Dobry, Leon

Plot Location	2B20
Surname	Dobry
Given Name(s)	Leon
Place of Birth	Warsaw, Poland
Date of Birth (Eng)	October 16, 1879
Date of Birth (Heb)
Date of Death (Eng)	May 21, 1949
Date of Death (Heb)	22 Iyar 5709
Age at Death	69
Hebrew Name	ליון
Spouse’s Name	Maria (Miriam) Dobry
Father’s Name
Mother’s Name
Other Surnames
Sex	M
Marital Status	M
Maiden Name
Title (e.g., Dr)
Religious Status (כ/ל/י)
Cause of Death
Other Family Data	Sons: Alfred (b. November 21, 1914, Vladivostok; d. October 8, 1974, France) and Alexander (b. April 5, 1919, Vladivostok)
Inscription (Eng)	IN LOVING MEMORY OF LEON DOBRY BORN 16TH OCTOBER 1879 DIED 21ST MAY 1949 FROM HIS SORROWFUL WIFE AND SONS. REST IN PEACE.
Inscription (Heb)	קבורת ה״ם ליון דוברי נ״ע נלב״ע ביום כ״ב לר״ח אייר ש׳ הת״שט והיו ימו ט״ס שנה תנצ״בה
Inscription (Other)
Historical	During the war, Leon was interned at the Tai Koon Hotel (located at 90 Des Voeux Road Central). It is listed that he was a merchant with offices in Gloucester Building. Maria was a milliner. She died in Manchester in June 1966. Alfred and Alexander received UK citizenship through naturalization on October 4, 1935 (Certificate O1521). Alfred applied for US Naturalization in 1936 and later served in the US marines during WWII as a Link (radio operator) Trainer. He was honorably discharged in July 1945. He then moved to California in 1946 and his SSN was 548-24-2846. Alexander applied for US Naturalization in 1937 though it’s not clear how long he stayed there. It may have just been to go to university there. It appears he served in the Australian army during WWII (service number NX141237). After the war, he returned to Hong Kong. He married Kitty Marjorie (Khatoon) Eliezer, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Abraham Judah and Aziza (née Gubbay) Eliezer of Bombay, in Ohel Leah Synagogue on January 17, 1954. Granddaughter Rina Dobry Tendler wrote on 7 December 2021: “My father and his brother were born in Vladivostok and soon after my grandparents made their way to Shanghai where they set up a business and there they remained for a few years. From there it is unclear what they did or how they moved as my father was very vague. When my father was about 10 or so, they moved to HK and settled in Kowloon setting up a dress shop called Madam Dobry’s. He finished school at KG5 and then went overseas to study in Los Angeles. “They did a lot of toing and froing so it’s almost impossible to follow but during the war years my father and grandmother were in Australia where my father served in the paratroopers. My uncle Alfred stayed in the US where he served in the marines. My grandfather remained in HK and was interred by the Japanese. We lost contact with Alfred soon after the war although we know that he went to France to continue to study. “My father returned to HK after the war to help revive the business. My grandfather died soon after of malnutrition and my grandmother had a stroke. Again no timeline for any of this. As HK had no facilities for stroke victims, my father took her to England to a care facility there where she died in1966. “Meanwhile, my father continued to try to save the business and during that time, he met my mother Kitty Eliezer who had been visiting her sister Rosalind Hardoon whose husband was working in HK. They married in 1954 and all four of us were born there. The business closed and my father went to work for Jardines. We lived in Mid-levels and in 1965 moved to the Peak where we stayed until emigrating to Israel. “My mother was very active in the Jewish community. She taught Sunday school and we came to synagogue for all the holidays. We had regular lessons with the rabbi at his home.”

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