Eachname,(link),below,

TheAllianceJewishFarmingColony,Pastand representsabranchofthe
**Persky -Perski-Perskie
Present Fam ily T ree,aswellas
articlesabouttheAlliance
colony ,andsomewonderful
photographs.Justclickon
"Generationspasslikeleavesfallfromourfamilytree.Each thelinkandreadwhobegat
seasonnewlifeblossomsandgrowsbenefitingfromthe whom.Theotherlinksare
self-ex planatory .
strengthandexperienceofthosewhowentbefore."Author:
HeidiSwapp

LazerandMinnieDithyPerskieimmigratedtotheUSin1882,alongwiththeir TheBeginning
sonJacob,andthreedaughters,Yochaved,Fanny,andSadieafterexperiencing TheImmigration
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 TheImmigration
anti-Semiticpersecutioninwhatwasthentheirhome,Volozhin,theRussian
JewishPaleofSettlement.HereJewswerenotpermittedtoownandfarmland. TheAllianceJewishFarming
Colony ,PastandPresent
WiththeassistanceoftheAllianceIsraeliteUniversalleandtheBarondeHirsch
Foundationtheywereabletocometothiscountry,alongwithforty-twoother EliezerMordechaibenTzv i
familiesfromsimilarbackgrounds,allsharingthephilosophyoftheAmOlam Persky ,MinnieDithy bat
Movement.ThesepioneersfoundedthefirstJewishagriculturalcolonyinthe Eliy ahuPersky andtheir5
Children
UnitedStatesinAlliance/Norma/Brotmanville,NJ.Lazar'sandMinnie's
youngestson,JosephB.Perskie,wastheironlychildbornintheUnitedStates,in Persky -Rov ineBranch
1885,onthefarminAlliance.
Perskie-AbramowitzBranch

TheAmOlammovementwasaresponsetothestereotypeoftheJewasan Persky -JacobsBranch

"urbanparasite,"anditsconstituentshadvowedtoprovetotheworldthatthey
Persky -KurtzBranch
couldbehardworking,land-tillingproducers."Ourmottoislaborinthefields,"an
AmOlammemberexplained,"andourgoalisthephysicalandspiritual Perskie-Masliansky Branch
rejuvenationofourpeople.InfreeAmerica,weJewsshallfindacornerinwhich
ImportantFamily Documents
torestourheads.Weshallprovetotheworldthatwearequalifiedforphysical
andNewspaperArticles.
labor."
PhotoGallery -PerskiePix I
As*SidneyBaily,oneoftheearliestimmigrantswrote,"Ihadtheprivilege
PerskiePix II
ofbeingoneofthreemen,includingMichaelBaka,MosesHerder
andmyself,whoformulatedinOdessaonShabouth/Shavuotof PerskiePix III
1881,theAmOlamMovementideathatourbrethrenshouldgoto
PerskiePix IV
Americatobecometillersofthesoil.Ourgoalwastoownahome
andlandasameansofearningalivelihood,andtobetruecitizens PerskiePix V
ofouradoptedcountry.Weaimedtobringourchildrenupto
AutobiographicalSketchesof
receivetheblessingsofanaturallifefromheavenandearth.For PerskieFamily Lifeby E.
thesegoalsweleftRussiatobecomefarmersinthe'landofthefree "Buddie"Perskie
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 andthehomeofthebrave.'Wecamehere,toAmerica,insteadof
Persky AncestralTownsof
goingtoPalestinewhichwasthenunderTurkishrule.Thusthe
Perki,Lithuania,and
Jewishexodusof1882began,rollingenmassetoAmerica." V olozhin,Belarus

"ThefirstnewcolonyofhopewaslocatedinAlliance,NJ,situatedontheMaurice Perski_Persky _Perskie

Family TreeDNAProject
River,inthesoutheastcornerofSalemCounty,NJandabout5milesnorthwest
ofVineland.Thefarmingcolonywasfoundedupontheprinciplesoftheabove PerskieFamily Blog
mentionedAmOlamMovement,andwasnamedfortheAllianceIsraelite
Universalle,aFrenchorganizationthatprovidedthenovicefarmerswithbasic
necessities."

**"Ourwanderers,fromvariouspartsofEasternEurope,wereTalmudists,
merchants,andtradesmenwhoknewnothingaboutfarmlife.Whentheycameto
NewYorkCityandarrivedatCastleGarden,(EllisIslandwasnotfunctioningas
apointofimmigrationatthattime),theytalked,inaverynaivemanner,with
GermanJewswhocametomeettheimmigrantships.TheseGermanJews
advisedustogiveuptheideaofbecomingfarmers.Theymeantwell,but
encouragedustocontinueatourtradesortobecomepeddlersonthelowerEast
Side.ThusmanymembersoftheoriginalAmOlamleftourgroup,but43families
remainedtruetoourideals."

