Rachel Poole has discovered that her great grandfather was Rabbi Ayreh Leib Levin/e (also known as Lewis Levine).

She believes he wrote at least eight books, but the only copies she knows about are privately owned in Israel.

Rachel's family was blitzed out of their home during the Second World War and there was a fire at another home so all their papers have been lost.

The family came to England in the late 1890s from what is now Belarus. In the preface to his books he talks about his family.

His first wife was Sarah Rachel and they had three children - Moshe (Moses/Morris), who was Rachel's grandfather, Nathan and Esther/Ethel.

Rabbi Leib was minister at Crown Street Synagogue in 1903. At some point he went to London where Sarah Rachel died in 1915 and where he was rabbi at Sidney Street and Little Alie Street synagogue. He married Esther Levi around 1918 in Leeds. She was the daughter of Rabbi Eliezer.

In each of his books there are tributes from other well-known rabbis in Manchester and Edinburgh who describe him as a 'magid/preacher'.

His son Morris was a cabinet maker - his final shop being in Ferndale Road, Wavertree, Liverpool. His son Nathan also became a rabbi in London, Port Elizabeth and Australia.

His daughter, Esther/Ethel, emigrated to South Africa.

Morris and Nathan may have attended Liverpool Hebrew School. Rachel believes cousins could be named Robinson, Dorfman, Levinson.

She would also like to find copies of her great grandfather's books.

12 Highgate Avenue Birstall Leicestershire LE4 3JJ or email rachel.poole3@ntlworld.com

Second search

Jim Bennett of Israel has already enjoyed Roots Directory success after locating details on his grandfather Stefan Dawidowicz.

Stefan lived at 23 Dow St, Salford according to the 1901 Census.

On the previous census page, just five houses up the road, lived Adolf and Milly Moscovitch, 24 and 22.

Adolf was a "cutter of hats", born in "RussPoland, Wielun".

He was born as Abram Ber Moskowicz in Wielun, and was Jim's grandfather's first cousin.

Jim is now searching for their descendants, his third cousins.

In early 1899 Adolf married Milly in Prestwich, Lancashire, recorded in Volume 8d, page 476.

Three years later Adolf sailed to Boston, without Milly, to visit his brother Bernard. Jim assumes he returned to Manchester.

Their children would have been born from 1901 to 1920.

The family name could be Moscovitch, Morse, Morris or Moss.

48 Vitkin St, Haifa, 34754, Israel or email Bennett@coral.co.il

Tragic pilots

David Raphael of Los Angeles is seeking personal information about RAF pilot named Leonard Cohen, who was killed when his plane crashed on May 20, 1948 at Urbe Airport in Rome.

According to one account, he was 24 at the time and hailed from Liverpool. His co-pilot was George 'Buzz' Beurling, Canada's World War II ace pilot.

Both of them were part of the Mahal contingent that was smuggling fighter planes into Israel just a few days after it was declared a State. Sabotage was suspected when their plane crashed immediately upon takeoff.

University of Southern California, Medical Center, 1200 N State St, Room 14-901, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA or email draphael@usc.edu

Moved to Hull

Barbara Brody of Lytham is hoping to trace family of her grandparents' brothers and sisters.

Joseph Janofsky (son of Solomon) was born in 1882 and married Rachel, who was born in 1881 (daughter of Samuel Gorovitch).

They emigrated to Hull around 1905 from Odessa where he was a timber merchant. They had two sons and four daughters.

Joseph's sister, Charlotte Riva, born in 1877, married Alta Salovitch/Yosselovitch in Elizavetgrad/Kirovgrad in 1894 and also moved to Hull. They had no children. There was possibly a brother named Louis and other siblings.

41 Forest Drive Lytham FY8 4QF or email barbara@bbrody.freeserve.co.uk

Died at 101

IVOR BROWN of Israel is trying to trace members of his mother's family in Liverpool.

Two were sisters, Leah Gore and Isabella (Bella) Goldsmith.

Bella died on October 13, 1988, aged 101, and Leah died some time prior to that.

Bella had three sons - Sydney, Raphael (Ray) and Emmanuel (Manny). Their wives were Myra, Doreen and June, although Ivor doesn't know who was married to who. Leah's husband is buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Hanley, Staffs.

4 Schwartz Street Ra'anana Israel or Israel ivor_brown2000@yahoo.com

Newcastle family

JUNE MILLER of Israel is trying to find information on her maternal grandmother's family.

Hannah Hyams was born in 1856 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Samuel and Hagor Hyams. Samuel is listed as a tailor in the 1871 census, together with her siblings, Abraham, Manis, Isabella and Levi. Hannah married Adolph Lichtenstein in 1876 in Newcastle.

In 1881 Adolph and Hannah went to Hamilton, Canada to join brother Manus and Polly Hyams, returning before 1895 to live in Higher Broughton Manchester. They had 10 children. Hannah's sisters are thought to have married into the Frankenburg, Frankenstein, Harris and Wise families of Manchester.

97 Greenhill Road, Liverpool L18 7HQ or email jmraisman@bigfoot.com

Grandma's silence

MICHELLE FRY's grandmother won't talk about her past - much to Michelle's bemusement.

Michelle's great grandparents were Joseph Tennen and Minnie Wilson. Their surnames were originally Tennenbaum and Ingelski, but they had their last names changed when they arrived from Russia to England.

Michelle's grandmother's name is Hilda Tennen Wilson. She had one brother and three sisters. Their names were Ruth, Anne, Dorothy and Irving. Hilda was born in Manchester on November 1914.

