[Cz-L] my thoughts on the proposed Popovici memorial

Hello all,

I would like to "throw my two cents in" about this matter, so I hope you
don't mind.

Let me first ask, "what is the purpose of this memorial?" and "who will be
the 'audience' for this memorial, i.e. who do we want to see it?" Let's also
project into the future.

My understanding is that we wish to honor this man who saved the lives of
25,000 Czernowitz Jews. This is a man who certainly deserves a great honor
such as a memorial, some sixty years after the end of World War II. We would
wish that a permanent memorial be created and placed in plain sight for all
to see.
"Who is the audience?" We might say the audience is everybody who is
interested in the history of World War II, in the history of Czernowitz in
general, and/or the history of the Jews who once lived in Czernowitz.

Creating a plaque/memorial in material form that can be displayed proudly in
Czernowitz would be a positive step in honoring this man, as long as it is
readily accessible to all and its presence is made known to the public--so
of course publicity about any memorial that is created should be offered to
any segment of society that might have the opportunity to visit such a
memorial. This memorial will be visited, most likely, more by Czernowitzers
than by any other group, especially after the 600 year Czernowitz
celebration. Most of us on the Cz-L list will never visit Czernowitz. and
thus we will have to be content with seeing a photo of it, with description,
on the Cz-L site or elsewhere.

What material should the plaque be made of? I don't think that the group can
raise enough money to pay for a very expensive memorial, as has been
suggested. Perhaps years ago when more native Czernowitzers were alive, you
would have gladly been sent such monies to hire a sculptor, etc. I don't
believe that today there are enough people who can or who would be willing
to contribute a decent sum to pay for such a memorial. In the absence of
such a memorial, I would like to see something less expensive, less
"permanent," per se. We must surely consider the expense of a memorial, but
also, isn't it possible that in the future we may learn more about this man,
or perhaps we might decide a year later or so, that we might like to add
this bit of information or take away that? If we go the less expensive (but
tasteful) route now, we can always decide to replace this less expensive
plaque with an updated one, or we may decide to pay for a more expensive
plaque somewhere "down the line." Something to think about.

Saying all this, and not just because I'm creating an online Czernowitz
exhibition, I must suggest that the creation of an online Popovici memorial,
such as the one Jerome is proposing and working on, is a very good idea. I
think that his idea of creating a memorial on his Cz-L site, and perhaps my
creating one too, is a very good idea. Cost is not a factor in this, as
there is no cost involved. Creating such an online memorial is far less
complicated or involved that what has originally been proposed. Anyone
throughout the world, with a computer and the knowledge that such a memorial
(or Jewish Czernowitz exhibition for that matter) exists, will be able to
see our tribute to this fine man. Any online memorial may be changed too,
even at a moment's notice, if some new bit of information is learned, etc.

While having a memorial of some material in Czernowitz is a good idea and
I'd be in favor of it, the best way to disseminate information about Traian
Popovici and the way we feel about him is via the Internet. I know that some
will question the intrinsic value or permanence of anything on any site that
lives in cyberspace, that having a 'real' memorial affixed to a wall is far
more valuable, this shouldn't dissuade us from considering the creation of
both. In my humble opinion, I know that it might be hard to believe, more
people will see a Popovici memorial over time online, than will visit the
memorial in, for example, a Czernowitz museum--especially after the 600 year
celebration. I speak especially about the Jewish population of the world,
most of whom will only get to see such a memorial (or Jewish Czernowitz
exhibition) online.


Just my two cents. Does anyone agree or disagree with me?


Best,
Steven Lasky
New York
www.museumoffamilyhistory.com
steve_at_museumoffamilyhistory.com
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Received on 2008-06-07 13:32:07