Raphael Ventura, Jan 22, 2004
Almost a year ago I posted an essay on our old website, entitled: “Who Knows this Woman?”. It was about a damaged tomb of a certain Lea Behmoiras that I had come across by sheer chance, while looking for someone else in the Jewish Italian cemetery of Shishli, Istanbul.
The inscription on the stone was barely readable, yet I stopped to look at it closer, cleaned it as much as possible, and took a few pictures. It turned out to be a very interesting inscription, but the lady was totally unknown to me, or to anyone else in the entire Behmoiras family (no feedback of recognition to my essay).
Well, I am glad to announce that the “Unknown Woman” has turned out to be my grandmother’s grandmother!
You should agree with me that it is not an ordinary occurrence for one to stumble upon the tomb of one’s grandmother’s grandmother, about whose identity he had no prior information whatsoever, on the second day of his first visit ever to Istanbul.
The revelation of Lea’s identity came as unexpectedly as did my first encounter with her tomb.
The most ancient direct relative I was aware of was my great grandfather Nisim Behmoiras. I knew that he had been born in Edirne, but had left the city in 1903-4 for Istanbul with his entire family, including his widowed mother. I knew exactly where they settled in Galata. On the last year of his life, Nisim became sick and went to France to take better care of his health. There he died in 1928. He was buried in the Jewish section of the famous Parisian cemetery Pere Lachaise.
I had told this story to a cousin of mine who lives in Paris, Jean-Michel Talbart, not a Behmoiras. Last month, Jean-Michel offered to visit Nisim’s tomb and send me some pictures of the inscription on his tombstone. I agreed wholeheartedly.
Jean-Michel went, in fact, found the tomb, took the pictures, but did much more than that. He consulted the register of the cemetery and discovered the address in Paris in which my great grandfather had passed away. Then he went to the municipal archives of the Parisian district to which that address belonged, and obtained the death certificate of Nisim Behmoiras.
On that certificate, apart from the information regarding the date, time and cause of death, he found the names of Nisim’s parents.
Thus, I learnt for the first time, that Nisim Behmoiras was son of Shimon Behmoiras and Lea Bension, both from Edirne.
There is no doubt that Nisim’s mother Lea is our “Unknown Lady”.
The dates fit perfectly. The text of Lea’s Shishli tombstone states explicitly (in Hebrew) that she was wife of “Master Shimon Behmoharash”.
The name Lea is extremely rare in the Behmoiras family. Of the 4 examples of Lea (including Lili) we have, none is married to an actual Behmoiras, let alone to a Shimon Behmoiras.
The combination Lea and Shimon Behmoiras is unique for that period of time. Two pieces of evidence, coming from the two extremities of the Mediterranean, my unbelievable chance discovery and Jean-Michel Talbart’s effort and perseverance brought about the addition of yet one more generation to my branch (Branch 15).
I overcame the 1850 barrier! Now my branch is solidly tied up with the backbone of the ancestors in an unbroken sequence of 13 generations.
However, Lea Bension-Behmoiras is not only my grandmother’s grandmother. She, and, more importantly, her husband Shimon Behmoiras, belongs to Branches 14 and 16 as well. They are the ancestors of Number VI Superbranch in our list.
It is we, I suppose, that will have to join efforts to repair the damage in Lea’s tomb.