**"OnaMaymorningin1882,43familiesboardedthetrainforBradway,in
SalemCounty,NJ.Fouryearslateritwouldbetothisstation,(renamedNorma
forthestationmaster'sdaughter),thatthenewfarmersofthegravellyloam
fieldswouldbringtheirfirstcrops-strawberriesatonecentaquart,cranberries
apennyortwomore-fortheproducemarketsofNewYorkandPennsylvania."

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 JacobH.Perskiewroteaboutthe
conditionsofearlylifeintheAlliance
colony:"Thenewimmigrants
cametothiscountry,poverty
stricken,withoutaknowledgeof
thelanguage,withoutfriends.
Theirhardshipswerealmost
indescribable.Irecallthelarge
barrackswheremen,women
andchildrenwerecrowded
togetherunderunsanitary
conditions,withnoclothesand
hardlyanynecessities.Ican
stillrememberagreatbigironpotinthewoodswheretheycooked
theirfoodoveranopenfirewhilepeopleclamoredforsomethingto
eat.Thecriesofthechildrenandthesighsoftheirmotherswerethe
personificationofmisery.Itresembledagypsycamp,butwiththis
difference-inagypsycamponehearssongandlaughter,here,in
Alliance,oneheardonlylamentationandweeping."

Mr.Perskiecontinues:"Therewerethirtyhousesbuilt,consistingof
buttworooms,onedownstairsandoneupstairs.Intheseshacks
largefamiliesdweltforyears.Wecanmarveltodayhowthe
pioneersclearedtheroadsanddugthestumps,madevineyardsout
ofwilderness,andbecameself-sustaininginarelativelyshort
period."

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 Therewerenobathroomsortoiletfacilities,sotinwashtubswereusedfor
heatingwaterandservedasbathtubs.Thetoiletfacilitieswereouthouses.Yard
pumpswerethesolesourceofwaterandinwinterthethewaterwouldfreezein
thepipesaboveground.Inthesummer,mosquitosandflieswouldtormentthose
workingoutdoorsinthecranberrybogs,pickinggrapes,etc.Andpoisonivywas
anevengreatersourceofwoe.

Clearingthelandprovidedlumberfor
farmhouses,whichwereapportionedby
lottery.AccordingtoEliezerPersky'sLast
WillandTestament,heowned2lotsofland
onGershelAvenue,Alliance,NJ.Healso
ownedafarm,knownaslot#30.

"AnorganizationcalledtheAllianceLand
Trustheld10-yearmortgagesoneach15
acrefarm.Eachfamilygot$100.forfarm
tools,seedandteamsoffourhorsesand
plows.Untilthecropswereplantedand
harvested,eachfamilyalsoreceivedabout
$10.00amonthasanallowance.Forabrief
period,acigarfactorywasinstalledinthe
barracksandashirtfactoryprovidedpiece-
workformenandwomen.Neither
succeeded."

"Theworkwasveryhardandinthefirstyearsmanythoughtthecolonywould
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 fail.Somemortgageswereforeclosedandpropertiesweresoldbythesheriff.
WithoutthehelpoftheirChristianneighbors,andthephilanthropyofmenlike
BaronMauricedeHirsch,JacobSchiffandMauriceFels,moreofthepioneers
wouldhavebeenforcedtoseekworkinthecities."

**"Asynagogue,EbenHa'Ezer,wasestablishedanddedicatedin1888.Before
thisprayermeetingswereheld,asMr.StavitskybroughtwithhimtoAmericaa
SeferTorahandRabbiKrassensteintheTalmud."

"Thechildrenattendedapublicschool
inUnionGrove,NJandanotherin
WillowGrove.Theseschoolswere
about4-5milesapartandthechildren
hadtowalklongdistances,through
woods,inordertoreachschool."

"Afterschool,inthewinter,the
childrenwentslidingonthefrozen
cranberrybogs-theyhadnoskates.In
thesummer,theyswamintheMaurice
River,boysandgirlsinseparate
sections.Thegirlsworetheirpetticoats,
theboysswamnaked.Menbathed
upstreamofthebendintheriver,womendownstream."

Eventuallyalibrarywasestablished,aplaceforspeechesandsinging,andalsofor
atheatricalgroupcalled"TheAmateurPlayers."Theactorsplayedonabare
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 stageuntilavisitingtheatrecompany,underthemanagementofBoris
Thomashefsky,fitteditoutwithsceneryandacurtain,whichtheylaterdonated
tothecolony."JacobH.Perskiewasconsideredtobeanexcellentactorwitha
finevoice.

