Greetings, bigdanny!
According to Mr. Chihuly himself, he is indeed Jewish, and he did
spend some time at Kibbutz Lehav:
Chihuly in the light of Jerusalem 2000, by Dale Chihuly
Published in Chihuly Jerusalem 2000, Portland Press, 2000
Originally published in Ariel:The Israel Review of Arts and Letters, Vol. 111, 1999
"There are many reasons I came to Jerusalem and the Tower of David
Museum to make a major exhibition. First there was my stay at Kibbutz
Lehav in 1962-63. I remember arriving at the Kibbutz as a boy of 21
and leaving a man, just a few short months later. Before Lehav my life
was more about having fun, and after Lehav I wanted to make some sort
of contribution to society ? I discovered there was more to life than
having a good time. It's difficult to explain how this change came
about, but it had a lot to do with going out on border patrol during
the night with guys my own age who had more responsibility and
maturity than adults twice their age in the States. After the Kibbutz
experience my life would never be the same."
http://www.chihuly.com/essays/jerustate.html
Dale's parents were indeed named George and Viola:
Introduction, by Linda Norden:
"Chihuly was born in September of 1941 in Tacoma-a major Washington
seaport and railroad depot in full sight of Mt. Ranier. His father
George Chihuly was a butcher and an international organizer for the
meat cutter's union; his mother, Viola, had an equal facility with
people and gardening. A brother, George, six years older than Dale and
greatly admired by him, completed the Chihuly family.
Within his first two years of high school, Chihuly lost both his
father and his brother. His brother was killed in a Naval aviation
practice flight in Florida when Chihuly was fifteen; little more than
a year later, his father died of a heart attack."
http://www.chihuly.com/essays/introessay.html
However, if the family surname was Shauli at some point, it was
changed to Chihuly *long* before Dale was born. The 1930 US Census
shows the following listing:
1930 United States Federal Census
Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
Name Age Est. birth yr Birthplace Parents born
George S Chihuly 22 abt 1908 Washington Czechoslovakia/Czech.
(Roomer)
Roll: 2510; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 133; Image: 985.0
The 1920 US Census shows the family listing:
1920 United States Federal Census
South Prairie, Pierce County, Washington
Name Age Est. birth yr Birthplace Parents born
John Chihuly 57 abt 1863 Austria Austria/Austria
Elizabeth 41 abt 1879 Austria Austria/Austria
John 20 abt 1900 Washington Austria/Austria
Thomas 18 abt 1902 Washington Austria/Austria
Virginia 14 abt 1906 Washington Austria/Austria
George 12 abt 1908 Washington Austria/Austria
Lizzie 9 abt 1911 Washington Austria/Austria
The "Mother Tongue" for John and Elizabeth is listed as "Slovenian";
the children are all listed as "English".
Roll: T625_1935; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 197; Image: 632
According to the Slovenian website Mat'Kurja:
"The Republic of Slovenia lies at the heart of Europe, where the Alps
and the Mediterranean meet the Pannonian plains and the mysterious
Karst. To the north is Austria; to the east, Hungary; to the south,
Croatia; and to the west, Italy.
Slovenia became an independent state in 1991 and a member of the EU on
May 1, 2004."
http://www.matkurja.com/en/country-info
History of Slovenia according to Mat'Kurja:
"14th century to 1918: All the Slovenian regions pass into the
possession of the Habsburgs, later the Austro-Hungarian monarchy."
http://www.matkurja.com/en/country-info/history
I'm sure that these census listings are for Dale's father, because,
according to the biography above, Dale was approximately 16 when his
father died. The Social Security Death Index shows a listing for a
George Chihuly in the state of Washington, who died in 1958. Since
Dale was born in 1941, that would have made him 16-17 years old at the
time. This George was born in 1907, which would match the Census
record listed above.
Social Security Death Index Search Results
GEORGE CHIHULY
DOB: 12 May 1907
DOD: Oct 1958
SSN issuing state: Washington
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com (input George Chihuly)
Note that the Census location South Prairie, WA, is about 22 miles
from Tacoma, WA city center (Dale's birthplace, according to the
biography above):
http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&csz=South+Prairie%2C+WA&state=WA&uzip=98385&ds=n&name=&desc=&lat=47.139538&lon=-122.096222&mlt=47.139538&mln=-122.096222&zoomin=yes&BFKey=&resize=l&trf=0&mag=5
Now, here is where it gets a little more interesting. I couldn't find
a listing for John Chihuly in the 1910 Census, so I had to search by
first name, birth year, and Pierce County, WA, and here is what I
found. The Index shows this individual as John Chibely, although the
census taker's writing is discernable as "Chihuly".
1910 United States Federal Census
Carbonado Pct, Pierce County, Washington
Name Age Est. birth yr Birthplace Parents born
John Chihuly 48 abt 1862 Austria Austria/Austria
Lizzie 35 abt 1875 Austria Austria/Austria
Mary 12 abt 1898 Washington Austria/Austria
John 10 abt 1900 Washington Austria/Austria
Thomas 7 abt 1903 Washington Austria/Austria
Virginia 5 abt 1905 Washington Austria/Austria
George 2 abt 1908 Washington Austria/Austria
Series: T624, Roll: 1663, Part: 1, Page: 235B
In 1900, the Index incorrectly shows him as "John Chikorly":
1900 United States Federal Census
Carbondale, Pierce County, Washington
Name Age Est. birth yr Birthplace Parents born
John Chihuly 40 abt 1860 Austria Austria/Austria
Lizzie 21 abt 1879 Austria Austria/Austria
Mary 2 abt 1898 Washington Austria/Austria
John 4 months abt 1900 Washington Austria/Austria
Roll: T623 1748; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 149
This record also shows that John immigrated to the United States in
1890, and his wife Elizabeth/Lizzie immigrated in 1896.
NOTE that inconsistencies often appear in Census records due to errors
or unreadability on the part of the individual, the census taker,
and/or the person who entered the Census record into the Computer.
US Census Records, both free and for a fee, can be found on-line:
Census Online
http://www.census-online.com/links
Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/usfedcen
Geneaology Records, both free and for a fee, can be found on-line:
Rootsweb
http://www.rootsweb.com
Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com
Genealogy.com
http://www.genealogy.com
According to RootsWeb, Dale's mother Viola's maiden name was probably Magnusen:
"Name: Chihuly, Dale
Father: George Chihuly Mother: UNKNOWN Magnuson Chihuly"
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?surname=chihuly&given=dale
So the answer to your question is, yes, Dale Chihuly's family is
Jewish, his grandparents spoke Slovenian, and they came from the
region of Austria later known as Slovenia or Czechoslovakia, his
grandfather John in 1890, and his grandmother Elizabeth in 1896.
You can view an excellent collection of Dale Chihuly's work at
http://www.chihuly.com
Search Strategy
Dale Chihuly Jewish
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Dale+Chihuly+Jewish
Dale Chihuly George
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=Dale+Chihuly+George
Before Rating this Answer, if you have any questions about the
information that I have presented, please post a Request for
Clarification, and I will be glad to see what I can do for you.
I hope that this Answer provides you with exactly the information
which you were seeking!
Regards,
aceresearcher |
