Goldfoot Genealogy: Genetic Conditions of Some Lithuanian Jewish People and One That Caught My Attention

Wednesday, September 06, 2023

Genetic Conditions of Some Lithuanian Jewish People and One That Caught My Attention

Nadene Goldfoot

Bubby is in the middle. She's with her daughter, Ann and Ann's daughter, Harriet. Bubby was born in Lazdijai, Suwalki, Lithuania which is on the border between Poland and Lithuania on January 11, 1886. Poland took over and her records became theirs of Poland. Ann may have been about 5'4" like myself. Bubby died at 64 years 10 months 28 days, close to 65 years of age with possibly an incorrect birthdate year.

The Suwalki Gubernia was north, facing Germany, next to Kovno and Vilna. and Lomza.

Lazdijai in south facing Poland, still in green area. Neighbors have a lot to do with food assessability. Look at how war and their attacks have affected Ukraine's barley, corn and wheat for export?

On a global scale, the average height of men is around 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm), while the average height of women is around 5 feet 4 inches (162 cm).

In the nineteenth century, much of the region was under Russian control. Antisemitism and official anti-Jewish policies often interrupted the growth of the Jewish community--possibly in more ways than one. Tensions escalated when the Russian government blamed the Jews for the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. As a result, three years of anti-Jewish riots—known as pogroms—ensued. These and other antisemitic outbursts in the Russian Empire dealt a massive blow to Jewish communities in the region. Many Jews were killed and their homes were plundered; in response, thousands of Jews looked to leave Lithuania, with many emigrating to South Africa and the United States. Their goal was freedom and economic security. More ideologically driven younger Jews emigrated to Palestine, spurred by the dream of establishing a Jewish state in their ancestral homeland.

The Lithuanian Jewish population may exhibit a genetic founder effect. The utility of these variations has been the subject of debate. One variation, which is implicated in familial hypercholesterolemia, has been dated to the 14th century, corresponding to the establishment of settlements in response to the invitation extended by Gediminas in 1323, which encouraged German Jews to settle in the newly established city of Vilnius.

My mother with my great-aunt, Jenny. Mom was 5'6."

Jenny would have been a full sister to Bubby. She married Harry

Criss and they all lived in Council, Idaho. They had lived in Nampa, Idaho for a while, and Portland and then California. My mom had long beautiful legs.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is caused by a gene alteration that's passed down from one or both parents. People who have this condition are born with it. This change prevents the body from ridding itself of the type of cholesterol that can build up in the arteries and cause heart disease.

1935 Bubby holding me with her son, my Dad, Maurice watching

The risk of familial hypercholesterolemia is higher if one or both of your parents have the gene alteration that causes it. Most people who have the condition receive one affected gene. But in rare cases, a child can get the affected gene from both parents. This can cause a more severe form of the condition.

Familial hypercholesterolemia may be more common in certain populations, including:

Ashkenazi Jews
Some Lebanese groups
French Canadians

A relatively high rate of early-onset dystonia in the population has also been identified as possibly stemming from the founder effect.

People who have familial hypercholesterolemia have a higher risk of heart disease and death at a younger age. Heart attacks may occur before age 50 in men and age 60 in women. The rarer and more severe variety of the condition, if undiagnosed or untreated, can cause death before age 20. I don't believe we have to worry about this condition.

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary (unintended) muscle contractions that cause slow repetitive movements or abnormal postures that can sometimes be painful. The initial symptoms can be very mild and may be noticeable only after prolonged exertion, stress, or fatigue. Over time, the symptoms may become more noticeable or widespread; sometimes, however, there is little or no progression. Symptoms may include:

A foot cramp or a tendency for one foot to turn or drag—either occurring occasionally or in irregular patterns or after running or walking some distance
A worsening in handwriting after writing several lines
An involuntary turning of the neck, especially when the person is tired or under stress
Rapid and uncontrollable blinking of both eyes; other times, spasms will cause the eyes to close
Tremor
Difficulty speaking

Dystonia often progresses through various stages. Initially, the movements may be intermittent and appear only during voluntary movements or stress. Later, the dystonic postures and movements can be seen while walking and ultimately even when the person is relaxed. Dystonia can be associated with fixed postures and shortening of tendons.

One problem not connected to Lithuanian Jews but I question is that of Dwarfism. "Dwarfism is that results from a genetic or medical condition. Dwarfism is generally defined as an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches (147 centimeters) or less. The average adult height among people with dwarfism is 4 feet (122 cm)." Our Bubbie, Zlata "Hattie" Jermulowski/e, wife of Nathan Abraham Goldfus/foot, was only 4'6". She had been injured in a pogrom that broke her leg, shortening her to a degree, but would not have been as tall as 4 feet 10 inches or more. She was short. So were her siblings. I've always attributed this shortness to poor nutrition in Lithuania during some famine or whatever. I never thought of midget or dwarfness. So what do you think? If anything, Bubby had Proportionate dwarfism.

The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain, behind the bridge of the nose. It is about one-half inch (1.25 cm) in diameter. The pituitary gland rests within a hollowed out area of the sphenoid bone called the sella turcica. Whole-grain foods such as oatmeal, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice and more, are loaded with fibre and essential vitamins and minerals that help regulate estrogen levels, aiding the proper functioning of the pituitary gland. What can happen to a baby when it is weaned who does not

get these foods?

