5-13-08
Dear Miriam and members of the CZ List,
I do like your suggestions and whichever way you wish to go regarding the name of the city (in one or all three of the languages you indicated), would be fine. I read your email of 5/11/08 titled "My personal memories of the early WW2 years and the Popovici permits". You touched my heart with your personal account of events and obviously your historical perspective is based on personal experience and therefore a significant contribution.
Miriam, there is a slight difference between the inscription I wrote and the way you presented it in your below email to the List, that I would like to clarify. The wording "Dedicated to Traian Popovici (1892-1946), who lived in this house" should be the header and be on line one, with no period after the word "house", to be read as follows:
Dedicated to Traian Popovici (1892-1946), who lived in this house
In 1941, while mayor of Czernowitz (or Cernauti or Chernivtsi), saved 20,000 Jews from deportation to Transnistria and almost certain death. In grateful remembrance by those
rescued, their descendants and humanity.
I envision equal spacing before the word "Dedication" and after the word "house".
I have, per your suggestion, removed the word "over" ("saved over 20,000 Jews") to "saved 20,000 Jews".
With regard to the wording "...who lived in this house", I had stated in my previous email "Obviously, if the plaque were to be mounted on or in a location other than the house in which Mr. Popovici lived, the wording ",...who lived in this house", would be omitted"
.
In addition, if Mr. Popovici's house is not located within the CZ city limits and the plaque is to be mounted on his house, then a reference to "as Mayor of this city or "as Mayor of our city", would be inaccurate.
Miriam, could you kindly tell me whether Mr. Popovici's house is located within the CZ City limits?
Finally, to include the wording "FROM THE JEWS OF CZERNOWITZ", could be a turn off to non-Jews, especially Ukranians. That is why I preferred the wording "In grateful remembrance by those rescued, their descendants and humanity". I think that most everyone is concerned about offending the Ukranians, particularly since they are sensitized by the role they played in the Holocaust and may take "FROM THE JEWS OF CZERNOWITZ" as guilt being thrown in their face by the survvivors and descendants. By including the word "humanity", all peoples (including Ukranians)are given equal opportunity to be inclusive.
In any event, that is my two cents worth!
Thanks, Miriam.
Gary Rogovin
-------------- Original message from Miriam Taylor <mirtaylo_at_indiana.edu>: --------------
> Miriam (Mimi) Taylor
>
>
> Let me put Gary's suggested inscription into the same format
> as the other suggestions and reprint all of them here below,
> for easy comparison.
> Then let us also consider the problem of Czernowitz-Cernauti-Chernivtsi.
>
> Gabrielle and Berti do not mention the name of the city
> in their suggested inscriptions, therefore one problem less.
> In the inscriptions suggested by Hardy, Garry and me, we could change
> MAYOR OF CZERNOWITZ, to MAYOR OF THIS CITY, one letter less and avoids the
> name problem. After all he was the mayor of Cernauti and not of Czernowitz.
> In both Hardy's and my suggested inscriptions, FROM THE JEWS OF CZERNOWITZ,
> could be changed to Chernivtsi in Ukrainian, Cernauti in Romanian and left
> as Czernowitz in English. That is if the city administration agrees.
>
> One more thing: The number of people to whom he issued permits was 4000,
> he was instrumental in Calutescu handing out 15600 permits. In most accounts
> these two numbers are combined and rounded up to 20 000. I have already
> been questioned about the accurate number of those saved, I suggest that if
> we adopt Berti's suggestion, we change the MORE THAN 20 000 to 20 000.
>
> Mimi
>
>
> From Garry:
> ------------------------------------------
>
> DEDICATED TO TRAIAN POPOVICI (1892-1946)
> WHO LIVED IN THIS HOUSE IN 1941,
> WHILE MAYOR OF CERNAUTI, HE SAVED 20,000 JEWS
> FROM DEPORTATION TO TRANSNISTRIA
> AND ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH.
> IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE BY THOSE RESCUED,
> THEIR DESCENDANTS AND HUMANITY
> -------------------------------------------
>
> From Hardy:
> --------------------------------------------
> HERE LIVED TRAIAN POPOVICI (1892 - 1946)
> IN 1941 AS MAYOR OF CZERNOWITZ, HE SAVED
> 20 000 JEWS FROM DEPORTATION TO TRANSNISTRIA.
> TO HIS MEMORY FROM THE JEWS OF CZERNOWITZ
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> From Gabriele:
> ------------------------------
> TRAIAN POPOVICI
> RIGHTEOUS AMONG NATIONS
> HE SAVED THE LIVES OF 20 000
> MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN
> ------------------------------
>
> From Berti:
> ------------------------------------------
> IN THIS HOUSE LIVED TRAIAN POPOVICI(1892-1946).
> AS MAYOR OF OUR CITY, DURING WORLD WAR TWO, HE
> SAVED MORE THAN 20 000 JEWS FROM BEING DEPORTED
> TO TRANSNISTRIA AND PROBABLE DEATH
> IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE FROM THOSE HE SAVED,
> THEIR DESCENDANTSAND ALL WHO CARE.
> -----------------------------------------
>
> From Mimi:
> ----------------------------------------
> HERE LIVED TRAIAN POPOVICI (1892-1946)
> IN 1941, AS MAYOR OF CZERNOWITZ,
> HE SAVED 20 000 JEWS FROM DEPORTATION
> TO TRANSNISTRIA AND PROBABLE DEATH.
> IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE,
> FROM THE JEWS OF CZERNOWITZ.
> ----------------------------------------
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Received on 2008-05-14 05:49:50
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