ATTENTION SILVERSTONE SLEUTHS, HISTORY DETECTIVES, & MISHPOCHEH MISSIONARIES!
Help Me Crack the Case of “Phil from Philly” Before My Computer Explodes from Over-Googling!
You know that feeling when you’re knee-deep in genealogy, squinting at census records, and suddenly you hit a brick wall so thick even Moses would shrug? Well, this is my brick wall. And I need YOU—yes, you, cousin I didn’t know I had—to help smash through it.
The Mystery of the Handsome Stranger (No, Not a Dating App)
Aunty Heather gave me a photo of a dashing young man from the 1920s/30s, inscribed: “Phil Silverstone from Philadelphia, cousin to mum and Aunty Etty.” Let’s be real: Phil’s smile could melt a bagel, but his identity? A total fakakte enigma.
Here’s what I know:
- Phil’s linked to my grandma Faye Donofsky, whose mother, Rachel/Rouchal (aka the Queen of Name Changes: Cohen? Zietman? Donofsky?), sailed from Warsaw to London in 1908.
- Rachel might have had a brother named David (or was it Pinchas? David-Pinchas? We’re debating this at the next Zoom seder).
- The family tannery was at 82 Grzybowska, Warsaw—now a parking lot. Classic.
Here’s what I DON’T know:
- Who the heck Phil Silverstone is.
- Why Phil’s smirking like he knows we’ll spend decades searching for him.
Why This Matters (Besides My Sanity)
Time’s ticking! The aunties who knew Phil are bashert-ing in the great deli in the sky, and my last living relative just texted, “Hurry up already!” So let’s schvitz together over this!
How YOU Can Help (No Donations Required—Just Chutzpah)
- Stare at Phil’s photo on my website. Does he look like your Zayde’s twin? Your Bubbe’s secret crush? TELL ME.
- Silverstone? Philly? 1920s? If your family tree includes a rogue Phil who loved cheesesteaks and dodged genealogists, SPEAK NOW.
- Rachel/Rouchal/Zietman/Cohen/Donofsky—if these names make your kishkes tingle, we’re probably cousins. Mazel!
The Urgent Part (With a Side of Schmaltz)
Every day, stories fade. Photos yellow. Mysteries ossify. But this? This is our shot to rescue Phil from the abyss of “Who’s That?” and give Rachel’s saga the ending it deserves.
So, if you’ve got:
- A dusty family album with Phil’s doppelgänger
- A letter complaining about “that Silverstone from Philadelphia”
- A bissel of info on Warsaw’s tannery scene circa 1900
**PLEASE—**reach out before I remember how my mother always kvelled about how I “never finish anything.”
📩 EMAIL, CALL, CARRIER PIGEON: Just connect. Let’s turn this brick wall into a brisket of collaboration. Together, we’ll solve this—because if not us, who? If not now, when? (Thanks, Hillel.)
“Every family needs a hero. Today, it’s YOU.”
P.S. If Phil’s your long-lost relative, I’ll trade you a virtual knish for details. Fair’s fair. 🥟
Approved by the International Society of Desperate Genealogists (ISDG). Meetings held hourly. Coffee and rugelach provided.