Mel Brooks
Brooks in 2013, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Melvin Kaminsky
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 28, 1926
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Mel Brooks is an American director, writer, actor, comedian, producer, and composer.
His parents, Kate (Brookman) and Aharon Mordechai/Max Kaminsky, were Jewish immigrants. His father was born in Tilsit/Sovetsk, then in Prussia, now in Russia. His mother was born in Kiev, then in the Russian Empire, now in Ukraine. Mel was married to actress Anne Bancroft, until her death. Mel has three children with his former wife, Florence Baum; and a son, author and screenwriter Max Brooks, with Anne.
Mel’s paternal grandfather was Shlomo Zvi Avraham/Abraham/Avram Kaminsky (the son of Leib/Lebel/Louis Kaminsky and Chana Esther Sereisky). Shlomo was born in Golynka, Russia. Leib was born in Dabrowa, Russia, the son of Moshe Aron Leizerowicz/Kaminsky and Mirke/Martha Becker. Chana was born in Golynka.
Mel’s paternal grandmother was named Basha/Bertha Ruchel/Rachel Silverstein/Silverstone. Basha was born in Grodno, Belarus.
Mel’s maternal grandfather was named Irving Brookman.
Mel’s maternal grandmother was named Minnie Labove or Gertrude.
Sources: http://www.jewish-theatre.com
https://www.theatlantic.com
Marriage record of Mel’s parents – https://familysearch.org
Mel’s parents on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Mel Brooks (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
His father’s family were German Jews from the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (modern Gdansk, Poland); his mother’s family were Ukrainian Jews from Kiev
That’s what some sources say.
But the census just says his father’s family was from “Russia”.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MJPL-KY1
Family trees of his father list his father’s parents as born in “Russia”, as well.
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=pubmembertrees&rank=1&new=1&so=3&tid=&tpid=&ssrc=&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_db&Simple=&hipts=&gsfn=Shlomo+Zvi+Avraham&gsfn_x=&gsfn_xr=&gsln=Kaminsky&gsln_x=&gsln_xr=&msbdd=&msbdm=&msbdy=&msbdp=&msbdm_x=&msbdd_x=&msbpn__ftp=&msbpn=&msbpn_PInfo=&msbpn_x=&msbpn__ftp_x=&msddd=&msddm=&msddy=&msddp=&msddm_x=&msddd_x=&msdpn__ftp=&msdpn=&msdpn_PInfo=&msdpn_x=&msdpn__ftp_x=&msgdd=&msgdm=&msgdy=&msgdp=&msgdm_x=&msgdd_x=&msgpn__ftp=&msgpn=&msgpn_PInfo=&msgpn_x=&msgpn__ftp_x=&gskw=&uidh=t9h
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=pubmembertrees&rank=1&new=1&so=3&tid=&tpid=&ssrc=&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_db&Simple=&hipts=&gsfn=Basha&gsfn_x=&gsfn_xr=&gsln=Silverstone&gsln_x=&gsln_xr=&msbdd=&msbdm=&msbdy=&msbdp=&msbdm_x=&msbdd_x=&msbpn__ftp=&msbpn=&msbpn_PInfo=&msbpn_x=&msbpn__ftp_x=&msddd=&msddm=&msddy=&msddp=&msddm_x=&msddd_x=&msdpn__ftp=&msdpn=&msdpn_PInfo=&msdpn_x=&msdpn__ftp_x=&msgdd=&msgdm=&msgdy=&msgdp=&msgdm_x=&msgdd_x=&msgpn__ftp=&msgpn=&msgpn_PInfo=&msgpn_x=&msgpn__ftp_x=&gskw=&uidh=t9h
Now Tilsit is known as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovetsk,_Kaliningrad_Oblast