Re: [Cz-L] Request for testimonies

Hello Florence, friends,

I had no personal direct evidence about the piecemeal work of the status of=
 
different streets changing from Ghetto to non Ghetto, but hearing it from=
 
other people it makes sense and also I remember talk about it at the time.=
 
The authorities, in those last days of the Ghetto would let the population=
 
that had already received authorizations, leave for the rest of the town,=
 
while deporting the others to Transnistria. Some specific streets might hav=
e
been closed for that purpose and then opened again.

What certainly happened was that about half time of its short existence-
sometime in October 1941- the Ghetto was divided in its surface - all the=
 
region of the Western side of the Hauptstrasse (Regele Ferdinand) now
Golovna was declared non Ghetto and we had to move to the eastern part. Fro=
m
there then the deportation started, and from there those who received
authorization to stay in town, returned to their homes. Later most of us ha=
d
to move again into the now Jewish Quarter (again on both sides of the
Hauptstrasse) because their apartments were requisitioned by Rumanian
functionaries who came with their families from the regat and who wanted th=
e
living space. There were no evacuations from the Jewish Quarter for that
purpose. I moved with my family in all these cases first into, then in the=
 
Ghetto proper, and then from the now dissolved Ghetto back to our flat (nea=
r
the university) and in September 1942 (when the new chief of the fireman
brigade Mr Popescu took our flat) back into the original Ghetto now called=
 
Jewish Quarter.

The Ghetto period proper lasted about one month. The "Jewish Quarter" perio=
d
up to spring 1944 when the Red Army freed us. There were a few Rumanian
families who lived there, and probably more Ruthenians (Ucrainians). The
Rumanian town population had left in 1940 to the regat and those who
returned in 1941/2 preferred the up-town regions. In the house on Mehlplatz=
 
corner Stefaniegasse were I stayed with my parents at my aunt's, out of 42=
 
apartments only one was occupied by a Rumanian family (who had not lived
there before) and another by the Ucrainian genitor who had not left at all=
 
during all the changes.

Hardy is right about the gate at the Mehlplatz, it was under our nose at th=
e
entrance to the Stefaniegasse - and lasted until the Jews were obliged to=
 
move into the eastern part. There might have been other checkpoints too. Th=
e
one on the Mehlplatz (Piata Daciei) was easily circumvented by anyone
knowledgeable about the town. We just passed through the court of house
Stefaniegasse 1 through the Stangerische Schiel (prayer house) into Padini=
 
and then Franzensgasse. Christian friends, or dealers came to visit the sam=
e
way. It was clear that the Rumanians considered the Ghetto as a very
temporary measure mainly for the deportations and immediately after those=
 
had the partitions torn down.

The yellow Magen David Star to be worn on the left above the heart was a l=
 
development after the Ghetto and while at the beginning being implemented=
 
with strictness was during the years less and less imposed - although the=
 
order to wear it was never officially retracted the authorities ceased to=
 
check for it sometimes in 1943.

Berti






--------------------------------------------------
From: "florence heymann" <floheymann_at_hotmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:12 PM
To: <czernowitz-l_at_cornell.edu>
Subject: [Cz-L] Request for testimonies

> Dear friends of the list,
> I am writing just now an article for a French review about the Jews which=
 
> remained during all the war in Czernowitz.
> I speak for several weeks with a wonderful lady, more than 90 years old.=
 
> She remained during all the period in Czernowitz and we speak a lot about=
 
> the daily life during these years (June 1940 - June 1941, then June 1941 =
-
> May 1944).
> I would have a general request and two more precise ones.
> The general request: I would be very interested by all the testimonies or=
 
> memories of the period, especially as regards personal stories or
> anecdotes.
> The specific requests; The lady told me that the limits of the ghetto
> changed each time the Romanian authorities had succeeded in evacuating th=
e
> Jews of a street to send them in Transnistria. At this moment, the wood=
 
> fence of the ghetto was moved to the next street. Somebody knows about
> this fact?
> My informer also said to me that, in the perimeter of the ghetto, not onl=
y
> Jews remained. For example, she had a Rumanian neighbor. On this question=
 
> also, I would have liked to have other testimonies.
> I will be obviously very interested to receive all possible memories on=
 
> this period.
> I thank you so much in advance.
> Dr. Florence Heymann
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Received on 2009-06-12 07:15:02