Mexicali 15-701 Colonia Hipodromo Condesa, Delegacion Cuahutemoc C.P. 06100, Mexico D.F., Mexico or email portomarino@gmail.com

London Butcher

Tessa Kendall of London wants to find out more about the Saul Rodrigues family who were butchers in East London.

Margaret Saul Rodrigues (1848-1891) was the daughter of Charles Saul Rodrigues (1815-1880) and Margaret Brooks. Charles' father was Jonathon Saul Rodrigues (1778-1845) who married Mary Hicks. His father was David Saul Rodrigues (1753-1800?) who married Reyna Andrade. When Margaret got married, Charles was a butcher in High Street Stratford. David was a butcher in the parish of St George.

palehorizon@hotmail.com

Certificate found

THE wedding certificate of Rita Hockley and Jack Ackerman has been found near a cemetery in Preston. The couple were married in December 1949 at Hackney Synagogue. The owner should contact John Cowell, who is working on the history of the Preston Jewish community.

15 Harperley, Chorley, Lancs PR7 1XB, telephone 01257 460208 or email jcowellnix@yahoo.com

Lost contact

NAOMI BARNETT has lost contact with relatives of Ada and Janey and the Grocer (Glass family descendants) who she found through Roots Directory in 2001.

2/1 Judd Street Carnegie Victoria Australia 3163 or barnett@netspace.net.au

Simon's family

TOM and Sandra Cragg are looking for relatives of Simon Fisher of Liverpool, who died on April 12, 1958.

01745 888 675.

Hyman's family

DAVID Teacher of Manchester AJEX is looking for relatives of Hyman Isaac Rosenfield (Rosenfeld), Royal Air Force number 1904778 ACI who died and is buried in Kandy, Sri Lanka in, April 1944.

98 Kersal Road, Salford, M7 3QL or telephone 0161 792 0377

Star's search

ACTRESS Miriam Margolyes - currently starring on Broadway in New York - is appealing for help.

The Wicked star is looking for the Winter family from Leeds. Louis (Lipman) Winter married Eva Friend in September 1883. Their son, Leon married Lily Cohen and had four children - Herman, Amelia, David and Isaac born in 1920. In 1917, they lived at 43 Grant St, Roundhay.

Email 75342.3217@compuserve.com

Grave picture

RALPH DAVIS of California is looking for a photograph of the grave stone of his grandparents who are probably buried in Crumpsall Cemetery Manchester. Their names were Morris Davis and Betsy (Markus) Davis. Morris died on February 8, 1937 and Betsy on July 15, 1918.

752 Dubanski Dr, San Jose, California, USA or email zayda99zayda@aol.com

12 children

Georgina Phillips of Brighton is looking for the descendants of Abraham and Phoebe Marks.

Abraham was born in London around 1807, while Phoebe, nee Simmons, was born in London around 1821. Their children were Henry, born 1838; Sarah, born 1840, Jane, born 1846; Samuel, born 1847; Isaac, born 1848; Rachel, born 1849; Jacob (Jack), born 1852; Hannah, born 1850; Mary, born 1854; Aaron, born 1856; Simon, born 1856; and Louis, born 1861. All were born in Whitechapel London.

email georgina.phillips2@ntlworld.com

Vaughan again

LIVERPUDLIAN David Tickle had his photograph taken with entertainer Frankie Vaughan at Hebrew School, Hope Place around 1955.

He is trying to find a copy of the photograph. He recalls some of his classmates were Philip Nagley, David Gee, Rodney Wiseman, Barry Newman and Michael Golberg.

0151 448 1676 or davetickle@aol.com

Gilbert family

CHERIE ALLEN of California has discovered her late grandmother, Annie Anenberg, had relatives in Manchester, called the Gilberts.

82 Begonia Place Ventura, California 93004, USA or britwit@sbcglobal.net

Author rabbi

Jacob Strom is looking for information on the life of Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Farber of Slabodka, Manchester and London. Rabbi Faber was the author of Kerem Hatzvi.

53 Leadale Road London, N16 6DG or email worldofnuts@btconnect.com

Wedding guests

PHIL HARRIS of Australia wants to meet relatives she has not seen since her wedding in 1960 in Manchester. She is looking for Malcolm and Steven Berger, Brian (and Esme) and David Gouldman, Judith Colin and her brother. When she lived in Manchester, Phil was known as Phillis Davis.

PO Box 266 Elsternwick Victoria Australia 3185 or email westonlodge@hotmail.com

Jewish firemen?

THE Scottish Jewish Archives Centre would like information about Harry Simeon, a fireman killed in an enemy raid on Glasgow on March 13, 1941. The centre also wants to know of any Jewish firemen and women who served during the war

0141 649 4526 or email info@sjac.org.uk

In the picture

JUDY LESTER found this photograph in her family album.

She believes it was taken outside a Leeds synagogue in the early 1900s.

Can anyone identify the occasion or any of the individuals. Judy's grandfather, Norman Nathan, is in the back row.

elly99uk@googlemail.com or contact Simon Yaffe at the Jewish Telegraph on 0161-740 9321 ext 234

War tragedy

Aubrey Jacobus of London has many photographs of brothers Joseph (Solomon) and Eli Gerber who were killed in the First World War. Their father was Samuel Gerber and the mother Sarah.

In 1901 the family lived at 37 Caroline St Broughton. The photographs were sent to family relations in America always addressed to their aunt.

"I deduce that they are linked to my American family by their mother Sarah," Aubrey said.

The siblings of Joseph and Eli were Hyam, Ada, Jacob, Gertie, Jennie, Esther and Dora.

10 Ormonde Ct, London NW4 1RE or email aajacobus@btinternet.com