The Rothenbergs of Skole and Drohobycz: A Family History
The Rothenberg Family of Skole and Drohobycz: A Galician Jewish Lineage
The earliest known direct ancestors of the Rothenberg family that I have traced lived in the town of Skole, in eastern Galicia, during the late 18th century. At the time, Skole was part of the Habsburg monarchy, having been annexed by Austria from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the First Partition of Poland in 1772. Nestled in the Carpathian foothills, Skole developed a reputation for its timber industry and as a stop on important trade routes that connected Hungary, Poland, and Ruthenia.
Samuel Leib Rothenberg and Ester Rothenberg: Rabbinical Ties in Skole
My 4x great-grandparents, Samuel Leib Rothenberg (also known as Shmul Leib) and his wife Ester Rothenberg, were living in Skole by the early 19th century. Samuel Leib held the title of Rabbinatsbeisitzer, a respected lay assessor of the rabbinical court. This position—one step below a fully ordained rabbi—signifies both learning and standing within the Jewish kehilla (community), and suggests the family’s integration into religious and communal life.
‘We have established that Herschel's father was Samuel Leib Rothenberg of the Rabbinate in Skole. Just this week, a friend of mine in Israel followed up on a connection with Rabbi Wunder in Jerusalem, who studied the rabbinical lines in Galicia. He told her he had written about Samuel Leib in his Encyclopedia, and shared that Samuel’s father-in-law was also a rabbi.’- Jennie Milne correspondence Nov 2020
They were described as "long-time deceased" on the 1882 death record of their son, Aaron Hersch Rothenberg, confirming their deaths occurred well before the late 19th century. Four children of Samuel Leib and Ester have been identified in records spanning 1802 to 1825:
Rachel (Feigel) Rothenberg (1802–1889) – later settled in Drohobycz
Sara Rothenberg (b. 1802 – further details unknown)
Aaron Hersch Rothenberg (1814–1882) – my 3x great-grandfather
Sime/Szyma Rothenberg (b. 1825 – no known further data)
Migration to Drohobycz: Jewish Life in Galicia’s Urban Centers
Both Rachel and Aaron Hersch eventually relocated to Drohobycz, a major Galician town about 50 km northeast of Skole. Drohobycz was known for its salt mines, emerging oil industry, and thriving Jewish cultural life. By the mid-19th century, it had become a vibrant multiethnic urban center, home to merchants, artisans, scholars, and growing Hasidic and Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) communities.
Rachel died in Drohobycz in 1889 of old age, a widow residing at house no. 150. Her death record identifies her husband as Abraham Rothenberg, a merchant. Rachel and Abraham’s sons, Meyer (b. 1848) and Falik (b. 1853), eventually emigrated to the United States, part of the broader wave of Jewish emigration from Galicia in the late 19th century prompted by poverty, anti-Semitic legislation, and dwindling opportunities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Aaron Hersch Rothenberg (1814–1882): Forest Warden and Patriarch
Aaron Hersch Rothenberg, born in 1814, married Mamcze (also Mamerla) Gruen, and together they had at least eight children:
Amalia/Malie Rothenberg (1830–1900, Drohobycz)
Rachla Rothenberg (1840–1840)
Zindel/Sindel Juda Rothenberg (1840–1919, born in Ranowicz) – my 2x great-grandfather
Briendel/Brana Rothenberg (1845–1921)
Solomon/Saloman Rothenberg (1848–1912, born and died in Drohobycz)
Freida/Fruede Rothenberg (1850–1901, Drohobycz)
Feige Rothenberg (1851–1884)
Marjem/Marja Rothenberg (dates unclear)
Mamcze died in 1855, leaving Aaron Hersch a widower. By 1872, he was recorded as a forest warden (Waldhüter) in Drohobycz, an unusual but not unheard-of occupation for a Jew in Galicia. His position likely involved overseeing forest lands owned by either the imperial government or noble estates. The role implies a degree of literacy and trustworthiness, placing him within the bureaucratic structure of the Habsburg Empire, which had gradually opened limited civil roles to Jews following the Edict of Tolerance (1782) and subsequent reforms.
Mobility, Marriage, and Economic Survival
Although some of the family remained in Drohobycz, others - including Aaron’s son Zindel - moved between towns such as Ranowicz, Borysław, Skole, Rychcice, and Stara Wieś. This mobility was typical for Jewish families in 19th-century Galicia and was often driven by:
Marriage and family networks
Occupational needs, such as work as traders, tailors, or property caretakers
Changing residency laws, especially during the shifting administrative reforms of the Austrian Empire
Conscription pressures, prompting young men to shift residence or register in other towns
Zindel Juda Rothenberg (1840–1919): Trader, Matchmaker, Patriarch
Zindel, born in Ranowicz in 1840, became a trader and lived for a time in Rychcice, near Drohobycz. He also worked as a matchmaker, a common and respected profession in Jewish communities. A birth record from 1899 lists him as a witness to the birth of his grandson Chaim Jakób Rothenberg, and identifies him as a 64-year-old bachelor from Skole, residing in Rychcice in house no. 74.
He finally married Rywa (Rozalia/Rojsa) Zuckerberg, who had lived in Słońsk, on 20 December 1902 in Drohobycz. Despite the late formal marriage, the couple had already had eight children over the preceding decades:
Samuel Leib Rothenberg (1842–1915)
Amalia Mamcze Rothenberg (1860–1944, died in Auschwitz)
Mechel Wolf Rothenberg (1861–1908, Skole/Rychcice)
Leisor/Leo Rothenberg (1864–1937)
Pinkas/Pawel Rothenberg (c. 1868–1940) – my great-grandfather
Krancie/Krenicia Rothenberg (b. 1876, Raniowice/Stara Wieś – unknown fate)
Chaje Rothenberg (1879–1892, Raniowice/Stara Wieś)
Marjem/Marja Rothenberg (dates unclear)
The civil marriage in 1902 was formalized by Dr. B. Margulies, the rabbi of Drohobycz, with two tradesmen - Samuel Schechter, a sheet-metal worker, and Nachman Kimelheim, a trunk maker - as witnesses. Their marriage certificate also included confirmations from the Rychcice commune and religious synagogue banns announced in December of that year.
Final Years and Deaths in Drohobycz
Zindel (Sindel) and Rywa spent their final years at Liszniańska Street, house no. 11, in Drohobycz. Their deaths occurred just a day apart in June 1919:
Sindel Rothenberg died on 13 June 1919 at the age of 89, listed as a "property owner."
Rywa Zuckerberg Rothenberg died the following day, 14 June 1919, aged 85, described as a widow.
Their death certificates confirm their parentage - Sindel as the son of Hersch Rothenberg and Mamcia née Grün, and Rywa as the daughter of Daniel Zuckerberg and Mariem née Rosenberg.
A Family Thread Through Galician Jewish History
My Rothenbergs’ story is deeply woven into the larger historical tapestry of Galician Jewry—a population shaped by imperial reforms, socio-economic struggle, migration, and resilience. From rabbinic roots in Skole to merchant life in Drohobycz and emigration to the Americas, the family's history mirrors the broader experiences of Jews under the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Their movement between towns like Skole, Drohobycz, Borysław, Rychcice, and Stara Wieś illustrates how Jewish families in Galicia navigated changing laws, shifting borders, and limited opportunities, while still preserving kinship, religious tradition, and communal life.