Senda Berenson Abbott - Family

Family

Born the village of Butrimonys in Vilno gubernia (now in Lithuania) as Senda Valvrojenski, she immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old. Her parents were Albert and Judith Valvrojenski. When Senda was born, she had an older brother Bernard. She would later have another younger brother and two younger sisters. Albert Valvrojenski grew up following an educational track of classical Jewish learning and at one time contemplated becoming a rabbi. However, he gradually became an practitioner of Haskalah, a European movement which advocated more integration of Jews into secular society. However, after his home and lumber business were burned to the ground, he lived with his in-laws, who were more traditionalist. He enrolled his son Bernard with a Hebrew tutor, under this pressure. He decided to move to the United States, where he could raise his family according to his own beliefs. He moved alone to the United States in 1874, locating in the West End of Boston. He became a "poor peddler of pots and pans", selling his wares in local towns near Boston. Albert changed his surname to Berenson soon after his arrival, as part of is "Westernization". He worked hard for months, and then sent for his family in 1975.

Albert stopped attendance at synagogue, and Bernard did not have the traditional Bar Mitzvah coming of age ritual. He insisted that the family speak only English, and attempted to sever ties to the Jewish traditions. Despite this, his children did not full abandon their faith. Bernard described himself as Jewish, and continued to practice some Jewish rituals. The family had moved to a section of Boston with almost fifty families from their original neighborhood, some of whom were relatives, so she grew up with the religious influences. Bernard attended Boston Latin School one of the most prestigious schools in the country. When he competed his studies there, he moved to Cambridge, in preparation for his enrollment at Harvard. He and Senda were very close, and she, now in her midteens, spent time in Cambridge, and soaked up the intellectual atmosphere. Bernard's circle of friends included Isabella Stewart Gardner, Ralph Adams Cram and George Santayana, the latter two having met each other through Bernard. Following his graduation from Harvard, Bernard moved to Europe, eventually settling in Italy, where he began a career as an art critic. Senda's goal was to emulate her brother.