Proportionate dwarfism is caused by a medical condition you have at birth or that develops in childhood that hinders growth and development. One common cause is too-low amounts of growth hormone produced by your pituitary gland. Symptoms of proportionate dwarfism include a smaller head, arms, and legs.

A body is proportionately small if all parts of the body are small to the same degree and appear to be proportioned like a body of average stature. Medical conditions present at birth or appearing in early childhood limit overall growth and development. Proportionate dwarfism results from medical conditions present at birth or appearing in early childhood that limit overall growth and development. So the head, trunk and limbs are all small, but they're proportionate to each other. Because these disorders affect overall growth, many of them result in poor development of one or more body systems.

About 80 percent of people with achondroplasia are born to parents who do not have the condition and are of average heights; these cases are caused by new variants in the FGFR3 gene. In the remaining cases, people with achondroplasia inherit an altered FGFR3 gene from one or two affected parents . Achondropoplasia is dwarfism. What are the symptoms of achondroplasia?

Bones are shortened (thigh, upper arm).
Short hands and feet.
Large separation between third and fourth fingers.
Maximum height of 4-ft.--dwarfism in other places has gone up higher to 4'10"
Head larger than normal.
Prominent forehead.
Flat nose.
Delayed development in infants (sitting, crawling, walking).

Growth hormone deficiency is a relatively common cause of proportionate dwarfism. It occurs when the pituitary gland fails to produce an adequate supply of growth hormone, which is essential for normal childhood growth. Signs include:

Height below the third percentile on standard pediatric growth charts
Growth rate slower than expected for age
Delayed or no sexual development during the teen years
Proportionate dwarfism is caused by a medical condition you have at birth or that develops in childhood that hinders growth and development. One common cause is too-low amounts of growth hormone produced by your pituitary gland.
Symptoms of proportionate dwarfism include a smaller head, arms, and legs. But all are in proportion with each other. Organ systems may be smaller too.
- Bubba as a young adult; with height shortened by pogrom attack on her leg. “pogrom” came into common usage with extensive anti-Jewish riots that swept the southern and western provinces of the Russian Empire in 1881–1884, following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II.
  The perpetrators of pogroms organized locally,
- sometimes with government and police
- encouragement. They raped and murdered their Jewish
- victims and looted their property.
- Joshua and Esther had 4 children and then Esther died. Bubby's mother, Esther "Essie", died after she was born, so maybe the family genetics ran to shorter heights, but possibly she was more affected when in the womb; in which her mother was ill, and there were nutrition problems that are necessary for the baby.
She followed the birth of her brother, Louis born November 20, 1885, and then she was born January 11, 1886. Her birthdate has to be wrong. It could be the year and could have been 1887 because there are not 9 months apart with Louis and Zlata otherwise, which I had not noticed.
The father, Joshua Charles "Hatzkel" Isaiahel Jermulowskie, remarried and had 4 more children. Dora Leah or Deborah had Lilly in 1889; Charles in 1895, and Alice in 1896. I am most knowledgeable about Alice as she lived in our city of Portland with her husband, also very short, Max Turn. My mother and I had a high holiday seder at their home, and I visited Alice at the Robison Home after Max had died. They had had a furniture store in La Grande, Oregon. These children can be identifed with Deborah due to dates, but I don't know who Louis's mother would be, Deborah's or Esther Decatsky, the 2nd wife. I would like to think that Bubby was born when her mother was weak from a previous birthing already, causing her deprivation of nutrients while growing in the womb which could be the cause of being short.
I found one more Jermulowski, which is a very difficult surname to track down. It was Abram Owsej Ajzykowicz Jermulowski born 1898 , which fits in with Deborah's children's births. I had never heard of him, but found him in my searches born in Bialystock, Poland. So many names similar were Jarmulowske. There seemed to be a difference that was pretty important. I also found David Gersz Jermolowski in 1868 in Bialystock.
Our Bubby was 4'6" but had leg/legs broken in pogrom, shortening her stance even more so. She could have been 4'8 at an earlier date without the pogrom attack. Still, that's pretty short. I still think nutrition is the answer, and affecting all the children would be they were together at a time of famine/hunger. From January 1885 and on was not a good time in Lazdijai (Lazdey), Suwalki, Lithuania. At the time, it was owned by Russia, part of the Augustowa Province (Gubernia) and in 1866 became a part of the Suwalk Gubernia as a county administrative center. The city suffered from many fires.
In 1872 there was a great famine. Jewish children studied but Bubba didn't get to attend the Khadarim and Talmud-Torah. She was kept at home and was illiterate. She took care of her new half-siblings. She only spoke Yiddish all her life. By 1887 there were 14 teaching centers of Melamdim and 3 private teachers and 14 Judaica studying societies.
She was a great cook, made her own delicious red wine, gefilta fish, etc, all from scratch; probably her own challah, too. I remember she even kept the fish in the bathtub alive needed for the gefilta fish dish. The person that has handed down recipes to my mom has been Aunt Alice, another great cook. She immigrated May 6, 1903 at age 17 according one one record.
Alice married Max Turn who was also very short, another Jewish family of the same area.
Last thought: none of us have had very short children, so I don't think we're carrying the gene, or if it was ever a genetic problem.
Other people of Bubba's generation were also short. Queenie Henwood nee Disney grew up to be quite short in England. So was her husband. Their son was 5'7".