All of the Jewish buildings in Rzepiennik were destroyed.   

Hanoch and Celia Leber

The earliest known Leber ancestor is Henoch Leber.  He married Celia Rosenblatt.  Celia was born in Austria and died before July 1874. It is believed that both Henoch and Celia were from the Galicia region in the Austrian Empire.  After WWI, this region was split between Poland and Ukraine.

Henoch and Celia had 2 known children:

  • Yechiel/ Jechiel Mechel Leber, aka Max in the US.
    • Max was born about 1851 in Galicia, Austria.
    • He died on Nov. 1, 1916, in Jewish Hospital, Borough of Brooklyn, New York City New York, USA
    • Max first married Bertha Wolf and had 6 children with her. After she died, he married Taube Binder who was Minnie’s mother.
    • You can learn more about Max in the Max and Toby section. (See the Laber menu above)
  • Annie Kranz
    • Annie was also born in Galicia, Austria.

The name Leber is also seen as Laber and Leiber throughout this website.

Wolf and Anna Binder

Taube was the daughter of Wolf  / Willie (d. 1898) and Anna (1835 – 1916) originally from Galicia. They were considered WWI refugees and left Galicia for Zbararz (then in Ukraine now part of the Czech Republic).

Wolf Binder Property Owner
Anna Binder Info

Before immigrating to the US, Max and Taube lived in Rzepiennik Strzyżewski (spelled Rzepink  on Taube’s ship’s manifest which you can see in the Max and Taube section) which was in Galicia, part of the Austrian Empire.  It was in the district of Gorlice in the province of Galicia.

Today it is known as Rzepiennik Strzyżewski, Poland. To put the place in perspective, it is 54 miles east, southeast of Krakow, 15 miles south of Tarnow, and 11 miles north, northwest of Gorlice.  In 1880, the Jewish population was 264.  By 1921, there were only 224 Jews living there.

Map of Rzenpiennik

Rzepiennik Strzyzewski is the largest of 4 villages making up the Rzepiennik Municipality.

  • The first Jews arrived there at the end of the 18th century. As they settled in there, they built a synagogue and a mikvah.  They were different from the other villagers in speech, clothing, customs, traditions and faith.
  • By the end of the 19th century, the Jewish community was well-established. In addition to the synagogue and mikvah, they had a cemetery and a rabbi.  The Jewish population was 15% of the population in the village.
  • All of the Jewish buildings were destroyed during WWII. Only the cemetery remained which was devastated afterwards.  To see images of what remains of the cemetery, visit Virtual Shtetl https://sztetl.org.pl/en/gallery?town=Rzepiennik%20Strzy%C5%BCewski%20&townID=1922&page=1

Outstanding questions:

  • Where were Max, Bertha, and Taube born?
  • Did Taube have siblings?
  • We found a Malka Leber who married an Iser Wosnitzer.  Is Malka related to Taube and if so, how.
  • What occupation did the Lebers and Binders have in Galicia?

Sources: