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FINKELSTEIN Origin of surname

FINKELSTEIN

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from an occupation (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade). The German/Yiddish Finkelstein is a variant of Funkelstein, that is "shining/scintillating stone/jewel". Originally is was a personal or an occupational nickname or title, eventually becoming a hereditary, fixed family name, probably during the 17th century. In some cases Finkelstein is a variant of Finkel ("small finch", a diminutive of the German term Fink, which means "finch"), and Stein ("stone/rock") being a standard suffix in Jewish German family names. Jewish family names in this group may have been assumed from nicknames for a person who was small and active. Fink was also a popular female personal name in Germany since the Middle Ages, and was often adopted a matronymic family name in honor of a female relative (usually a mother or grandmother) called Finkel.

Stein, literally "stone/rock" in German, is an artificial name that is commonly found in Jewish family names in its own right, or as a prefix (Steinberg) or a suffix (Loewenstein). It was translated by Jews into the Yiddish Shteyn. Moreover, a considerable number of towns and villages have names comprising the term Stein.

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Finkelstein include the German pediatrician, Heinrich Finkelstein (1865-1942); the Zionist leader and Yiddish newspaper publisher, Noah Finkelstein; and the 20th century American conservative rabbi, scholar and educator, Louis Finkelstein.

Natan Finkelstein (1922-1943), member of the youth organization Bnei Akiva (Bachad)-Belgium, born on September 26, 1922 in Sanok, Poland. His father, Mordechai and his mother, Yocheved, arrived in Belgium, in August 1931 and lived at 4, Milisstraat, Antwerp, Belgium.

Nathan studied at the Tachkemoni School and in the "Shaarei Torah" yeshiva that belonged to the Shomrei Hadass congregation, later at the Handelschool (a trade school for commerce) in Antwerp, Belgium. Nathan was an outstanding student, first of his class. He worked in the fur trade.

The Bnei Akiva (Bachad) youth organization in Belgium was founded in 1933, and was a very important youth organization in the life of the Belgian Jews in the years before and during the Shoah. They were active even in the yeas 1940-1942, when Belgium was occupied by the Nazis. When their activities came to an end, some of the members joined the agricultural Hachshara ("training camp") in Bomal, Belgium, with the hope that one day they will be able to immigrate to the Land of Israel and live there as farmers.

Finkelstein, Nathan was arrested on June 23, 1940 and was incarcerated in the Brens camp, from there he was transferred on July 11, 1940 to Argeles/mer and from there to the concentration camps in Gurs and Drancy.  From there he was  deported to Maidanek Nazi death camp on May 6, 1943, with Transport 51I. He never returned.

...........................................................................

This biography was originally published in the book The story of a Memorial, Bnei Akiva-Tikvatenu, Antwerp, in the Holocaust, edited by Jacques I. Offen and Salomon Hauser, published by Shamayim LTD, Israel 2010, and was recorded in Beit Hatfutsot's databases, courtesy of the authors.

Samuel Finkelstein (1895–1942), painter, born in Sandomierz, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire). Having graduated from a trade school, he decided to pursue an artistic career. He attended the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts between 1913-1914, and then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria. After the establishment of independent Poland at the end of WW1, he settled in Lodz and became involved in the local artistic circles. Finkelstein was a member of the “Start” Painters Association and of the Artists’ Association of Lodz. He also joined the Jednoróg Artists Guild of Krakow. Formally a member of the Constructivist Avant Garde, his works are closer to the impressionist traditional style. He visited many times the artists’ village of Kazimierz Dolny, where he painted scenes of Jewish life. Finkelstein was murdered at Treblinka Nazi death camp in 1942.

Maxim Litvinov (born Meir Henoch Mojszewicz Wallach-Finkelstein) (1876-1951), revolutionary and diplomat, born in Bialystok, Poland (than part of the Russian Empire). He joined the illegal Social Democratic Party of Labor of Russia (PSDMR) in 1898, adopting the pseudonym Litvinov to evade the authorities. His initial assignment involved propagating the party's message in the Chernihiv (Chernigov) region of Ukraine. Litvinov quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a member of the Kiev party committee in 1900. However, the committee faced a mass arrest in 1901, resulting in Litvinov's imprisonment for 18 months.

In a daring escape, Litvinov orchestrated the breakout of 11 prisoners from Lukianovskaia prison. Afterward, he sought refuge in Switzerland, where he assumed the role of editor for the revolutionary newspaper Iskra (“Spark”). In 1903, Litvinov aligned himself with the Bolshevik faction of the PSDMR and returned to Russia. With the Revolution of 1905, he became the editor of the PSDMR's first legal newspaper, Novaia Jizn (New Life), in St. Petersburg. Following the Tsarist government intensified its crackdown on Bolsheviks in 1906, Litvinov left Russia and spent the next decade in exile in London. During this period, he actively participated in the International Socialist Bureau.

