Riesenbach Family Website
This website is a gateway to my family’s history, my blog and to some of my other creative interests. It is mainly meant for relatives and friends, but Holocaust researchers and genealogist will find records here that may be of interest.
Riesenbach Family History
The story of the Riesenbach family’s survival, recorded testimonies, the 2000 Mission to Poland, historical documents and photos
Letinsky Family History
Ruth’s memoirs, the story of her parents lives and other reminiscences and documents
Frohlich and Guberman Family History
Historical documents, life stories, genealogies and memorabilia about the Frohlich and Guberman families.
Photography Portfolio
As a lifelong photography enthusiast, I have assembled a selection of some of my favorite photographs
About the Name Riesenbach
Riesenbach has Germanic roots, meaning roughly “giant creek” . While not a particularly common family name, there are a few dozen people with this family name in the USA (a few of which I have made contact with over the years). There probably are many more in Europe. To the best of my knowledge, our extended family are the only Riesenbachs in Canada (with this spelling). Our name stems from my father’s family, who immigrated to Canada from Poland, having survived the Holocaust. My father’s father (Jacob, or Yakel, in Yiddish) was not born a Riesenbach. He was born a “Feldmaus” or “Feldmouse”. At some point in his early life Jacob adopted the last name Riesenbach which was his mother’s maiden name. There are conflicting narratives as to why he did this (family breakup, confusing the authorities to avoid the draft, etc.). We may never know. But the name is ours, and we bear it proudly.
Riesenbach.com 