[Cz-L] Jewish Museum in Czernowits

Several list members (including myself) just received this from Ms.
Lenchovska, assistant to Josef Zissels. Since the note is addressed
to members of Czernowitz-L, I am disseminating it to everyone on the
list. It seems to me a compromise is being offered, not unlike some
previous suggestions we've discussed to assure some treatment of the
holocaust now, with an expansion of the subject to be accomplished
later. ". . . one of the walls was supposed to be devoted to the
beginning of Diaspora, now it is reconsidered to be for deportation
and begin of Holocaust." Read on below.

Bruce Reisch
Geneva, New York

>Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:17:43 +0300
>From: anna lenchovska <lenchovska_at_tolerspace.org.ua>
>To: mirtaylo_at_indiana.edu, HARDY3_at_BEZEQINT.NET, merlek_at_videotron.ca,
> emilhg_at_013.net, David Glynn <glynn_at_spontini.co.uk>, rea_at_ucsd.edu,
> joe.poras_at_gmail.com, amroll_at_rogers.com, bir1_at_nysaes.cornell.edu,
> merlek_at_videotron.ca, altirodal_at_gmail.com,
> Josef Zissels <josefz_at_svitonline.com>
>Subject: Jewish Museum in Czernowits
>
>Dear members of the Czernowits-list group,
>
>
>
>Thank you for your emails. We appreciate this discussion as it helps
>to built a dialogue and to try to understand the arguments of both
>sides and to come to consensus.
>
>Please let me explain several issues related to the museum creation
>in Czernowits:
>
>
>
>Josef Zissels is the chairman of Vaad of Ukraine, one of the first
>Jewish umbrella organizations. He is also former Soviet dissident
>spent 6 years in prison for his democratic opinions, support of
>dissidents put into forced Soviet psychiatry and attempts to revive
>Jewish life in Czernowits in 1980-s. He is Czernowitser, his family
>originates in Bukovina, he was born in Tashkent in 1946 while his
>older brother was perished in Holocaust in Czernowits.
>
>
>
>When the revival of Jewish life became possible Mr. Zissels together
>with other volunteers started to search and to clean Jewish
>cemeteries (that are abandoned and in very miserable state). They
>also were the first who gathered money and opened memorial to the
>victims of Holocaust in Czernowits and in other regions of Ukraine.
>Vaad of Ukraine run in 1993 - 1997 a special program "Places of
>Holocaust mass burial" and found and described more then 2000 such
>places throughout Ukraine. They also put memorial sings on this
>places.
>
>The database is available in Russian on Vaad website.
>
>Mr. Zissels initiated in 1996 the program of training teachers of
>Ukrainian secondary schools about Holocaust. Due to this program
>Holocaust now is included to the state educational program of
>Ukrainian schools. There is a Ukrainian center of Holocaust studies
>established in late 1990 in cooperation with Vaad providing
>Holocaust research and education for teachers and historians. There
>is also an international project "Holocaust and Tolerance" for
>CIS-countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakstan etc.) where
>there was no Holocaust, but local genocides, as Armenian genocide
>in particular - so teachers learn how on horrible example of
>Holocaust and genocides to teach tolerance in their countries. This
>project is also an idea of Josef. Mr. Zissels also provided support
>for the Shoah foundation project of recording video-testimonies of
>Holocaust survivors in Ukraine and now contributes to educational
>trainings based on Holocaust visual history.
>
>
>
>Josef Zissels would like to create a museum of Bukovina Jewry, which
>like many other Jewish museums in the world will focus on Jewish
>life and culture in particular place and its differences from Jewish
>life in other places. The Holocaust will be also presented in the
>museum as a history period, but the main focus of Jewish museum is
>culture and tradition in specific place.
>
>
>
>There are also plans to construct a special museum devoted only to
>the Holocaust. Austrian journalist Helmut Kusdat proposed Mr.Zissels
>and the community to create a Holocaust museum on former Jewish
>cemetery, where there is a mass grave of Holocaust victims. There is
>a building that can be used for this museum. Holocaust museum budget
>is 500.000 USD and now there is a fundraising campaign for this
>museum initiated by Helmut Kusdat.
>
>
>
>
>
>The Museum of Bucovina Jewry should tell about the phenomenon of
>Bucovina Jewry, its appearance, flourishing and start of its
>artificial suppression by Soviet authorities in 1939. This will be
>the first part of the museum.
>
>The second part will be devoted to the deportation of hundreds Jews
>by Soviets in May 1941.
>
>The third part will be devoted to the Holocaust.
>
>The fourth part will be devoted to the after-war period: 1) stories
>of Bucovinian Jews and newcomers, 2) Bucovinian Diaspora - escape
>and emigration, settlement throughout the world and decline of
>phenomenon "Bucovina Jewry".
>
>
>
>
>Each part of the future museum has its enthusiasts and sponsors.
>
>
>For the exhibition planned to be opened in summer one of the walls
>was supposed to be devoted to the beginning of Diaspora, now it is
>reconsidered to be for deportation and begin of Holocaust. The
>exposition will be made from removable plates.
>
>
>
>Would you like to participate in creation of this wall devoted to
>the Holocaust?
>
>
>
>
>
>Please let me know if there are some questions I can help you with.
>
>
>
>Thank you very much,
>
>Anna Lenchovska


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Received on 2008-04-03 12:49:46