can’t blame them and like Klemens, they are all swamped with activities, issues, and children that occupy their time. Retirement presents new interests and opportunities to look into genealogy and ancestry which becomes more of interest as one ages; regrettably, those we would want to relate to and interview for windows to the past have passed away. Jan and I often express regret that we didn’t spend more quality time in our youth doing so; now with age, we can see how we could have entertained new conversations wherein we would have expressed more gratitude for our elders' sacrifices and respect for their talents. In the end, ultimately and again, regrettably, our future decedents will have little or no knowledge of us, (our talents, concerns, and way of life). > > In writing of aging, let me bring you up to date on our latest health news…Jan has learned that her heart murmur of 5 years ago has become worse such that she has two failing heart valves that will need surgery. She shows no symptoms, but the Cardiologist stated that that will change, probably sooner than later, i.e. surgery is in her future. As for me, following an MRI, I was referred to a Proton Surgeon for laser therapy. Following a PETscan and further review by a Cancer Board, I was told that my Meningioma remains in small part in my Menages, but looks to be grade I, not Grade II or atypical as described earlier by a radiologist. Put mildly, “What a relief"! It all certainly reminds one of one’s mortality. > > I never described for you, the fact that Jan and I have 3 children, Lynda, Philip, and Elizabeth. We have been married 57 years. > o Lynda was born in 8/13/1970 and is married to David Stern. They have 3 children, William (age 21), a computer scientist working in the field of AI. Michelle (age 19), a sophomore at Bradley University and Jacob (age 14) entering high school. They live a block away from us in Naperville Illinois. > o Philip was born 4/16/1974. He is a Project Management Consultant and lives in South Borough MA. His wife is Rachel and she is an executive in a large Biotech Company. They have 2 boys, Jeremy, a sophomore at UMASS and Zachery, a senior in high school. > o Elizabeth was born 4/1/1978. Her husband Aaron Valenti is a senior partner in a large law firm in California. They live in San Jose CA and have two children, Maya, entering high school and Holden, entering middle school. > > One final point for now…I was interviewed and written up on a website (if you care to read it) honorflightchicago.org. Go to that website’s News and scroll down to Profiles and scroll down again to my name and picture. You will see my life story there. Sending you our best and kindest regards. Don > >> On Jul 19, 2022, at 12:08 AM, Ernst Meyer wrote: >> >> July 19, 2022 >> Dear Donald, >> >> Thank you for your letter. Let me begin by trying to answer your questions about family history. The attached "Stammbaum.pdf" is a genealogy composed in 1903 by my great-grandmother Emilie Herzberg Meyer's (d.o.b. Sep 23, 1832) brother Heine Herzberg (d.o.b. June 3, 1826) and brought uptodate to 1928. At the bottom of page 18, you will find an entry for my sister Margrit (misspelled Margit), born August 26, 1928, who died unmarried and childless on December 22, 2009. I myself, Ernst Jochen Meyer was born on June 27, 1930, married Margaret McPhedran (d.o.b. July 29, 1924) on March 8, 1952. We had one son, Klemens Benjamin Meyer, born on December 11, 1956. Klemens married Laura Ann Perlo in 1986. They have four children, Rebekah, (d.o.b. Jan 7, 1989), Nathaniel, (d.o.b. Mar 15, 1991), Benjamin (d.o.b. Mar 15, 1993) and Leah (d.o.b. Oct 27,1995) A few years ago, Rebekah married Mark Swartz. They have two daughters and a son, who are my only great-grandchildren but whose names and dates of birth, I am ashamed to confess, I don't know. The attached genealogy is of my great-grandmother Emilie Herzberg Meyer's family. The connection with the Rosenthal family was the marriage of Elfriede Rosenthal to Joel Meyer. (page 18) They were my paternal grandparents. Elfriede's sister Antonie was married, if I remember correctly, to Joel Meyer's cousin David, who is not mentioned in the Herzberg genealogy which I am sending you. The earliest ancestor cited was a great-great-great-grandfather of mine referred to as Herz Heine,(name probably reversed) no date of birth given, whose son Heine Herz (d.o.b. June 3, 1794) was my great-great-grandfather who considered his name embarrassingly plain and expanded it to Heine Herzberg. His daughter, Emilie, was my great-grandmother. Emilie's son Joel, my grandfather, must have considered his name embarrassingly biblical. He changed it to Joe, perhaps deeming Joe to be more appropriate for the businessman he wanted to be. >> >> You ask about my son Klemens. klemensbmeyer@gmail.com Some years ago Klemens was much interested in the family history, and I believe corresponded with Professor Robert Weinberg who provided much data about the Rosenthal family to Reinhold Busch. In recent years, when we talked, Klemens hasn't mentioned genealogy. He is overworked and tired. You should feel free to send him an e-mail if you would not be offended if he didn't answer. I hope this helps. >> >> As for myself, when I think of my family, I remember that when I practiced medicine, I considered - and treated - all my patients as members of my family. I am interested in family to the extent that there can arise an intellectual and emotional relationship between us, to the extent that I can reconstruct for myself the experiences of various family members, and especially to the extent that I can be of help to them. I am much aware that the older we get, the more help we need from our children, and the greater is the burden that we parents present to them. Now at 92 years of age my primary concern is that my children and grandchildren should remember me, reciprocating the feelings of affection that I have for them. The authentic function at my age is to bestow blessing, and I consider the epitome of my Jewish heritage to be the words of Aaron: >> 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: >> 25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: >> 26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. >> Numbers 6:24-26 >> >> When I was 15 years old, a senior in high school, I was very proficient at the simple physics that we were taught, and I thought I wanted to become a physicist. When I got to college, I changed my mind, and studied literature instead, but the many intervening years have been adumbrated by wistful nostalgia for what might have been. Recently I have spent many hours each day reading essays and lecture notes about diverse physics topics. While I am reading, I think I "understand" the exposition, but what I can remember, is very spotty. It's not surprising that the frailty of my 92 years old memory would preclude my passing even the simplest of examinations. But then, at the same time, I become aware of the extent to which the plethora of details can block a different order of understanding. I have learned to read science as literature, with a sense that some of the implications of the theories, of the ideas and of the "facts" which are stated so dogmatically, are not susceptible to rationalization even by those who expound them most emphatically, but must be memorized, must be internalized and believed, accepted on faith, like articles of a religion in a secret language which we repeat to confirm our membership in a social community. But then, in order to confirm that I am not dreaming, I pinch myself to prove that I am awake, and I realize that I have invented a "metaphysical" explanation to mask my ignorance and incompetence. >> >> It's late now, time finally to go to bed and to try to sleep. Best wishes and greetings to Jan and to yourself. Jochen >> >> >