As one who just came back from Chernivtsi, I would like to add
to what Ilana wrote:
I am hyper-sensitive to Anti-Semitism, but in observing the current
situation, I am observant and totally objective. This is what I observed
and heard while in Chernivtsi between August 11th and 18th:
Currently, just like last year, SVIT Ukraine is holding a work-camp to clear
the Jewish cemetery of sapling trees and climbing creeping plants.
None of the participants in this year's work-camp are Jewish. Three of
the participants of last year's work-camp have returned to this year's
work-camp. One of them is American, one is German and one is a local
Ukrainian girl. In addition, this year the participants include another
Ukrainian girl, another German, also a Polish, a Czech a Croatian, a
Japanese and a Norwegian volunteer.
During my stay, I never encountered any Anti-Semitism directed or expressed
towards me. By now, I have a number of non-Jewish friends and acquaintances
in Chernivtsi, they all welcomed me and are eager to help me with the
cemetery projects. A young non-Jewish man whom I contacted because he had
taken photographs at the Jewish cemetery, agreed to take more photographs
for me as needed.
During my stay in Chernivtsi I met three people from the Holocaust Museum
in Washington DC. They were on a research trip to observe the official
memorials of Jewish culture and heritage in various cities in the Ukraine.
According to what they told me there are many more such reminders in
Chernivtsi than in the other cities they had visited.
This reminds me that Natalya Shevshenko asked me to ask members of the list
if anyone knows the address at which Josef Schmidt lived in Czernowitz.
I believe this to be at #4 Karolinengasse, but would appreciate it if anyone
can confirm this.
On the negative side, on the wall next to the Paul Celan memorial, someone
has painted a Swastika. I do not know how long it has been there.
Mimi
On 8/21/09 2:37 PM, "Ilana Gordon" <ilana_at_wordwizardsinc.com> wrote:
> RE: Romanian Holocuast
>
> All,
>
> I had written this in response to Hegma's thoughts a while ago and just
> found it. Please excuse the delay in sending but I wanted to share.
>
> I've been reading passionately your thoughts and messages regarding this
> issue. After my visit to Czernowitz in April, I came away with some
> resolutions that I never expected. As a second generation survivor, the
> title has always driven me to try to understand the part of human nature
> that allowed these horrific events to occur and to somehow understand why
> this happened. My second generation status also made me understand my role
> which is to pass on the stories so the world will never forget!!!! I always
> told myself and my children that if it hadn't happened I wouldn't exist!
> I've tried to reconcile that with my love for the Jewish tradition and
> religion. How could God allow this to happen? I've gained strength from my
> parents who survived to tell and taught me how to live!
>
> As a result, the search for information finally brought me to Czernowitz
> where I forced myself upon folks living in my mother's home. I met some
> incredible people who say they were never taught about the Holocaust under
> the Soviet Regime and to this day don't really understand the repercussions
> of that terrible episode in human history.
>
> The non Jews that I met in the Ukraine are a different generation. I found
> myself feeling sorry for them because they were stripped of their
> connections to their land and community. All the the people I met in
> Czernowitz were born there but not from there. Their parents were relocated
> from somewhere else and they were envious of my connection to and family
> history with Czernowtiz. Imagine!!!!
>
> My mother and her family suffered in Czernowitz but survived and now I find
> myself in search of information about my grandfather who was sent away to
> Siberia after surviving the war. I spent much of my time in Czernowitz
> trying to get information from the authorities (almost 70-year old
> information) about why and where and the oddest circumstance is that the
> local authorities are still hiding the crimes of their past. It has taken
> almost a year and a trip to CZ to get it.
>
> My grandfather's file was part of the pile that was "rehabilitated." One
> authority actually told me he wasn't guilty and was exonerated!
>
> We visited Lvov (my father's home town) as well and had the same experience=
> s
> with the present generation. They all say they were ignorant until recently
> about the real events of the Holocaust. Some still choose to keep their
> heads in the sand and others' thirst for information.
>
> Cora's analogy makes so much sense! But without the Jews as scapegoats ther=
> e
> will be others who suffer. When we were in Budapest, the papers were filled
> with new incidences of hate crimes against the gypsies. I had a weird
> feeling that history was repeating itself.
>
> I have been fortunate to make the acquaintance of Zoya Danilovich and her
> friend Lydia who works in the archives and who have helped me find the
> information that I have been searching for. They are representatives that
> new generation. And with the advice of another new friend from the National
> Holocaust Museum have retraced the events of my grandfather's arrest. It's
> amazing that the files still exist but are still held in secrecy. My
> constant vigilance led to my success!
>
> But it has led me to believe that there are still many who don't understand
> or know the real truth even at this time in history. While on our trip to
> Czernowitz and Lvov we enlightened a few and hopefully those few will tell
> others and the real history will trickle down to a larger populace.
>
> I too believe that constant vigilance is the only way.
>
> Ilana Gordon
>
>
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Received on 2009-08-22 14:56:16
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