What a difference a page and a year make! Today we have literally turned the page, a webpage that is. One year ago, although it feels like far distant past, we started out with a plausible theory, a tentative webpage, and a few hundred names in our family list. Today the theory of One Behmoiras Family is pretty much taken for granted, the webpage cannot be dismissed as amateurish and the number of names has grown to more than one thousand. We have a URL that can easily be identified, and a reach that is worldwide. We need this extensive reach in order to spread our story and acquire useful feedback. However, most importantly, we need your active cooperation to bridge some notable gaps in our genealogical tree. Raphael Ventura will continue to feed us clues that will tease out vital information from our memories. We are, therefore, looking forward to the day when the few missing pieces of the puzzle will fall into place.
When I checked my last nine months’ stored genealogy in and out mail file, I found 853 messages with a content of 27.8 MB. This gives you an idea of the magnitude of this operation. I have not counted, but there is no doubt that the plurality of the messages, by an overwhelming number, was from and to Raphael. Raphael has been doing a Herculean task in developing the basic theory on which our enterprise stands, in finding and contacting potential members and interviewing them, in digging up relationships, in researching and writing up historical essays, by visiting tombs in Turkey, and by constantly searching, classifying, organizing, and directing. Why then, this week, in addition to all this, has he graciously accepted the task of designing our webpage? Doubtlessly, he is very dedicated and intensely focused.
Many of you are aware that I had to switch my Earthlink Internet access provider whose webpage Trellix software had incompatibilities with my Mac OS 10.3. I chose to go with SBC-Yahoo because of assurances that its GeoCities webpage builder was perfectly compatible with my computer. Unfortunately, this information was incorrect. I could not even download the required basic software. It is only then that I contacted Raphael for a bailout, stipulating that I would continue my editing job and respond to external communications.
I wish everyone a Happy 2004 and break a virtual champagne bottle at the launching of our new Behmoiras Website.
Rafael Benaroya, 1 January 2004
We have also reached the sad conclusion that the name is doomed to extinction in a couple of generations. The number of its bearers not only does not augment, as one would expect, but, on the contrary, dwindles dangerously from generation to generation. The reasons for that can only be guessed at. Under these circumstances, we thought that it was imperative and urgent to collect as much information as possible on the family and its interrelations, and re-unite the dispersed branches of its tree. We believe that we owe this to our descendents (who will no longer be able to do it by themselves) as well as to our illustrious ancestors, who have lain forgotten in their tombs for too long. This ambitious project is now under way. We have been in direct fruitful contact with representatives of no less than 15 different branches of the family. We have put up a list with more than 1000 members of the family (including descendents who now bear different names, and their spouses). We have attached most of them to the main stem of the ancestors. It is now essential that direct contact among the various branches of the family be made possible. By exchanging information we shall learn more and shall come to know each other better. We shall provide all members of the family with the address of this site, and enable them to post messages in any language they choose. Our previous modest website was a stepping-stone, to our present full-size URL. If you wish to post a message to all Behmoiras members, you can e-mail it to the lower address.
