The Gajdosz Coat of Arms and Explanation

We chose our name deliberately, I realize. "Gajdosz" being a form of "Gaydosh" or "bagpipe", and bagpipes (at least at the end) look very similar to shofarot, we deliberately chose it and kept the "sz" once we escaped to Slovakian Hungary from Polish Russia. Also, Great-Granddad would brag about us being "Russian", and his mother was from an Uszinsky family as well.

"Gajdos Name Meaning Hungarian: nickname for a ribald person, from gajdolni ‘to sing in a raucous or drunken way’ (from Slavic gajda ‘bagpipe’). In some cases it may be an occupational name for a player of pipes or bagpipes.Polish and Slovak (Gajdoš): from a derivative of Gajda." Ancestry.com, "Gajdos"). Ours was never accented and we Americanized it to "Gaydosh" sometimes. We also never accented the "s", and Hungarian "sz" is just "s". On the other hand, "š" or "s" is "sh". In Polish, "sz" is "sh". 

We were very aware of our Poliyshn Yidn roots, and Dad doesn't like that. In fact, he nastily told Great-Granddad (as he told us that he told Great-Granddad), "The only reason that you say that we're Russian is because you work for the Russian Church." It was actually a Slovakian-American Catholic church, and the Rusnaks were Levi'im Anusim as well. So, Dad darned well (in his mind, damned well) knows that we're Jews—and I think that's also part of why we're estranged again—not just because I confronted him on Pop-Pop Czarnecki's obituary, but also because he was waiting to cut me off once I found out the truth and asked him about it. So, as soon as I confronted him about the obituary, he found his loophole and got as nasty and abusive with me as possible.
I had also, by the way, spoken out about the obituary and said how they conveniently skipped over Pop-Pop's Jewish heritage—and maybe that's part of why Great-Granddad Gaydos didn't like Pop-Pop (long story), as I found out—he could probably tell that Pop-Pop was a self loather.We were very aware of our Poliyshn Yidn roots, and Dad doesn't like that. In fact, he nastily told Great-Granddad (as he told us that he told Great-Granddad), "The only reason that you say that we're Russian is because you work for the Russian Church." It was actually a Slovakian-American Catholic church, and the Rusnaks were Levi'im Anusim as well. So, Dad darned well (in his mind, damned well) knows that we're Jews—and I think that's also part of why we're estranged again—not just because I confronted him on Pop-Pop Czarnecki's obituary, but also because he was waiting to cut me off once I found out the truth and asked him about it. So, as soon as I confronted him about the obituary, he found his loophole and got as nasty and abusive with me as possible.I had also, by the way, spoken out about the obituary and said how they conveniently skipped over Pop-Pop's Jewish heritage—and maybe that's part of why Great-Granddad Gaydos didn't like Pop-Pop (long story), as I found out—he could probably tell that Pop-Pop was a self loather.By the way, the long story, as Aunt Mary recalled it to me: Great-Granddad Gaydos came over for dinner and ate quietly. When he ate, he looked up and declared, "Okay; I'm ready to go now." He clearly had no time for Jack Czarnecki.

Update: Then there's that other thing about shepherds playing bagpipes and the kohenim being ro'im l'Yisra'el.

There Are No Coincidences In Life...

The Foczkos of Poland, Etc. and our Foczkos/Fockos have to be related (Yes, Kevin; as much as I love you as my cousin, you're being hard on me--and yourself. We can't control what our relatives did, but we're still Jews and have the right to embrace that identity--and the mitzvah to never forget.). Besides, the following cannot be coincidental:

• "Foczko" and "Focko" (without the accent, "Fots[h]ko") was preserved across the board in Poland and Hungary--and even the same spelling in both. Our "Focko" never had the accent, by the way, and it became "Fosko".
• There's no proof that we came from Germany. Yes, we got hits in Germany; but R1a1a1 is not a Native German marker. It is a Slavic or an Ashkenazi Levite marker. 
• As far as the Denmark hits, I1 originates in Denmark. Our Denmark hits may actually be Finnish hits, and are... 

Adam Focko Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates, 1833-1885	birth: 1829 Hä-Sakoska death: 7 March 1849 Gross-Kolpana, Spanko, Tsarskoe Selo, St. Petersburg
Peter Focko Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates, 1833-1885	birth: 1849 Wopsi death: 4 March 1849 Gross-Kolpana, Spanko, Tsarskoe Selo, St. Petersburg	father:Gabriel Focko
Justina Focko Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates, 1833-1885	birth: 1849 Hä Sakoska death: 1 May 1849 Gross-Kolpana, Spanko, Tsarskoe Selo, St. Petersburg	father:Abraham Focko

