Journey to Cernowitz from Siret (Romania at the Ukranian
border):
Together with a friend from Dorohoi we went with a private car along the
beautiful river Sereth (remember memories of the poet Edgar Hilsenrath ) to the
village Siret and from there to the Ukrainian border. The Romanian customs
needed 45 minutes to finish some cars in a column, the Ukrainian did it in 15
minutes. From there we [went] over very good streets nearly straight forward in
half an hour to Cernowitz. It's only 36 km from the border. For both of us it
was the first journey into Ukraine. We have been surprised of the standard of
new build houses there, it seemed to us to be at least 30 % higher that in
modern Romania. We stayed in Hotel BUKOWINA in the centre, opposite of the
"Volksgarten". The room was all right , the service especially of the breakfast
still remembers on older times.
Prof. Rychlo showed us the [w]hole afternoon and evening the beautiful centre of
Cernowitz, we walked through the typical streets of Cernowitz along [to] the
home of Paul Celan, the Herrengasse with Cafe Wien, the German Volkshaus with
the exhibition of Georg Drozdowski, the Ringplatz, the main Synagogue (now a
cinema and playsaloon [arcade] -- inside a plate of the tenor Josef Schmidt),
the Schiller theater and the Jewish Volkshouse (the entrance contains the stars
of David which have been damaged during the communist period).
We visited also the painter Bronislav Tutelman, he had
exhibited photographs about " Suche nach dem verlorenen Schtetl", he spoke
Ukrainian and Yiddish -- the difficulty to be a Jewish artist , and his not easy
life. From 78 synagogues only one is left and more or less functioning.
In the evening Prof. Rychlo showed us a Huzulic restaurant
where we eat very well -- he has an extreme knowledge of the writers of Bukowina
(he published recently an anthology: "Die verlorene Harfe". [A] new book
about Bukowinian write[r]s appears soon called Bukowina"- Europa series from
WieserVerlag Klagenfurt, it is published also from him.
On the next day we visited Josef Burg, the last Yiddish
writer, he is already 92 and listened to his memories, he also read a story in
Yiddish and showed us his "Cernowitzer Blätter" . He still has a lot of jokes,
[At] 82 he had been invited in Köln, Germany, there he told to the reporter- we
Jews read from right to left, so I am 28 years old. Now he said, I am 29 !
He got from the government a pension of 34 US $ !
Very near to the Ringplatz is the Jewish school, [It] is
supported from Switzerland through R.Guggenheim. It gave us an excellent
impression, there are about 300 pupils, more than half are Jewish. They are very
proud of the Hebraic classroom and also the computer room, where every pupil has
his own computer. They also got already a lot of [prizes].
In the afternoon we visited the Jewish cemetery of Cernowitz.
Compared to other cemeteries we have seen in southern Bukowina we have been
surprised about the condition , the entrance hall has been damaged, [and] it
wasn't possible to walk through the lanes beside the main way etc.
We went back to the town and tried again the Huzulic
restaurant, without the help of Prof. Rychlo. The menu was only Ukrainian,
nobody spoke a different language than Ukrainian. It was only possible for us to
order salad, bread and a glass of beer .
In the evening Prof. Rychlo invited us to the Cafe Wien, where
a performance of "Todesfuge" from Paul Celan took place. Olexandre Masan
presented with a few actors there a new film about this poem. [Among] the guests
have been the VIP of the Jewish community. I could present them my book" Die
sprechenden Steine von Siret". They have been very impressed about that cemetery
, also [it] is only half an hour from Cernowitz, but in Romania. They are trying
now to bring out a book about their cemetery and hope to restore the cemetery as
well.
On the next morning we wake up very early, hundreds of raven
were crying at the Volksgarten. We went to Sadagora, passing the old town of
Cernowitz again, went along the railway station,crossing the river Pruth and
entered soon the village Sadagora. That is really a beautiful village with lot
of flowering trees mainly red chestnuts, to see the Jewish cemetery. You feel in
this village still the atmosphere of the "Wunderrabbi Friedman". The cemetery is
beautifully preserved.
The artist B. Tutelman told us [the] day before he went to
N.Y. to visit his son and entered a big warehouse, but he could speak only
Ukrainian. Nobody did understand him, [so] he tried in Yiddish, the same
happened, then he [said], I am from Cernowitz , nobody again look at him, at
last he said "Sadagora"- immediately a lot of people surrounded him.
After two and a half day we were glad to find so beautiful and
stimulating people there , we will never forget the days in Cernowitz. From
there we went back to Siret again, staying less time at the border .