The Yaacov Pesso Family

There were several families named Passo or Pesso in Monastir.

This section is dedicated to the family history of descendants of Yaacov Pesso of Monastir.

Relationship Note   Related sefaradí families include: Aroesty, Baker/Beahaar/BenYakar, Calderon, Elias Cassorla, Camhi, Mitrani, Todelano/Toledano.

• *Yaacov Pesso - m. *Rachel [??]
  Yaacov and Rachel had at least two children: Mazal Tov, Vida.
  • *Mazal Tov -m. *Shabetay (Yeoshua) Camhi
    They had no children. Settled in Rochester, NY among countrymen and relatives after they came to the US.
  • *Vida (Hava/Victoria/Evelyn) -m. [Rabbi]*Haham Bohor Haim Elias Cassorla
    Haham Bohor was a member of the Elias Cassorla family.
    They emigrated to the US in 1930ce. To read more about their emigration from Monastir to the US, follow this link.
    The following material about their descendants is duplicated from the entry of Haham Bohor Haim Elias Cassorla.
    She was called Nonna by all her grandchildren.

    Family lore has it that Vida was promised to Haim on the day he was born. (She was two years old at the time.) When Rachel Pesso came to attend to her friend Miriam-the wife of Elias Cassorla-the midwife indicated the babe, who had been put aside, as stillborn. She went over to see him and could tell that he was alive, and exclaimed that he was a fit groom for her own child, Vida. So these two, whose names both mean "life" were married when they were of age.

    Their children were Jack, Sol, Eliyahu, Rachel, Moshe, Joseph.
    In the US, Jack used the name Elias, Rachel and Moshe used Cassorla, and according to family lore, Joseph changed his spelling to Kassorla as an adult, during the 1940s. As far as we know, Sol and Eliyahu never left the Old Country, nor did any of their descendants. One piece of family lore has it that Sol and her family lived in Skopje, and may have emigrated to Palestine from there.

    • *Jack (Yaacov/Yacu) Elias -m. *Sophie (Simcha/Shemesh/Sol) Baker
      The first-born son of Haham Bohor Haim and Vida, born in Monastir when it was still part of Turkey (the Ottoman Empire). As the eldest son, Jack was the New World trailblazer for the family. His parents and three unmarried siblings came later. The other two (Sol and Eliyahu) had families already and stayed in the Old Country.
      Traveling alone to the US, at the age of 16, he arrived aboard the Vasilios Constantinos from Piraeus (the Greek port for the city of Athens) at Ellis Island, in August of 1915ce. He was bound for Indianapolis, Indiana. After also trying Rochester, NY, and New York City, he settled in Rochester during the summer of 1919ce. There he was naturalized in November 1922ce, and married Sophie on August 12, 1923ce.
      Sophie was a daughter of Eliyahu and Buena Baker of the Baker/Beahaar/BenYakar family.
      Jack developed an extremely articulate and precise command of the English language (he was much in demand to write Bar Mitzva speeches for his nephews), was well-known nationally as a stamp-collector, frequently served in Rochester as a translator, and could write both forward and backward (mirror-writing) with either hand, in more than one language. He worked for many years as a presser for Hickey-Freeman and later for Bond's Clothes. He died a widower in Rochester on December 16, 1978ce at the age of 79.
      Jack and Sophie's children: Hy, Evelyn, Beverly.
      • Hyman (Haim) Elias -m. Jean Pearlman
        He had a long and successful career as an engineer and executive for a major industrial corporation.
        • Michael Edward Elias -m. Patrice Zamary, [RN]
          • Lindsay Ann Elias
          • Justin Michael Elias
          • Kathryn Elizabeth Elias
        • Jay Martin Elias -m. Lori Reitzas
          • Thomas Jay Elias
          • Robert Andrew Elias
          • Hope Sydney Elias
          • Emma Nicole Elias
        • Susan Barbara Elias -m. John Vester II
          • William Alexander Vester
          • Andrew Michael Vester
      • Evelyn (Hava) Elias -m. Martin Schron
        • Steven Schron Elias -m. Barbara Boyar
          • Sara Schron
          • Jessica Schron
          • Paul Schron
          • Melanie Schron
        • Jeffrey (Yaacov) Schron -m. Barbara Tropiano
          • Philip Schron
          • Gregory Schron
        • Sindy (Sol) Schron -m. Jeffrey Cantor
          • Aaron Jacob Cantor
          • Rochelle Beth Cantor
          • Michael Benjamin Cantor
        • Ellice Schron -m. Christopher Gelder
          • Madeline Sophie Gelder
          • Jacob Eli Gelder
      • Beverly (Buena/Tova) Elias -m. David Figelman [DDS]
        • Marc Figelman -m. Robin [??]
        • Sharon (Sol) Figelman -m. Peter Levy
          • Erika Brett Levy
      {End of descendant lists for Jack Elias, son of Haim Elias Cassorla and Sophie Baker Elias, daughter of Eli Baker.}
    • *Sol Cassorla -m. *[??] Toledano
      The second child of Haham Bohor Haim, Sol and her family are presumed to have perished at the hands of the Nazis.
      Her husband's family name was Toledano or Todelano; apparently, they actually lived in Skopje. The deportation rolls of 1941 from Skopje contain no Toledanos, but quite a few Todelanos.
      • Male child
        It's known that at the time the family left Monastir, in 1930ce, Sol had a son.
      
