Geoffrey Saperia

I live at 5 Ezra St. Efrat, Israel 90435; Tel. 97229933694.

I am the father of Chaim Saperia from Ramat HaGolan. I was born in Leeds, England in 1932. My father, Hyman (Harry) was born in Liverpool, England in 1900 and died on active service in 1941 when serving in the British army. I am afraid that I have very little information on my father`s origins since he died when I was eight years old and his parents were dead before he married. From efforts I have made to trace links I am not even sure that his original name was Saperia but have failed to find another name. His birth is not registered under the name Saperia but he was drafted in1917 under that name. My mother's maiden name was Sarah Cohen and she married my father in Leeds in August 1927. She lived at the time in Byron St. at her aunt's - Rivka Macofsky (Macsky's the Bakers). Her family tree has been traced back to 1812; she is a descendent of Besdin the Cohen. She was born 1905 in Svisloch, Russia, daughter of Reuben Cohen (b: Abt 1874 d: 1940) and Beile Dobrovolski (b: in Svisloch, Russia d: 1909).  

My parents were married in Leeds in August 1927 - to the best of my knowledge at Wintoun St. Synagogue just off North St. and at the top of Byron St. I always understood that her anniversary was on the 14th. August. I haven't got my mother's ketuba, but I do have the civil registration of the marriage, dated 15th. August 1927 (certificate no. D 5477 - 4). My father's name appears there as Superia, with a "u" instead of the "a" I have always known and used. My grandfather appears there as Isaac Superia (deceased) - tailor. I should explain that I never knew my paternal grandparents, nor did my mother I believe; they were evidently both dead before she met my father. From my father's army records, he enlisted on 29.4.1918 at the age of 18 years and 11 days, which makes his date of birth 18.4 .1900. He may have been a bit younger and given a false age in order to be accepted. I always understood that he was born in Liverpool. His name in those records is Hyman Saperia. If the name was changed it must have been done some time between 1900 and April 1918. He had two brothers - one a bachelor whom I never met and who lived, so I heard as a child, in York. The other younger brother, who married out, changed his name in the years of the depression to Jimmy Parker in order to get work. He had one daughter. As a small child I saw them quite regularly but by the time I was interested in origins I had no one to ask. My father also had one or two sisters, who both married out and with whom I had little if any contact. In my father's army records his address on enlistment was 78 Queen's Place, Claypit Lane, Leeds. He served in India from July 1918 until January 1922 then returned to Leeds. He was I believe a member of Wintoun St. Synagogue.

Family tree of Sarah Cohen