• We were spread across Eastern Europe (including Russia, as seen above). Besides, getting between Finland and Russia was going to be easier for anyone--let alone Jews--in those days, especially if we were caught sneaking to and from the Pale--and how the Uszinskys got out to Saros from Russia, by the way, I do not know (Great-Granddad Gajdos never said--he only bragged that we were Russian during the Cold War, to the chagrin of our family.). By the way, Jews were converting to converting to Vaticanism (Roman and Byzantine), Anglicanism (e.g., the Disraeli Family), and Lutheranism (e.g., the Mendelssohns, the Siedenburg Muellers [Mom-Mom's great-great-grandma's family]) at the time to assimilate and escape Anti Semitism--and Vaticanism and Lutheranism especially posed a threat to the Jews at the time, and Lutheranism (given how Anti Semitic Martin Luther was) was an acceptable alternative to Vaticanism (This is also, by the way, why Martin Luther was not a true Reformer. The Reformation actually began with Jan Hus and John Wycliffe, neither of whom have a record of Anti Semitism.).
• We're not a huge family. Foczko, Focko (excluding German Fockos, who aren't ours--since they were Protestant from the beginning, anyway; and we were Pharisees and Vaticanists), and Fosko (excluding the Foskos of Kentucky, etc.--or at least I hope, since I'm not happy if "Foczko" or "Focko" was first changed to "Fusco") are not common. Besides, what does the Biblical prophecy say? "And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you." For the Jewish people to even be formed as a nation that was ready to take Israel, there had to be 600,000 countable people--and children were not counted until they turned 20 years old (By the way, see my note on the age of accountability below.). My point is that since the Jewish people could not take Israel until we numbered at least 600,000 (a tenth of counted and known Jewish victims of the Shoah), we are certainly smaller and indeed left few in number--as Non-Messianic Jews, Anusim v'b'nei-Anusim, and Messianic Jews (I will, by the way, discuss "fewer in number" in a later blog post.).
• The Anusi Foczkos/Fockos married into few families, and especially repeatedly into families like the Hanzok and Filc(z)ak families. Also, Andy Rusnak (the grandson of converts Gyorgy "Gyorgy Kvetkovits" and Elizabetha Molnarova Rusznak) deliberately wrote to the granddaughter of a Lazar. Anusim stuck together, and our family followed the mitzvah to marry cousins as outlined in B'midbar 36.

Did I cover enough? I think so. Anyway, let's embrace our Levite heritage--and certainly not forget Dawid, Hersz, and Mariem:

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Home » Databases » The Lódz Ghetto Work Identification Cards The Lódz Ghetto Work Identification Cards Searching for Surname (phonetically like) Focko Number of hits: 3 Run on Wednesday 7 August 2013 at 14:17:25 Name Date of Birth Worker Number Address in Ghetto Place Assigned to Work Type of Employment Starting Date Photo on Card? Signature on Card? Date of ID Card Learned Trade Acquired Skill Gender Age on 1st January 1943 Worked Since Unemployment / Employment History Comments Reel Image(s) FOCKO, Dawid 22-Jun-1896  52256  Bleigasse 1/16  6 (Schneiderei Mühlgasse 2)  Maschinist    Y  Y  01-Oct-43  Schneider    männlich  47  13-Jul-43  Bekl. Rep. Werkst. vom 22-Feb-1944  Transport 86 14-Jul-1944 677  1074/1075  FOCKO, Hersz 03-Sep-23  3386  Bleigasse 1/16  35 (Kleinmöbelfabrik)  Maschinist    Y  Y  1943    Maschinist  männlich  20  12-Apr-42    677  1076/1077  FOCKO, Mariem 20-May-1899  52257  Bleigasse 1/16  6 (Schneiderei Mühlgasse 2)  Gruppenführerin    Y  Y  01-Oct-43  Schneiderin    weiblich  44  23-Jul-43  Schneiderei 85 Goldschmiedegasse 18 vom 01-Oct-1943; Schn. 2, Hans. 34/36 vom 15-May-1944  677  1078/1079

Endnote: By the way, Yeshua changed this when he sat in the Temple at 12 years old, thus validating the age of bar-mitzvah and bat-mitzvah accountability to be 12 at minimum and 20 at maximum for normally-abled people--e.g., I assure you that my cousin Jamie, who is differently mentally abled, will not be going to Hell. He is 45 at present, but does not have the mental abilities or capabilities of even a three-year-old child--no way on Earth will G-d be as cruel as to require of Jamie more than what he has.

Also, the Vatican took pains to try to replace the Vatican as the Holy Hill, even though Har-Tzion remains the Holy Hill. Thus, any Jew--Messianic or Non Messianic--and any gentile Christian should be a Zionist.

My Foczko Coat Of Arms

I, by using Microsoft Powerpoint, made this with the help of both G-d and the Temple Institute, clip art from Powerpoint, and Google being consulted.

The Hebrew (with Google Translate) reads "Sh'ma Yisra'el". 

What I Want For My 22nd Birthday: DNA Tests From Male Relatives To Check For Kohein, Etc. Markers

I'm pushing the envelope & asking as male members as possible for DNA tests on my birthday. I want to know

at least whether I'm a kohenet (female descendant of Aharon ben-'Amram v'Yokheved, v'HaKohein). Any

male descendants, please get your DNA checked for Jewish-- especially kohein-- markers for our common

lineages if you can. 

On a side note, Kevin-- even though we don't share the Levshiks in common as far as we know--, you won't

be able to find the Levshik connection in the mtDNA; since Jewish women don't have Jewish DNA

(Remember that DNA of any ethnic sort gets passed down only in the Y-DNA). Thank G-d, we were able to

use that your Levit relative used the common device (the Levi surname variant) to establish that she was a bat-

Levi.