Litvinov's diplomatic career gained momentum after the October Revolution of 1917 when he was appointed as the representative of the Soviet government to the United Kingdom. However, his tenure was cut short when he was arrested by the British government. Litvinov's release came through a prisoner exchange for a British diplomat imprisoned in Bolshevik Russia. Subsequently, he assumed the role of roving ambassador for the Soviet government, playing a crucial role in convincing the British government to lift the economic blockade against the Soviet Union. Litvinov also negotiated economic agreements with several European countries, and in 1929, he signed the Litvinov Pact, a commitment by signatory states, including Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Estonia, to resolve disagreements peacefully.

In 1930, Litvinov's influence expanded further as he was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. He advocated for collective security and sought closer relations with France and England. His efforts yielded significant results when the United States officially recognized the Soviet government in 1933. Litvinov played a pivotal role in the Soviet Union's acceptance into the League of Nations, where he served as the country's representative from 1934 to 1938.

The Munich Agreement in 1938 between Nazi Germany and France and the United Kindom, followed by the lack of Western response to the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, brought about a shift in Soviet foreign policy. Litvinov was replaced as Foreign Minister in May 1939, facilitating negotiations for the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. Stalin's decision to remove Litvinov was not only aimed at appeasing the Nazis but also potentially eliminating obstacles posed by a Jewish minister in negotiations.

After the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, Litvinov returned to the political arena as Deputy Commissar for Foreign Affairs. His contributions extended to serving as the Soviet Union's ambassador to the United States from 1941 to 1943. During this time, he played a pivotal role in the signing of the lend-lease agreement between the United States and the USSR in 1942, providing vital support to the Soviet war effort.

After returning to Soviet Union, Litvinov was appointed deputy minister for foreign affairs, but was dismissed in June 1946 following an interview given to Richard C. Hottelet, the Moscow CBS correspondent, in which he claimed a war between the West and the Soviet Union was inevitable. Litvinov died in Moscow.

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FINKELSTEIN Origin of surname

FINKELSTEIN

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from an occupation (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade). The German/Yiddish Finkelstein is a variant of Funkelstein, that is "shining/scintillating stone/jewel". Originally is was a personal or an occupational nickname or title, eventually becoming a hereditary, fixed family name, probably during the 17th century. In some cases Finkelstein is a variant of Finkel ("small finch", a diminutive of the German term Fink, which means "finch"), and Stein ("stone/rock") being a standard suffix in Jewish German family names. Jewish family names in this group may have been assumed from nicknames for a person who was small and active. Fink was also a popular female personal name in Germany since the Middle Ages, and was often adopted a matronymic family name in honor of a female relative (usually a mother or grandmother) called Finkel.

Stein, literally "stone/rock" in German, is an artificial name that is commonly found in Jewish family names in its own right, or as a prefix (Steinberg) or a suffix (Loewenstein). It was translated by Jews into the Yiddish Shteyn. Moreover, a considerable number of towns and villages have names comprising the term Stein.

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Finkelstein include the German pediatrician, Heinrich Finkelstein (1865-1942); the Zionist leader and Yiddish newspaper publisher, Noah Finkelstein; and the 20th century American conservative rabbi, scholar and educator, Louis Finkelstein.

Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People
Natan Finkelstein

Natan Finkelstein (1922-1943), member of the youth organization Bnei Akiva (Bachad)-Belgium, born on September 26, 1922 in Sanok, Poland. His father, Mordechai and his mother, Yocheved, arrived in Belgium, in August 1931 and lived at 4, Milisstraat, Antwerp, Belgium.

Nathan studied at the Tachkemoni School and in the "Shaarei Torah" yeshiva that belonged to the Shomrei Hadass congregation, later at the Handelschool (a trade school for commerce) in Antwerp, Belgium. Nathan was an outstanding student, first of his class. He worked in the fur trade.

The Bnei Akiva (Bachad) youth organization in Belgium was founded in 1933, and was a very important youth organization in the life of the Belgian Jews in the years before and during the Shoah. They were active even in the yeas 1940-1942, when Belgium was occupied by the Nazis. When their activities came to an end, some of the members joined the agricultural Hachshara ("training camp") in Bomal, Belgium, with the hope that one day they will be able to immigrate to the Land of Israel and live there as farmers.

