Buchsbaum and Levy Family Papers

The Buchsbaum and Levy families are connected through the marriage of two natives of Savannah, Georgia, Herbert “Herbie” Buchsbaum (Sep. 21, 1902-Oct. 18, 1948) and Sarah “Sauchie” Levy (Sep. 13, 1904-Jul. 30, 1972). They were married Mar. 25, 1927 in Charleston, SC. Both died in Savannah.

Herbert was the son of Abraham Buchsbaum (ca. 1861-May 7, 1909) and Gussie Finer/Feiner Buchsbaum (1868-Oct. 26, 1911), both of whom came to the United States in the 1880s and moved to Savannah by 1900. Abraham was born in Limanova, Austria (now Poland). The couple married ca. 1887 and both died in Savannah.

Sarah was the daughter of Aaron “Alter” Malitz Levy (ca. 1864-1929) and Rachel Gold Levy (1876-1951) who arrived in Savannah from Russia in 1903. Aaron was born in Brest L’Tovsk (now Belarus) with the surname Malitz and was the father of eight children: Abe Levy (b. 1887), Sophie Levy Wills (1889-1978), Ida Levy Barnett (b. 1894), Matthew Malitz Levy (1899-1971), Sarah Levy Buchsbaum (1904-1972), Rosaline “Rosalie” Levy Tenenbaum (1906-1983), Jack Malitz Levy (1908-1988), and Dorothy M. Levy Wexler (1911-1969). The first three children were by his first wife, Rifka Hannah Goldblatt Malitz, who died in Europe. After reaching Savannah, Aaron changed his surname to Levy and opened a watch repair business named A. Levy & Son. This business later became Levy Jewelers, which remains an active retail store in Savannah.

Of all the Levy children, Matthew (Mar. 1, 1899-Sep. 4, 1971) is most heavily represented in the collection. He attended the University of Georgia and Harvard Law School then went on to practice law and serve as Judge of the Municipal Court of the City of New York and Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. His wife was Pearl G. Spivak Levy (1898-2000), who was also his first cousin. There are also materials on the youngest Levy child, Dorothy Levy Wexler. She was the wife of international B’nai B’rith President, Dr. William A. Wexler, and was active in the community. The Savannah chapter of B’nai B’rith Girls was renamed in her honor in 1971.

Herbert and Sarah Levy Buchsbaum had one child, Aaron Levy Buchsbaum (Apr. 9, 1931-Apr. 12, 2014). He graduated from Tulane University and Emory University Law School prior to becoming a Savannah attorney and civil rights activist. He married Atlanta native Esther Deborah Rosenbaum Buchsbaum (Feb. 24, 1936-Aug. 25, 2020) on Jun. 21, 1956 and together they had four children: Herbert Richard Buchsbaum, Lauren Gail Buchsbaum, Susan Rachel Buchsbaum, and Elizabeth Ann Buchsbaum. Aaron and Esther are buried in Savannah's Bonaventure cemetery.

The Odess family also appears in the collection. Dorothy Spivak Odess (1912-1984) was a niece of Rachel Gold Levy.