Memories of Semore Babchin

Semore Babchin, my mother's maternal uncle, died in 1995. He was the last link among my ancestors to Russian (Latvian) Jewry. "It really was like Fiddler on the Roof" he told me once. He met Trotsky when he was a boy, and once he played dumb to prevent a bunch of looting soldiers from stealing his family's savings. Uncle Semore spent 27 years waiting to marry his wife Pearl (who was later tragically killed in a traffic accident)--her husband at the time was terminally ill, but outlived expectations.

When I knew Uncle Semore he was a bit of a cranky old man, very opinionated, but he still had a naive Romanticism and was very patient with his rambunctious nephews. He sometimes called me his Einstein, for my scientific achievements.

Below I have included some audio excerpts from an interview of Uncle Semore by my mother Rebecca Kaplan Boroson and her Aunt Lillian (Semore's younger sister.)

First, Uncle Semore makes the traditional Jewish invocation before an interview.

He describes his father Avram (Abraham) Babchin, who I am named after (along with Bram Stoker). Avram was notable for his patience and optimism. However, his experiences with religion were not good.

Semore's memories extend back to his grandfather, but we are still trying to connect our family tree with the trees of other Babchins.

That's all I have now. I will try to put more up on the web later. Until then, back to Bram's Home Page.