De Profundis...

 

Forty years ago today (well plus a month and two days)

 

Min's 70th birthday (1983) - from the top Lou Noble, Naomi Waldman, Edie Noble, Rina Vardy, Kate Davidson, Midlred Noble, then left to right Lionel Davidson, Fay Davidson, Cyril Davidson, Steffi Rose,  Kathleen Davidson, Timna Rose (-Price), Noah Rose,  Margie Foreman (Shafran), Lily Rose, Ziggie Noble, Sophie Noble, Charlie Noble, Bill Robins, Stanley Waldman,  the front row from the left, Mary Noble, Roger Noble, Adam Noble, Min Robins, Danny Noble (photographer presumably Peter Vardy).

Bless your beautiful bride

Flashback to 1998. The family convened for a family reunion, and Frances wrote the following article for the Jewish Chronicle. 

This is not quite a story of seven brides for seven brothers but it is a tale of three sisters for three brothers. 

 

A reunion recently took place at a hotel near Cambridge bringing together the progeny of two families. There were around 60 people from London, the south coast, Israel and America.

 

The families involved were the Davidsons, from Hull, and the Nobles, from South London. They style themselves the Davnobs.

 

The romantic story behind this unusual event was that the three sisters of the Davidson dynasty - Sophie, Edie and Minnie - married three brothers of the Noble family, Ziggy, Charlie and Bernie. It was their children, and their children's children, who, with partners, formed this large gathering.

 

The Davidson family were nine in number, six sons and three daughters, the first child being 22 years older than the youngest - all children of Annie and Chaim.

 

The Nobles, Shlomo and Ray, had four sons, three of whom married the three Davidson girls.

 

The bringing together of nieces, nephews, cousins twice over and others created an extravaganza of greeting and posing with camcorders and cameras clicking away non-stop.

 

In a large room devoted to reminiscence and memorabilia, aunts, uncles and cousins kvelled over faded sepia photographs of their progenitors, seeing unrecognisable likenesses from them in their own brood; the family tree, at least 12 feet long, giving them a profound sense of unity.

 

The current matriarch of the Davnobs is Sophie - who recently celebrated her 94th birthday - the first Davidson daughter, now widowed, who had married Ziggy Noble; the second sister, Edie, is married to Charlie Noble; the third is Minnie (now Robins), whose late husband was Bernie Noble.

 

The Davidson girls were schooled in Jewish tradition from their earliest days, and met their future spouses at He'Atid - the Association of Young Zionist Societies - in Brixton, South London. They all married between 1933 and 1938.

 

Of the Davidson sons, only two remain. Cyril, who lives in Eastbourne, and the well-known novelist, Lionel, author of "Kolymsky Heights," who was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

The next generation of Davidsons produced, among others, Colin Davidovitz (the original Davidson name), a broadcaster.

 

They are a talented lot, these Davnobs. They come in all shapes and sizes with a varied and versatile presence throughout the arts and media, in economics, medicine, law, the diplomatic service; there is even an airline pilot. One member of the tribe, Charlie Noble, has just gained an A-level in art at the age of 89.

 

The youngest visitor at the festivities, 18-month-old Amy, great granddaughter of Sophie, was too young to realise the significance of it all, but the videos will reintroduce her in time to the importance of her first public appearance.

 

Frances Ullman

Dovid and Marta Schotness

The Davnob Information Centre has recently enhanced old photos of Dovid and Marta Schotness - they were the parents of Bubba Noble. Dovid arrived in London sometime after 1883 (when Bubba Ray was born in Kishinev). Marta joined him four years later (before 1889, when Auntie Leah was born in London).   So the photos are of the maternal grandparents of Lou, Zig, Charlie and Bernie Noble.

We now know that Bubba Noble (Ray Noble) was born Elka-Rasa Shokhness in Kishinev in 1884. Her parents (above) were recorded as Duvid and Motlya Shokhness, and their fathers as (respectively) David and Leib-Yitsik.

Yair and Chani

 

DAVNOB - The Chatbot Version

With all the interest in AI Chatbots, I decided to check out what Bard (Google's AI Chatbot) had to say about Davnob. Here's what it had to say (I claim no responsibility!):

Davnob is a fictional place created by Roger Noble. It is a small village in the English countryside, and is home to the Davidson and Noble families. The village is described as being a peaceful and idyllic place, with rolling hills, lush meadows, and a babbling brook. The people of Davnob are friendly and welcoming, and the village is a place where everyone knows their neighbors.

Davnob is a place of great beauty and history. The village is said to be over 1,000 years old, and there are many ancient ruins scattered throughout the countryside. Davnob is also home to a number of historical landmarks, including a castle, a church, and a mill.

Davnob is a place where people can come to relax and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The village is a great place to enjoy the outdoors, and there are many activities to keep people busy, such as hiking, biking, fishing, and swimming. Davnob is also a great place to learn about history and culture, and there are many museums and historical sites to visit.

Davnob is a special place that is full of charm and history. It is a place where people can come to relax, enjoy the outdoors, and learn about the past.

Solomon Salit

This is a presentation about the work of Solomon Salit, who was Grandma Davidson's nephew (that is the first cousin of Jo, Moishe, Sophie, Lammie, Geoffie, Edie, Minnie, Cyrie and Lionel). He was the son of Uncle Tevye from Vilna, and the brother of Dr Emila Salit-Aleksandrovitch.

The Salits of Vilna

Davnob is developing a specific website dedicated to our relatives, the Salits of Vilna. For Holocaust Memorial Day 2023, a commemoration of Dr. Emilia Salit-Alexandrovitch has been published on the website. 

In the coming weeks more information about other members of that family will be published there.

The web address is:

https://the-salits-of-vilna.webador.co.uk/emilia-salit

Happy New Year!

To welcome the New Year, a glimpse to the past. Probably about 1913. 

In the photo four tiny Davidovitzes - Edie (front), Lammie and Geoffie (right) shepherded by Sophie. The other three (this was before Cyril and Lionel were born) presumably at home - Joe and Moishe manning the fort while Min was being born. (Okay a lot of assumptions here!)