[Cz-L] Introduction, questions

Dear Czernowitz list members,

I have just recently joined the list. I live in Portland, Oregon, USA,
and am a teacher and a writer. At Portland Community College, I teach
English and women's studies, including a course I developed on
literature of the Holocaust. I have written on a variety of topics,
including about two members of my family who died on the march to camps
in Transnistria.

My partner and I will soon be making a trip to Eastern Europe. We will
visit Budapest, Krakow, Lviv, and Chernivtsi. My mother's family is from
Sadagura. My maternal grandmother and grandfather, Toba and Abraham
Distelman (he then took the name Edelstein) left Sadagura to come to the
U.S. in 1909 and 1910. One other family member also came to the U.S.
Almost all the remaining family in Sadagura were killed during World War
Two.

My grandfather Abraham was the son of Yoel Distelman and Rifka Edelstein
Distelman. Their other children were Mendel, Wolf, and Bluma. The family
were horse dealers. My grandmother Toba was the daughter of Motche
Hersch and Rose Scherzer. Motche Hersch, my mother has told me, owned a
butcher shop and was known as a Jewish scholar. Their children were
Sisse, Moshe, Sara, Sluva, Leah, and my grandmother Toba.

I would be interested in any information about the Distelman, Scherzer,
and Edelstein families.

Also, since I will be travelling to Czernowitz/Chernivtsi soon, I'd be
glad to receive any tips about being there. Does anyone know whether the
Jewish Community Center in Czernowitz is still open and if so, what are
good times of day to go there? Are there still any English speakers at
the center? (I've learned a little Polish and a small amount of
Ukrainian, but have only a small vocabulary. My partner can speak some
German.) Would local taxi drivers know where Sadagura is located and
where the former Jewish cemetery in Sadagura is? Can anyone recommend an
English-speaking guide/translator in Chernivtsi or Sadagura, especially
someone who knows the history of the area?
Any other helpful ideas and information would be welcome.

Finally, before and after travelling to Chernivtsi, I will be in Lviv,
doing research for a novel I am working on. Does anyone know of an
English speaking guide/translator in Lviv who has knowledge of the
history of the city?

I will be glad to hear from anyone about my family history and travel
plans.

Sara Gogol
sgogol_at_pcez.com
Received on 2004-05-04 14:25:59