Sunday, April 26, 2020

Re: Rudolph Klein's immigration application

Because of the Coronavirus situation, ancestry.com opened up all their archives for free access to anybody who has an LAPL library card number. You have to access their site through this page:  https://www.lapl.org//collections-resources/research-and-homework  and sign in with a library card number.
I will also point out that this application was processed in the State of Georgia which it seems your father did his basic training in the US Army before being stationed at Fort Dix. This is corroborated by the famous picture of him in his army uniform, which experts have told me is the uniform worn in basic training because it had no rank or insignia. Moreover, in the background of that picture is a Piggly Wiggly store which was a chain of stores that only existed in the Midwest and Southern states. (This information comes from a 2004 email from Morris Spector in my archives here).
More archives from ancestry.com point to a contradiction regarding his birthday like Jossi Baci pointed out. On the application I sent you, it says Oct 23 1912. That date is also given in an army report of his death in 1968 in the U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 whose record entry reads:
Name: Randolph Klein
Birth Date: 23 Oct 1912
Death Date: 9 Jul 1968
SSN: 153180533
Branch 1: ARMY
Enlistment Date 1: 24 Jan 1942
Release Date 1: 20 Mar 1945

On the other hand, other sources give his birthday as 13 Oct 1912 in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 and in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Obviously, one of those dates is a mistake, but it's hard to know which one.

I also found this record of his naturalization from the State of Georgia's naturalization records:

Zei Gezunt & Kol Tuv,

Reuven Chaim Klein

Beitar Illit, Israel

Author of: God versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry (NEW!) & Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew

ORCiD LinkedIN | Google Scholar | Amazon



On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 9:46 AM Yossi Klein <kleinyossi@yahoo.com> wrote:
Very cool. Lots of good data. Didn't realize he was short. Social Security website says he was born on 10/13 (not 10/23). Didn't know he had live on upper West Side.

Stay healthy,
Love, UY

On Saturday, April 25, 2020, 11:30:23 PM GMT+3, RC Klein <yeshivish@gmail.com> wrote:


No response?

Zei Gezunt & Kol Tuv,

Reuven Chaim Klein

Beitar Illit, Israel

Author of: God versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry (NEW!) & Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew

ORCiD LinkedIN | Google Scholar | Amazon



On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 10:51 PM RC Klein <yeshivish@gmail.com> wrote:
I believe I have found your father immigration application, attached. In the application he requests to change his name from Rudolph to Randolph. 

Zei Gezunt & Kol Tuv,

Reuven Chaim Klein

Beitar Illit, Israel

Author of: God versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry (NEW!) & Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew

ORCiD LinkedIN | Google Scholar | Amazon

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