Moses Zaks' Prayer House

The two page document (links to the right)  is an 1894 Kovno Provincial Administration file regarding the appointment of administrators for Moses Zaks' prayer house/school on Bolshaya Prudovoya Street (Big Pond Street), in Kraziai.

On August 19, 1891, the administration of Kovno Province approved the member list of a prayer house in Chaim Note Zaks’ home.  An 1894 Kaunas file states that in 1891, Moses Zaks founded in his home, a prayer house, called Molitvennaya shkola Movshi Chaima-Noteleva Zaksa (praying school of Movsha Chaim-Notelev Zaks). Twenty-six Jews had the right to elect the school administration. In an 1894 election,  administration chosen were Torah experts Orel Aron and his assistant Morduch Uria Epstein, gabay Vigder Rabinovitch and Ber Rabin, treasurer Movsha Zaks and his assistant Leiba Vileysky. (Kaunas Archives 49-1-18526).

On Oct. 30, 1902, the Kraziai prayer school administrators, Vidger Rabinovitch and Movsha Ntelevitch Zaks, petitioned the Rossiyeny Administration to close the school of merchant Movsha Zaks, due to the lack of men for a minyan. (Kaunas Archives Document 49-1-21922).

         
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Moses Zaks, Newspaper Correspondent

Kraziai's Moshe Schlome Zaks, son of Chaim Note, was a correspondent and donor of the newspaper Hamagid in 1872.

Moses Zaks' Death Record

Death record from Kraziai lists: Moisha Zaks, 85 years old, widower, father Chaim Notelis Zaks, mother Hene. Cause of death old age. Date of death Feb. 11, 1922. (Document from Lithuanian Historical Archives LSHA 1817-1-146 pages 178ob-179).

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Moses Zaks' Grave Marker

Grave marker, in Kraziai, for Moses Solomon Zaks, Rochelle Kaplan's second-great-grandfather. The woman in the photo is unknown.

The grave inscription is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with a letter from Moses' name.

The tombstone reads:

Tent of Moses:
What is written on this gravestone?
This, every man will ask.
Behold, the son of a gentleman he was his whole life.
Wasn't he a rich man in his lifetime?
His name was Zaks; stemming from noble roots
For a library of holy books he spent his money.
The keeping of the Torah he kept every day.
Alas, the end of all flesh; the time has come hither.

Rabbi Moses Solomon, Son of Rabbi Khayim Natah Zaks. Passed away 11th of Adar 5685.

May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.

Click on Photo for Larger Version

Chaim-Neta Zaks, father of Moses

Needy people at the end of the nineteenth century received loans from "the honorable wealthy man" Chaim-Neta Zaks.  (From Lithuanian Jewish Communities, pages 155-160).

Click Here to See Document with Chaim Zaks' Signature