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Dancig Family from Mir

Jakov Moshe Dancig (known as Moshe) was a cabinet maker in Mir. He married Brocha. They had four children, three sons, Chaim, Lazer and David, and a daughter, Khaia. See family tree at the bottom of the page.

Brocha was buried in the cemetery in Mir. Her descendents preserved a photo of her tombstone.

Chaim is thought to be the oldest brother. He left Mir to work in a Jewish rural colony, probably in the Ukraine. He. married Marysia in the Soviet Union. They lived in Dnepropetrovsk and had three sons (born in the Soviet Union). Two of their sons were named Nison and Genia.


Chaim Dancig, his wife Marysia and their sons in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

Chaim and his family left Russia for Israel at the end of the 20th century.

Lazar left Mir and went to a rural Jewish colony in the Ukraine called Fraileben, which was in the Dnepropetrovsk area. He was married to Sonya. Lazar died in September 1941 in Sofiyevka, Dnepropetrovsk. His death was recorded in Yad Vashem by his nephew Nison.


Lazar, on left, during his military service

David (1895-1987) During the First World War he was in the Polish Army and was a prisoner. By the time he came back to Mir, his two brothers had already left for the Soviet Union. David inherited the cabinet making business from his parents and married Chaya BELSKY.


David Dancig, his wife Chaya, her mother Bashe Kamenetsky Belsky holding granddaughter Brocha Dancig

The photo above was taken the day before David left Mir for South Africa in 1928.


David posing on the ship Llandovery Castle, on the way to South Africa

One year later his wife, mother-in-law and daughter Brocha (born. 1927) joined him in South Africa, where descendents live today. David and Chaya had two more children, Israel Louis, known as Danny, and Sonia, who were born in Benoni, a city on the East Rand in the South African province of Gauteng.

Khaia/Chaya married Benjamin HARKAVY also from Mir. When David left for South Africa he passed the cabinet making business to his sister and brother-in-law.) See list of business and their owners in Mir.)

Jacov

Khaia and Benjamin Harkavy had two children, Jacov (born 1927) and Brocha/Bronia.

Photo of Jacob, about age 3, and Khaia/Chaya

Benjamin was a member of the Communist Party. The family was evacuated to the east, sometime between the German invasion in June 1941 and the German army's arrival in Mir at the end of the year.

The family returned to Mir after the war. Bronia was around twelve years old when the war ended. An American who visited Mir after the war wrote an article in the Jewish newspaper "Jewish Daily Forward" (known as "The Forward") describing them as the only Jewish family left in Mir.


Khaia and Benjamin Harkavy with daughter Brocha/Bronia (center) in Mir, some time after the war.

Their daughter Brocha/Bronia became an engineer and lived in Minsk. She married William Benunin, also an engineer, who was from Minsk. They immigrated to San Diego.

Their son Jakov became a teacher of mathmatics. He also left Mir.

Dancig Family

Jakov Moshe DANCIG & Brocha

  Chaim & Marysia
    Nison
    Genia
    3rd son
 

Lazar & Sonya

 

David & Chaya BELSKY

    Brocha
    Danny (Israel Louis)
    Sonia
 

Khaia & Benjamin HARKAVY

    Jakov
    Brocha/Bronia

Information about the Dancig family and their photos has been provided by Bee Joffin,
daughter of David Dancig and Chaya Belsky Dancig

uploaded April 2014
updated June 2014

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