Our Indig/Rich family gratitude to benefactor Morris Bloch

My dad’s mother Ruth came to the United States with her sisters thanks to the generosity of a man from the same hometown. An oral history that came from talks with Ruth states “a man named Block from Dukla gathered all the families that wanted to emigrate and financed the cost to come to the U.S.” I recently discovered details about this man, Morris Bloch. A large part of my family owes a debt to him, since we wouldn’t exist if those 3 sisters hadn’t emigrated to the U.S., where they met their husbands and had children and further descendants, of which I am one. I’ll piece together some more of that story here.

 Ruth Rich [Ehreich] 1920s in New York

Ruth is from the town of Dukla in the southern part of Poland, which was part of Galicia (an Imperial Province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) when she was born in 1905. Her father Morris Ezra Ehreich married Helen Rose Ehrenreich (yes, very similar names); after having 3 girls: Bertha, Lillie, and Ruth; Helen Rose died at age 26. 

      
above: Morris Ezra Ehreich and Helen Rose Ehrenreich

Morris later remarried Eva (known as Chuva) and had more children. In 1913, he travelled to the United States, where he planned to get established and send for his family join him for a new life there. The outbreak of World War I prevented that. The children were split up to other households during this time, until they were reunited after the war. Quoting from the oral history: “A man named Block [actually Bloch] from Dukla gathered all the families that wanted to emigrate and financed the cost to come to the U.S. The [3] girls first journeyed to Vienna and stayed in a hotel because of a transportation strike, then to Switzerland where they took showers for the first time, and then to Paris, France.  In Paris they stayed with wealthy families and were well treated. They left Southhampton, England for the U.S. on the ship SS Philadelphia. At the time Ruth was 15, Lilly 18, and Bertha 20 years of age. They arrived at Ellis Island on May 10, 1920.”

Morris Bloch

So on to Morris Bloch. Thanks to some online references, I have connected with a descendent of the Bloch family, Jimmy Tarlau, who is the source of much of this information. Morris Bloch was born in Dukla in 1855 and moved to the US in 1881, where he became a successful businessman. His brother Josef Bloch left Dukla shortly after his bar mitzvah and eventually moved to Vienna where he became a famous rabbi and member of parliament.  

In 1920 Morris Bloch returned to Dukla, brought money and clothes back to his family and friends who had suffered a lot during the World War. He reportedly funded at least 50 what were identified as “war orphans” for their journey to New York. The sisters Bertha, Lillie, and Ruth apparently were in this group - while it's true that they were in impoverished circumstances in Dukla, they were not orphans since had their father in America, and their stepmother in Dukla.

Another fascinating source of information is the Facebook group Jews from Dukla and their descendants. Found in this group:

1920 announcement placed simultaneously in Polish and U.S. papers by the Dukla jewish community regarding the charitable activities in Dukla of Morris Bloch (who I believe you have identified in an earlier post as a great granduncle).  According to Google Translate, the Polish announcement reads:

“Krakow, February 28, 1920. (Thanks). The Jewish Religious Community in Dukla would like to thank Mr. Morris BLOCH from America in the name of the entire Jewish population for his activities for the benefit of the emaciated and hungry local population. Mr. Bloch, born in Dukla, tried not only to help his unhappy brothers here by alleviating poverty, but wherever he went in Galicia. In the same way, Mr. Bloch deserved the cordial "Jiszar Koach" of all Galician Jewry. For the Jewish Presidium. Communes of Dukla; ISRAEL B. UNGER”

Ruth Ehreich and her sisters took on the surname “Rich” in the U.S. Within a year after arrival in New York City, when attending a social dance organized by fellow "lantsman" (other NY Jews from Dukla), Ruth met Joe Indig. They were both teenagers, and became devoted to each other, leading to their marriage in 1930. From that union came two children: Hannah, and my father Maurice. If Ruth had not made it to New York City and not met Joe, I wouldn’t be here to write this story! Few Jews in Dukla survived the later holocaust, making Morris Bloch’s gift even greater.

Joseph & Ruth Indig wedding, June 15, 1930

Steve Indig, Joe & Ruth Indig, Bob Indig, 1973 in Fremont, California

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!..

THE SEQUEL (addendum 8 January, 2022): In December 2021 and January 2022, I had some contact with descendants of the Bloch family, primarily to confirm or clarify any details regarding Morris Bloch. Jimmy Tarlau referred me to another descendant, Marc Spiegel, who has a tremendous interest in family history and is the source of even more details. Jimmy is a descendant of the famous Rabbi Josef Bloch, while Marc is descendant of Chana Bloch, both siblings of Morris Bloch. Sharing the same ship journey with the Ehreich (soon to be “Rich”) sisters to the U.S. on the SS Philadelphia were members of the Bloch family, all sponsored by Morris. Thanks to Marc, I now also have the ship’s manifest and another document, clearly showing the sisters.

 

Shown here are full pages from the SS Philadelphia manifest, and close-up views. 

close-up:

An additional document shows they were detained. Their recorded first names can be read  more clearly here. "Beile" for Bertha, "Lea" for Lillie, and "Rinske" for Ruth who was also called Rifke.

I have researched and learned that “LPC” means aliens likely to become public charges, causing officials to think the immigrant would not be able to earn their own living. According to one source, immigrants most likely to be classified LPC were pregnant women, women with children, and women traveling alone. Until a spouse or other male family member could vouch for them, these women and children often remained in detention. “UN 16” or UNDER 16 refers to children under 16 years of age, unaccompanied by or not coming to one or both parents.

 

My grandmother Ruth (Rifke, or identified on document as “Rinske”) was 15, so this makes sense. From my family oral history… "While on Ellis Island they were visited by Sam Ehrenreich, Ruth’s mother’s brother.  Her father had to come from Chicago to get the girls released.” …and indeed the manifest shows “Friend S. Ehrenreich” as who they would be going to.

 

I’m still amazed at how these details fit together, according to these newly discovered documents, and happy to share this with relatives and anyone else interested. And thanks again to Jimmy Tarlau and Marc Spiegel.