[joe-frank-list] Ben & Frieda Passweg

[russellbell at gmail.com]

	Ben Passweg seems to have been a brother or cousin of Joe's
mother.
	He first shows up in the records as Benzion Passweg, arriving
on the 'Normandie', 1939 February 2, with Joe's father.  He's the
manager of Joe's father's shoe factory.  He was 32, born in Brody,
Poland, of 'Hebrew' nationality.
	He naturalized on 1941 June 27, was born 1906 November 6
(making him 4 years older than Joe's mother), had a wife, Frieda.  He
called himself Ben Theodore Passweg, wrote that he used to go by
Benzion Theodore Passweg.  His race was Hebrew, nationality Poland.
He lived at 720 Fort Washington Avenue, same as Joe and his parents.
He had a wife, Frieda, 3 daughters: Eva (born 1934), Ruth (1938), and
Frances (1941).  The first 2 were born in France, the last in America.
	The manifest for the 'Siboney' which arrived in NYC from
Lisbon on 1941 January 29, lists 'Fritze Langermann' as a friend.  A
search on 'Fritze Langermann' turned up no records.  Joe's mother went
by Fritzi; Fritze could be a misreading.  (One document refers to 'Ben
Theidore Passweg'.)

	Frieda naturalized on 1941 June 20, had the same data as Ben.
She died on 1992 May 18 - born 1906 November 7 in Strasbourg, father:
Henri Teicher, mother: Stefanie Weill.

	I have no records of other relatives of Joe.  I hypothesize
that the kidney donor was one of Ben & Frieda's grandchildren (their
children being old to donate a kidney by then, though not forbidden by
any regulation).  If Ben were a brother (Friederike mentions a sister
in her story, not a brother.) he would be Joe's uncle, Ben's children
first cousins, Ben's grandchildren first cousins once-removed.  If Ben
were a first cousin of Friederike his children and Joe were second
cousins, his grandchildren second cousins once-removed.

	Ben was already in business in Strasbourg.  Friederike lived
in Vienna when she married.  Ben was born in Brody, Friederike in
Rymanow.

	The Passwegs made a few trips to Europe after the war.  It
could have been business; they could have been trying to find
relatives.  I have no information that indicates they did.

russell bell