Cohn, Itzig Wolf (Icyk, or Izaak)

  General Notes:

He was a merchant. He was married twice. HIs first wife was Haia, daughter of Abysz Aszkenazi. Haia died on January 20, 1836. His second wife was Klaudia (Golda) Berenstein, whom he married in Warsaw on July 8, 1837. She was from Amsterdam an d was a daughter of Rabbi Samuel Berenstein of Amsterdam and Rozalia (Rebecca) a daughter of Moses. During the November Uprising of 1830-31, he was an officer in the Jewish Civic Guard, as was his uncle Dawid Cohn. At some point he and Kaudia mo ved to Breslau.

Itzig married again on July 8, 1837 in Warsaw to Klaudia/Claudia (Golda) Berenstein, daughter of Rabbi Samuel Berenstein, head rabbi of Amsterdam, and his wife Rozalia (Rebecca), daughter of Moses Saul Loewenstamm. Claudia was born in Amsterdam o n May 8, 1815.

At some point Itzig and Claudia moved to Breslau. In several 19th century periodicals his company, known officially as "Itzig W. M. Cohn," is mentioned, along with the names Michael cohn, Claudia Cohn, and Albert Cohn. Michael Cohn is presumabl y his eldest son, listed above, from his first marriage. Albert Cohn is probably a son from his second marriage, since he is not listed among the surviving children of Haia. And since Abysz died as a child, we know it can't be him.

Itzig Wolf Michel Cohn's legacy and death registration have survived and can be found among records of the Breslau Jewish community (sygn. 105/743m) found on the website of the Polish Central Jewish Library [Centrala Biblioteka Judaistyczna]. Hi s "Legat" contains several dates " March 19, 1866; April 1, 1866 [29 Nissan 5626]; and May 24, 1866. The handwriting is hard to read. The document which mentions the date April 14, 1866, and includes the Hebrew date of 29 Nissan 5626, mention s the Kaddish prayer and the name of Michael Cohn. So presumably he said Kaddish for him on this date.

The website "Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief" [Municipality of Amsterdam City Archive] contains archival information about Berenstien family of Amsterdam (1241. Archief van der FAmilie Berenstein). Among the letters in Hebrew in the collection i s one from Itzig Wolf Michel Cohn's brother Abel Wolf Cohn of Zurawno written to Rabbi Samuel Berenstein of Amsterdam. He writes that he is very happy to learn that his brother Itzig is engaged to Rabbi Berenstein's daughter. He describes Itzi g as, "the best of the brothers." After his signature he writes his wife's regards to Rabbi Berenstein's wife and family. Her name was Henschel. His first wife (the motehr of Claudia, named Rebeca) died in 1835. Abel also mentions Rabbi Berens tein's son-in-law, "whom I know well from Brody."

On the second page of this letter Itzig Wolf MIchel Cohn himself wrote to his future father-in-law Rabbi Berisch Berenstein, who later became rabbi of The Hague. This letter is dated 13 Nissan 5567 [1837].

Another letter in the archive is a letter from Itzig from the year 1838, written from Warsaw. The first part is a letter to his father-in-law written in Hebrew. He mentions that he received his father-in-law's letter late because he was travelin g to his brother Joseph/s daughter's wedding. He gives the distance he had to travel as Sheva Parasot [about 25 km]. This might refer to the wedding of JOseph's daughter Hinda who was married to Michel Bornstein. They lived in Kozienice and ha d some children born there, such as a son, Serka, b. circa 1843. Hinda would have been 16 in 1838. The distance from Warsaw to Kozienice is about 180 km.

In the second part of this letter he wrote to his brother-in-law Berisch in Yiddish, and mentioned that Berisch was the matchmaker. After his signature the letter continues with Claudia writing to her family.

Itzig married Chaia Aszkenazi, daughter of Abysz Aszkenazi and Unknown. (Chaia Aszkenazi died on Jan 20, 1836.)

Itzig next married Klaudia (Golda) Berenstein, daughter of Rabbi Samuel Berenstein and Rozalia (Rebecca) [maiden name unkonwn], on Jul 8, 1837 in Warsaw, Poland. (Klaudia (Golda) Berenstein was born in Amsterdam, Holland.)