Šeduva Roots

Legacy of Šeduva

Are you familiar with Seymour M. Hersh? He's a prominent American journalist known for exposing U.S. military misconduct in Vietnam, Iraq, and Cambodia. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his investigative work in 1970.

Only in his seventh decade, Seymour uncovered his ties to Šeduva.

His father, Isidor Hershel, was born in 1904 in Šeduva. He bid farewell to war-torn Europe after World War I, seeking a brighter future in the United States.

In the bustling metropolis of Chicago, Isidor found not just opportunity, but love. There, he met Dorota, an emigrant from Poland, and together they built a family.

Despite dreams of further education, Isidor focused on providing for his growing family, including two pairs of twins. In the South Side, Isidor ran a dry-cleaning store, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk, sometimes even longer.

Amidst life's rigors, he maintained traditions from Šeduva, whisking his children away to a Russian bathhouse on Sundays for steam and herring with kvass. He also cherished monthly Saturday night card games with fellow Šeduva emigrants, preserving bonds of home while building new lives across the Atlantic.

Tragically, Isidor's life was cut short by lung cancer in 1954, at the age of just 49. And with it, his children lost the chance to hear more information about their father’s life before coming to America.