Re: [Cz-L] Call for Survivors thanks to Popovici!

I have a story to tell.

In 2009 when my sister, husband, nephew and I attended the Popvici ceremony,
we stood tall knowing that we were there because of this generous man and
his family. I had pictures of my grandparents and my mother and held them
against our hearts through the ceremony. Many of the reporters were
intrigued by these pictures and we ended up on the evening news.

My grandfather knew Popovici and his brother. For whatever reasons and
however, my mother and grandparents were spared at the last minute. While my
mother and grandparents were standing in line at the train station for
deportation, Popovici's sister-in-law saw them there. My mother and
grandparents lived in the same building as Popovici's brother and his wife.
She had become fond of my mother who was 16 or 17 at the time. They listened
to music and she did my mother's hair and makeup. Apparently she was very
beautiful! She ran to Popovici and came back immediately with the
authorization papers. They survived until my grandfather was arrested in
1945 by the Russians, falsely accused of crimes and sent to Siberia.

While in Czernowitz in 2009, it was my lifelong mission to obtain his arrest
records and any information I could find about where and when he died. My
mother heard from him in 1951 through a letter that was incredibly smuggled
out of prison to her friend in Bucarest. The letters were written in German
describing every day life in Petropovlosk. He was a pharmacist and worked in
the prison chemical lab. The letters made it to Mom in Israel. All that time
she thought he was dead. After desperately trying to find out about him
through the Red Cross they said he had died. But all that time he was alive,
in prison. You can imagine her reaction. I know my grandmother would have
never left if she knew there was any glimmer of hope that he was alive. By
that time my mother had met my father and was living in Israel. After the 2
letters nothing.

It was always my lifelong dream to find out what happened to him. It all
seemed so ironic to have been spared just to be arrested and sent to prison.

I did find almost everything I wanted. Our adventures in trying to get this
information in Czernowitz in 2009 were a movie in itself. We obtained the
original arrest records that had been sitting in the archives all those
years. The most important thing I wanted to know was when and where he died.
I was finally able to give my mother closure after all those years of
wondering.

The one thing I didn't find out and am still waiting to hear is where he is
buried. Perhaps we will never know, but we were able to say Kadish for him
and give my mother a peace that she never had until she was 85 years-old.

So much of my life as a second generation survivor has been defined by the
fact that my grandparents and mother survived because of Popovici in
addition to my grandfather's arrest and subsequent deportation to Siberia.
If any of it had been different, I wouldn't be alive today!

It's painful to hear the possibility that his benevolence is in some way
tainted. I choose to believe that his humanity was genuine!

That is my mother's story. Her name is Victoria Gedaly, now Victoria Gruber.
She just celebrated her 87th birthday thanks to Popovici.

Best,
Ilana Gordon

On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 9:09 AM, HARDY BREIER <HARDY3_at_bezeqint.net> wrote:

> Our family stayed in town thanks to a Popovici permit.
>
> Hardy
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Emil Hitzig" <emilhg_at_013.net>
> To: "'HARDY BREIER'" <HARDY3_at_bezeqint.net>; "'veni vici'" <
> venivici_at_inbox.com>; "'Czernowitz Genealogy and History'" <
> czernowitz-l_at_list.cornell.edu>
> Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 3:59 PM
> Subject: RE: [Cz-L] Call for Survivors thanks to Popovici!
>
>
>
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This moderated discussion group is for information exchange on the subject of
 Czernowitz and Sadagora Jewish History and Genealogy. The opinions expressed
 in these posts are the opinions of the original poster only and not necessarily
 the opinions of the List Owner, the Webmaster or any other members
 or entities connected with this mailing list. The Czernowitz-L list has
 an associated web site at http://czernowitz.ehpes.com that includes a
 searchable archive of all messages posted to this list. Please post in "Plain
 Text" if possible (help available at:
<http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/PlainText.html>).

To remove your address from this e-list follow the directions at
http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/elist/lyris/leave.html

To receive assistance for this e-list send an e-mail message to:
owner-Czernowitz-L_at_list.cornell.edu
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received on 2011-01-14 14:52:26