Unearthing the Untold: Jewish Lives and the Eastland Tragedy

Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told

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In Episode 53 of "Flower in the River Podcast," I explore:

• The impact of the 1915 Eastland disaster on Chicago's Jewish community
• Theories on why relatively few Jewish passengers died in the disaster (due to it occurring on the Sabbath)
• The miraculous survival story of 14-year-old Jacob Aaron Elin (later Jack Elin), who went on to co-found Topps Manufacturing Company, Rochester, Indiana.
• Jack Elin’s family background, immigrating from the Russian Empire's Pale of Settlement in the late 1800s.
• The life and death of 24-year-old Eastland victim Carl Friedman, an electrician at Western Electric.
• Details on Carl Friedman's family and their immigration from Hungary, plus an analysis of the Hebrew, Yiddish and Hungarian inscriptions on his headstone

I share background on:

• The history of Jewish immigration to Chicago starting in the 1840s
• The Pale of Settlement region where many Jewish immigrants originated.
• The Yiddish language

This episode is dedicated to:

• Singer, Donna Loren, as well as
• My unknown Jewish ancestor,
• The helpful members of the Jewish Genealogy Portal on Facebook.

Further explorations of Jewish genealogy, burial practices and naming conventions are planned for the next episode.

Links:

• Waldheim Cemetery Co.
• JGSI Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois - Waldheim Cemetery
• Encyclopedia of Chicago (chicagohistory.org)
• Basics of Jewish American Genealogy
• RootsTech 2023 | Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy

Music:

• Artlist
• Wikimedia Commons

• Book website: https://www.flowerintheriver.com/
• LinkTree: @zettnatalie | Linktree
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-z-87092b15/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zettnatalie/
• YouTube: Flower in the River - A Family Tale Finally Told - YouTube
• Medium: Natalie Zett – Medium
• The opening/closing song is Twilight by 8opus
• Other music. Artlist

Chapters

1. Unearthing the Untold: Jewish Lives and the Eastland Tragedy (00:00:00)

2. Jewish Community and the Eastland Disaster (00:00:07)

3. The Eastland Disaster and Jewish Immigration (00:16:26)

4. Jack Elin's Family (00:17:12)

5. Meet Carl Friedman, who left a message in his headstone (00:25:15)