Finkelstein, Nathan was arrested on June 23, 1940 and was incarcerated in the Brens camp, from there he was transferred on July 11, 1940 to Argeles/mer and from there to the concentration camps in Gurs and Drancy.  From there he was  deported to Maidanek Nazi death camp on May 6, 1943, with Transport 51I. He never returned.

...........................................................................

This biography was originally published in the book The story of a Memorial, Bnei Akiva-Tikvatenu, Antwerp, in the Holocaust, edited by Jacques I. Offen and Salomon Hauser, published by Shamayim LTD, Israel 2010, and was recorded in Beit Hatfutsot's databases, courtesy of the authors.

Samuel Finkelstein 

Samuel Finkelstein (1895–1942), painter, born in Sandomierz, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire). Having graduated from a trade school, he decided to pursue an artistic career. He attended the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts between 1913-1914, and then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria. After the establishment of independent Poland at the end of WW1, he settled in Lodz and became involved in the local artistic circles. Finkelstein was a member of the “Start” Painters Association and of the Artists’ Association of Lodz. He also joined the Jednoróg Artists Guild of Krakow. Formally a member of the Constructivist Avant Garde, his works are closer to the impressionist traditional style. He visited many times the artists’ village of Kazimierz Dolny, where he painted scenes of Jewish life. Finkelstein was murdered at Treblinka Nazi death camp in 1942.

Maxim Litvinov

Maxim Litvinov (born Meir Henoch Mojszewicz Wallach-Finkelstein) (1876-1951), revolutionary and diplomat, born in Bialystok, Poland (than part of the Russian Empire). He joined the illegal Social Democratic Party of Labor of Russia (PSDMR) in 1898, adopting the pseudonym Litvinov to evade the authorities. His initial assignment involved propagating the party's message in the Chernihiv (Chernigov) region of Ukraine. Litvinov quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a member of the Kiev party committee in 1900. However, the committee faced a mass arrest in 1901, resulting in Litvinov's imprisonment for 18 months.

In a daring escape, Litvinov orchestrated the breakout of 11 prisoners from Lukianovskaia prison. Afterward, he sought refuge in Switzerland, where he assumed the role of editor for the revolutionary newspaper Iskra (“Spark”). In 1903, Litvinov aligned himself with the Bolshevik faction of the PSDMR and returned to Russia. With the Revolution of 1905, he became the editor of the PSDMR's first legal newspaper, Novaia Jizn (New Life), in St. Petersburg. Following the Tsarist government intensified its crackdown on Bolsheviks in 1906, Litvinov left Russia and spent the next decade in exile in London. During this period, he actively participated in the International Socialist Bureau.

Litvinov's diplomatic career gained momentum after the October Revolution of 1917 when he was appointed as the representative of the Soviet government to the United Kingdom. However, his tenure was cut short when he was arrested by the British government. Litvinov's release came through a prisoner exchange for a British diplomat imprisoned in Bolshevik Russia. Subsequently, he assumed the role of roving ambassador for the Soviet government, playing a crucial role in convincing the British government to lift the economic blockade against the Soviet Union. Litvinov also negotiated economic agreements with several European countries, and in 1929, he signed the Litvinov Pact, a commitment by signatory states, including Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Estonia, to resolve disagreements peacefully.

In 1930, Litvinov's influence expanded further as he was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. He advocated for collective security and sought closer relations with France and England. His efforts yielded significant results when the United States officially recognized the Soviet government in 1933. Litvinov played a pivotal role in the Soviet Union's acceptance into the League of Nations, where he served as the country's representative from 1934 to 1938.

The Munich Agreement in 1938 between Nazi Germany and France and the United Kindom, followed by the lack of Western response to the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, brought about a shift in Soviet foreign policy. Litvinov was replaced as Foreign Minister in May 1939, facilitating negotiations for the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. Stalin's decision to remove Litvinov was not only aimed at appeasing the Nazis but also potentially eliminating obstacles posed by a Jewish minister in negotiations.

After the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, Litvinov returned to the political arena as Deputy Commissar for Foreign Affairs. His contributions extended to serving as the Soviet Union's ambassador to the United States from 1941 to 1943. During this time, he played a pivotal role in the signing of the lend-lease agreement between the United States and the USSR in 1942, providing vital support to the Soviet war effort.

After returning to Soviet Union, Litvinov was appointed deputy minister for foreign affairs, but was dismissed in June 1946 following an interview given to Richard C. Hottelet, the Moscow CBS correspondent, in which he claimed a war between the West and the Soviet Union was inevitable. Litvinov died in Moscow.