      The Skopje deportation rolls contain a possible reference (6516) to her. A certain Sol (b. March 1, 1906ce), wife of Juda, living among the household of her brother-in-law David Isak Todelano, with her three children, Isak (b. Nov 13, 1928ce), Stella (b. Jan 23, 1931ce), and Jakov (b. April 4,1934ce). She is listed as having been a seamstress. The household was at Str. 118, Nr. 24.
    • *Eliyahu Cassorla -m. *Sol Aroesty
      Third born to Haham Bohor Haim, Eliyahu died in 1934ce in Belgrade from complications from an operation.
      The remnant of Eliyahu's family are presumed also to have perished at the hands of the Nazis.
      Two of Sol's brothers, Salomón and Hayyim Aroesty, emigrated to the US, and settled in Rochester, where they had a successful fruits business for many years.
      • Vida (Victoria) Cassorla
      • Clara Cassorla
      • Female child
    • *Rachel Cassorla -m. Ralph (Raphael ben Aharon v'Zimbul) Mitrani (of Kirklisse/Kirklareli, Turkey)
      Rachel was the fourth child of Haham Bohor Haim.
      Read about the Mitranis of Kirklareli in Turkey.
      • Aaron (Aharon) Mitrani -m. Judy (Yehudit bat Silvie v'Avraham (Al))Stein
        • Gayle Evelyn (Gittel Vida) Mitrani -m. Daniel Lewis
          • David Lewis
          • Raphael Lewis
        • Alan Elie (Avraham Eliyahu) Mitrani
      • Esther Mitrani -m. [PhD]Jerry (Gedalia) Hiller
        • [MD]Phyllis Rivka Hiller -m. Kenneth Alan Fine
          They have a homepage.
          • Melissa Fine
        • Susan (Shemesh) (Sol) Hiller
        • Avram "Avi" Hiller
      • Hymie (Haim) Mitrani -m. Randye (Rachel) Signorelli
        • Adam (Raphael) Mitrani
        • Rachel Mitrani
      {End of descendant lists for Rachel Mitrani, daughter of Haim Elias Cassorla.}
    • [Rabbi]*Morris Cassorla -m. Lillian Calderon
      Lillian is a daughter of Bohor Perets Rahamim Calderon and Buena.
      Known in the family variously as Moïse, Moshi, or Moshón, he was the fifth of Haham Bohor's children.
      First job in the US was with Ontario Cap Co of Rochester NY. Did business for many years in New York City as Jerry Sportswear, manufacturer of ladies' sportswear.
      • Elie (Eliyahu) Cassorla -m. Judith Evans (Yocheved bat Mordechai haCohen v'Hana) Nash

        As the first-born, I remember always being introduced by my father as: This is my bohor. For a long time I thought my name was actually my bohor.
        Provided by Elie Cassorla

        Judy's mother was born Migden. The Migden family, though Ashkenazic, believes their name to be derived from Macedon. (In Greek, the word is spelled with a kappa, giving rise to, for example, the place name Mukden, in Asia, in honor of Alexander, the Macedonian conqueror.)

        • Jonathan (Yonah) Cassorla -m. Alison (Hana bat Ephraim) Fields
          Alison is the second daughter of Fred (Ephraim ben Yitzhak) Fields (originally Fidelholtz) and Irene (née Rothfeder).
          • Erica Anne (Yisraela) Cassorla
          • Jessica Robin (Yocheved Rachel)
        • [PhD]Mark (Moshe) Cassorla -m. Kate ('Zipora bat Avraham) Clark
          Kate is the second daughter of Dr Wallace Clark and Carol.
          • Dina Cassorla
          • Meira Cassorla
          • Eliyahu Cassorla
      • Peris (Peretz) Cassorla [LCol USAFR(Ret)] -m. Lita J. Keller (mother Shirley)
        • Shira Lea Cassorla -m. Mike Thompson
          • Amber Nicole Thompson
        • Louis Joseph Cassorla
      • [Rabbi]Haim Cassorla -m. Rachel Stacy [RN] (daughter of Robert Sherman Stacy and Audrey née Gray)
        He is currently the Rabbi of Moses Montefiore Synagogue in Appleton, WI.
        • Moshe Benjamin Cassorla -m. Dina Pinkowski
          • Joseph Robert Cassorla
        • Tamar Cassorla
          • Oren
        • Leah Cassorla
        • Hadas Cassorla -m. Roberto Aguilar
      {End of descendant lists for Morris Cassorla, son of Haim Elias Cassorla.}
    • *Joseph (Joe) Kassorla -m. Shirley Gordon
      Sixth child of Haham Bohor Haim.
      • Victoria Kassorla
      • Madelyn Kassorla -m. Peter Honig
      • Ellice Kassorla -m. Howard Schneider [PhD]
        • Eric Schneider
        • Stacey Schneider
        • [R]Arielle Schneider
      • [Rabbi] Hayyim Kassorla -m. Jodi Sidel
        A graduate of Yeshiva University, he was for many years the Rabbi of Magen David Sephardic Congregation, Bethesda, MD. MDSC is a Modern-Orthodox congregation rooted in Sephardic heritage.
        He also served as the Rabbi of a Mashhadi (Persian) Congregation in New York.
        • Yosef Kassorla
          [Israel]
        • Eliyahu Kassorla
        • Naftali Kassorla
    {End of descendant lists for Joseph Kassorla, son of Haim Elias Cassorla.}
    {End of descendant lists for Vida Pesso Cassorla and Haham Bohor Haim Elias Cassorla, son of Eliás.}
  {End of descendant lists for Yaacov Pesso.}

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  This section is derived from material in the Family of Elias Cassorla section.

  If you are related either by descent or marriage to this family (Yaacov Pesso) or to anyone mentioned in this section, or if you have relevant information which would supplement or correct what's here, and would like to contribute, send e-mail to:
  

  Elie Cassorla .