RE: [Cz-L] My Family -- help

Thanks, Jacob. (my son is Jacob, BTW) One more question, please. I have
heard about Galicia all my life. I am not sure what this means in
relationship to Bessarabia and Bukovina. Can someone explain this to me.
Also, my grandmother's name, which was changed to Brooks, was Brochsmeyer,
Brachsmeir, or Broxmire, or something like that. If someone would know how
it would have been spelled, that would be great if you can let me know.

Thanks, Marsha

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-80187345-45352624_at_list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-80187345-45352624_at_list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Jacob
Greenberg
Sent: Monday, April 08, 2013 5:59 AM
To: marsha spellman
Cc: czernowitz-l_at_list.cornell.edu
Subject: Re: [Cz-L] My Family -- help

Hi Marsha,

I grew up in Czernovtsy during the Soviet times. The city is remarkably
beautiful and poetic, a fine example of Austro-Hungarian architecture. I
visited it in 2006 and felt that it's became somewhat dormant and even more
provincial since the Jews left and its population changed. The city has been
following a path of a steady cultural and social decline since WWI when
Austo-Hungarian Empire ceased to exist.

My father was born in Bukovina, my mother was born in Bessarabia (that's
apparently where your grandfather was from). I was brought up by a
grandmother who was born in Romania but married a man from Bukovina.I also
had uncles and aunts from a similar mixed background.

There was a significant cultural difference between the 2 areas. People born
in Bukovina spoke German and had European upbringing and education while
Bessarabians where gregarious, loud people who spoke Yiddish and Romanian
(the older Generation also spoke Russian).
Bukoviners ate small meals in moderation while Bessarabians were more likely
to invite people to their Romanian-style feasts. This is, of course, a
generalisation but I am trying to convey my individual impressions. There
will be List members who may disagree with my opinion.

Both sides of my family were reasonably wealthy and educated before the war
but the difference was still noticeable well into the Soviet times.
"Bukoviners" looked down at Bessarabians but, eventually, the Bukovina-born
people in my family started to speak Yiddish too and were somewhat overtaken
by the optimism and vitalisty of the Bessarabian Jews who became a majority
in Chernovtsy until the great exodus of 1970-1990s when most Jews left the
city for good.

Serah Kraft

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Received on 2013-04-08 21:46:11