"AstheJewishpopulationinthegeneralareaofAllianceincreased,itgrewto
includethenewnearbycoloniesofBrotmanvilleandNorma,NJ.Theeffortsof
thesefirstpioneerswerethegenesisofJewishlifeinsouthernNJ,particularlyin
SalemandCumberlandcounties.Thisareawasallwoodlandwithscarcelya
housetobeseenwhenthenewimmigrantsarrived."

TheagriculturalcolonystillexiststodayinNorma,NJ,alongwiththeoriginal
synagogue,buildings,amuseumandcemetery,filledwithtombstones"ofthose
whotoiledandsacrificedtheirlivesinexchangeforfreedomwhich
theyfoundinthenewworld."(JacobPerskie).Thedescendantsofthe
originalpioneershavebecomeprominentcitizens-physicians,lawyers,judges,
electedofficials,rabbis,artists,photographers,writers,manufacturers,teachers,
businessmenandwomenwhocontributemuchtooursociety.

Thecolonyhasexistedfor128yearsnow,howeverthedescendantsofthe
originalpioneerscannotaffordtowaittodocumentthisperiod,especiallysince
memoriesfadeandfamiliarfacesdisappear.

***"NooneisleftwhorecallsfirsthandthewayitoncewasinAlliance.Thosewho
feelattachedtothecolonybyancestryareobligatedtokeepitsmemoryalive.
JustaswegathereachyearonPassovertotellthestoryoftheExodusfrom
Egypt,wemustremembertotellandretellthestoryoftheexodusfromRussia
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 andotherEasternEuropeancountriesin1882ofonesmall,courageousgroup
thatfoundedthisJewishfarmingcommunity."

"Inthelast27years,theAllianceColonyFoundationhasattemptedtokeepthis
storyalive.Scholarshavesoughtandbeenprovidedwithresourcematerial,
speecheshavebeenmadeandvisitorshavebeenhosted."JayH.Greenblatt,
ChairmanoftheAllianceReunionCommittee,writesthat,"Wemustcontinue
thetellingofthestory,sothatourprideinthatdaring
accomplishmentmaybesustainedandthememoryofthat
marvelouspieceofJewishAmericanhistorymaybehonored."

Wetakegreatprideinourrichheritageandrespectandadmirethehardships
ourancestorsexperiencedtoforgeabetterlifeforusall.

TheFirstSettlersofAlliance,NJ,whoarrivedin1882:Eli&Ethel
Abramowitz,(theAbramowitzesweretheparentsofLena
AbramowitzPerskie,whomarriedJacobPerskie),Eli&Feigeh
Bakerman,Moses&EthelBayuk,Abraham&ChannahLeahBerman,William&
BeckieCohen,Hersh&JennieColtun,Joseph&RachelDiamond,Jacob&
RebeccaEcoff,Chaim&BessieGoldman,Nissan&MolkaGreenspan,Abraham&
DubaGrutsky,Simcha&SarahHelig,Joseph&YentaKleinfield,William&Lizzie
Kolman,Zurach&EstherKonowitz,Hersh&RivkaKutzibow,Isaac&Golda
Krassenstein,Labe&BaylaKuden,Simcha&PearlLuborsky,IsraelHersh&
EstherLevin,Leapa&TobaLevinsky,Berel&LeahLevinson,Labe&TobaRiva
Levinson,Henry&RoseLevy,Sholom&PearlLuberoff,Chaim&SarahMennies,
Labe&RachelMoyd,Israel&FeigehOpachinsky,Lazer&MindelPersky,
Jacob&GoldaRosenberg,Yonah&AnnaRosenfeld,Jacob&AnnaRosinsky,
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 Joseph&FeigehRothman,Joseph&DeborahRudnick,Solomon&Frima
Salonsky,Moshe&RuchelSerebrenick,ChaimHersh&SimaLibaSilberstein,
Hersh&RoseSilberman,Lazar&BessieStaver,Eli&RivaGitelStavitsky,Moses
&BaylaStrasnik,Pesi&BruchaTolchinsky,Naphtula&DeborahYosep,Joseph
&RoseZager.

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open in browser customize free license contest pdfcrowd.com

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 *From theY OVAL1932Com m em orativ eBooklet,ex cerptby Sidney Baily ,an
originalAlliancePioneer.

**MarionSeldes

***Jay H.Greenblatt

T HEWEBSIT EFORT HEALLIANCECEMET ERY ,ALLIANCE,NJ,below:

http://alliancecemetery.com/

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 SignGuestBookViewGuestBook

Email:JLPerskie@AOL.com

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