Re: [Cz-L] Poetry on the Herrengasse and the Jewish Museum in Chernivtsi

I grew up in the USA and have not ever visited Czernowitz. My mother,
Pearl Spiegel Fichman, did grow up there and her writings about that
period of her life (1920-47) are familiar to some of you. She said that
when she visited Germany to be at the opening of a play she
participated in, a play based on Selma Meerbaum Eisinger's life and
writing, she found the German people she met very kind, gracious and
welcoming. These were shockingly forgiving words for me to hear from
her lips, since she and my father had told me stories about
anti-Semitism in Europe over all the years our lives overlapped. My
mother said of the German people she met on that trip, "Those were not
the people that hurt us."

Eytan

Eytan Fichman, AIA
B.Arch., M.Arch., Ed.M.
Hai Phong, Viet Nam

-----Original Message-----
From: Miriam Taylor <mirtaylo_at_indiana.edu>
To: Yefim Rabinovich <yefim.rabinovich_at_thomsonreuters.com>; fred love
<fredhotman_at_yahoo.com>; cornel fleming <cornel.fleming_at_virgin.net>;
HARDY BREIER <HARDY3_at_BEZEQINT.NET>; irene.silverblatt_at_duke.edu; E. & G.
Weissmann <EGWeissmann_at_gmx.net>
Cc: Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu <Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu>
Sent: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 9:15 pm
Subject: Re: [Cz-L] Poetry on the Herrengasse and the Jewish Museum in
Chernivtsi

Yefim,

You left Czernowitz more than 30 years ago.
65 years ago, I too was called by a child living close to where I lived,
"Parsheve Zjid". I beat her up, even though I was younger than she. I
have
a crying fit whenever I am reminded of the Yellow star we had to wear.

If you talk to most Europeans, you will find that everyone harbors
resentment against their neighbours. The Norwegians think that they were
taken advantage of by the Swedes. The English mistrust the French. The
Romanians resent the Hungarians and discriminate against the Poles.
The Scottish have not forgiven the English for killing Mary queen of
Scotts.

In view of the Jewish recent history, I understand and share our general
fear and mistrust, but I also react to people as I find them. I do not
look
at facts through rosy glasses, but also not through grey - yellow green
ones.

I can only judge people by my experiences with them.
Both in Czernowitz as well as in a number of surrounding villages,
Ukrainians have invited me into their homes, when they knew that I was
Jewish, had come to visit the houses in which I, or my ancestors once
lived
in, and treated me very decently. Not once have I experienced anything
hinting even vaguely at anti-Semitism.

I will be away from home for the next few days, therefore I ask that you
please do not send me any more mail about this topic, so that my mailbox
does not become overfilled.

Shabbat Shalom u-menucha,

Mimi
-snip-
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Received on 2010-10-08 05:45:48