Three scores and fifteen years ago, on this date, the lives of the
inhabitants of Czernowitz, my hometown, changed forever. The thirteen years
old Jewish boy may not have fully grasped what was happening on that day,
but the venerable senior of today, whose memory is still functioning, would
like to reminisce with the few survivors of his generation now dispersed in
many parts of the world.
It came suddenly. Though only a short distance from the former border with
Poland, a country that no longer existed, we lived with the unreal belief
that Romania will maintain its neutrality and will not be drawn into the
war. The radio news on the evening before informed us that the USSR had
given Romania an ultimatum to immediately return Bessarabia, once part of
Czarist Russia. As reparation for the Romanian exploitation of Bessarabia,
Romania was requested to also turn over the Northern Bukovina, including the
provincial capital of Czernowitz.
Throughout the night, there was an endless movement of military and
civilians on the streets, mostly in the direction of the railroad station.
The Romanian presence disappeared almost instantaneously, and red flags
appeared on many buildings. There was sporadic looting in the city, but the
interregnum generally proceeded without violence. (I remember a humorous
incident on the Waaggasse, where an inebriated individual, presumed to have
been a member of the "Hausmeister" cast, was trying to push uphill a barrel
with red wine. Since he made frequent stops to reduce the contents of the
barrel, its integrity was compromised and the gutters were suddenly filled
with red wine).
As the day moved on, Red Army troops started to move into the city. A lonely
Central Asian looking soldier was placed at the corner of Ringplatz and
Herrengasse with a WWI version of a submachine gun on wheels. Trucks with
Red Army soldiers with banners greeting the Liberated Bukovina were
followed by infantry soldiers singing Moskva Moya and Try Tankisty. As the
end of the day approached, communist propaganda units appeared, distributing
printed material in several languages, including Yiddish, and movie
projectors were set up on the Ringplatz. There was a euphoric atmosphere in
the city and the concern about our future had not yet become our primary
preoccupation. Today, seventy-five years later, "vom Winde verweht" in
Atlanta, I cannot help but wonder at the innocence and confusion we
experienced on that balmy June day in Czernowitz.
Alfred (Fred) Schneider
Professor Emeritus
Georgia Tech and MIT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. As a result,
Messages sent to the list are available to the general public within days
of posting.
Please post in "Plain Text" (help available at:
<
http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/PlainText.html>).
To remove your address from this e-list follow the directions at:
<
http://www.it.cornell.edu/services/elist/howto/user/leave.cfm>
To receive assistance for this e-list send an e-mail message to:
<owner-Czernowitz-L_at_list.cornell.edu>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received on 2015-06-29 21:46:00