Czernowitz - message from Isak Shteyn

<x-flowed>From: shteyn_at_juno.com
To: Czernowitz--L_at_cornell.edu
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2002 04:22:05 -0700
Subject: Czernowitz--historical note

To the Czernowitz e mail group
                                                          I want to fulfill my
promise to the initiator of our group Mr. Bruce Reisch, and here is
something about the City, which gave us its name:
        It's impossible to speak about Czernowitz without to mention Bukowina,
whose capital it is. And Bukowina was in the last quarter of the 18-th
century a little country of mainly beech forests, forlorn somewhere in
the Northern Carpathian Mountains, reaching to the Dnyester and Pruth
rivers, to border on Austria, Moldova and Bessarabia. In 1774, during the
peace treaty of Kutshuk--Kaynardgy, cedes the Ottoman Empire, then the
lord of Moldova, to Austria as a gift the northern part of
Moldova--Bukowina. In this way, became Bukowina a strategic
territory--the Eastern outpost of Austria against Russia, and politically
and economically--a far away part of Central Europe.
        Because the local main populations of Romanians(Moldovans) and
Ukrainians (Ruthenians) are almost equal, 35% to 40%, was Bukowina always
the strife apple between both people and belonged politically to the
temporary mightier neighbour. Until1774--to the Moldova princes, until
1919 to Austria, until1940 to Romania. Since June 1940 until July 1941,
after the notorious Molotoff- Riebentropp pact, the northern part of
Bukowina with Czernowitz as its capital was ceded to the Soviet Union.
 From July 1941 until March 1944 -- under the fascist Romania with
Germany as its main protector. Since March 1944 until 1991 is Northern
Bukowina again under the Soviets. Since 1991 until now--under the
Independent Ukraine.
        The Russians cherish the name of the City Chernovtsy (cherny
ovtzy=black sheep). The Ukrainians--Chernivtsi, what means the same
thing. The Romanians called the City Chernaootsi, we Jews call it, like
the Austrians--Czernowitz.
                Bukowina and the Jews--in a next notice. Isak Shteyn


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Received on 2002-06-10 07:40:27