Most of the Koonan immigrants to the United States and Argentina are accounted for, but on Bertha’s “Brocha” Lazarowitz Kunin’s ship manifest, it states under “closest relative or friend in country whence alien came” was a son: Awrum Konan (likely pronounced Avrum) in Ekaterinoslav [spelling variation], ul. Daernaja 12. But who is this Awrum? Could his line have continued in Russia, now Ukraine?
The story has been told in two different countries: The United States and Argentina.
Isadore Koonan immigrated to the United States in the mid-1920s. He went to set up a butcher shop and establish a home for his pregnant wife, Anna, and infant son, Larry. Anna did not have a set way to leave, so it was decision of Isadore’s brother, Nisan, to give his ticket to the US to Anna so that she could join Isadore and unite the family. This twist of fate is what would lead Nisan to then travel and settle in Argentina, starting a family line that would remain strong at first, but would eventually taper off a little as the branches spread out. Baruch Hashem, those lines are beginning to strengthen again. History is not always forgotten by all. According to a cousin in Argentina, they’d all heard the story of “The Pregnant Lady.”
