[Cz-L] Public Baths in Czernowitz

Hardy Breier's reminiscences about the public baths in Czernowitz were a
welcome respite from an exchange of messages that were evolving into
polemics. I never had the pleasure of meeting Hardi, though I am now
convinced that he must have been an exceptionally clean young man, judging
 from the number of baths that he patronized. One could surmise that
Czernowitz once excelled in cleanliness, considering that the last head of
the Jewish community in Czernowitz in 1943-44 (appointed by the Governor's
office) was a Mr. Lehr, the proprietor of a well-known soap factory!!

Turkish baths, as they are called in this country, were known in Czernowitz
as Schwitzbad, Schwitz (German) or Bud (Yiddish). Several colloquial
expressions were derived from these words. For instance, the Yiddish
expressions "geh in bud aran" (get lost), "men hot im shoin in bud genumen"
(he was taken for a ride), the Czernowitzer Deutsch expression "Schwitzer'
(a show-off, blabbermouth), Schwitzkasten (like in "man hat ihn in den
Schwitzkasten genommen" = the interrogation of a young man by his potential
in-laws). Then there was the legendary Fraeulein Katz who declared that she
doesn't dance because "wan ich tanz schwitz ich und wan ich schwitz stink
ich" (intentionally not translated).

Those of us who were in Czernowitz during the Summer of 1940 will also
remember the daily parades of Red Army soldiers marching to the "bania"
(bath) with towels under the arm and enthusiastically singing "Tre Tankiste"
or "Moskva Moia".

Those were the days, my friend...

Fred Schneider
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Received on 2008-11-11 05:31:45