Happy Birthday, Hedwig!

Eine Weltbürgerin wurde Fünfundneunzig

Seit einunddreißig Jahren lebt sie in Israel, seit einunddreißig Jahren ist sie eine dankbare Bürgerin des Landes. Ich spreche von Hedwig Brenner, der Czernowitzerin. Heute feierte sie ihren 95. Geburtstag in Haifa.

Sie alle kennen Hedwig Brenner, die Schriftstellerin. In ihrer Geburtsstadt Czernowitz liefen ihr seinerzeit so en passant Ninon Hesse, Paul Celan und andere über den Weg und vor Jahren entdeckte sie Jüdische Künstlerinnen in der ganzen Welt und vereinte ihre Lebensschicksale und ihre Kunst in vier Lexika. Spät wurde sie Schriftstellerin. Familienbiographien entstanden und die bereits genannten Lexika „Jüdische Frauen in der Bildenden Kunst“. Für diese unkonventionellen Lexika bekam Hedwig Brenner 2012 das Bundesverdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland verliehen und das Österreichische Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst. In diesen Tagen erscheint in Konstanz das 5. Lexikon der bereits erwähnten Reihe „Jüdische Frauen in der Bildenden Kunst“.

Der strahlenden Persönlichkeit und Weltbürgerin wünsche ich noch viele gesunde, interessante, ideenreiche und mit der Welt verkabelte Jahre in ihrer dritten Heimat!

Christel Wollmann-Fiedler
27. September 2013

From Shula Klinger – Please Translate

Ms. Klinger sends us the front of a postcard. Two versions are posted below: The original and one that I tried to enhance the script on the left side of the card. I include the original in case someone has better tools than I for bringing up the faded script on the left. She would very much like the translation of the left side. Can you help?

Jerome

Joseph Schmidt- 110 birth anniversary in Berlin

From Hedwig Brenner:

Hi, I got this poster about Josef Schmidt and Czernowitz.from Leonid Flyderman, born in Czernowitz and a researcher about Josef Schmidt. He presented his research also last year in Vienna.. May be some members of the list will be at this time in Berlin, I am sorry, I could not be there, I will be, I hope, 3 to 10 November, to present my new book, the 5.Volume of the Lexicon”Jewish Women in Visual Arts” in some galleries and the Bauhaus.

Hatima Tova

Hedwig

International Conference in Czernowitz: Literature • Culture • Civil Society

PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE!

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A PDF VERSION OF THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM!

Organization and Scientific Convenorship:
Dr. Markus Winkler – Lecturing Desk for German Studies Al. I. Cuza University Iași

Wall Paintings in the “Groisse Shil” • Courtesy: Marion Tauschwitz

Cultural Center “GEDANKENDACH” in Czernowitz

Die Architekten

Ein Haus aus Phantasie
Gedankendach
Nicht
Wörter aus Silbenschaum
Frühling der mit Farben
um dich wirbt
die Schlagader des Sommers
in deinem Ohr
für dich blutet der Herbst
Erfinder des Winters so weiß
ist deine Einbildungskraft
Ja es gibt sie noch
Erbauer immaterieller Wohnungen
hinter Beton und Stein
errichten sie den Raum
für uns alle.

(Rose Ausländer)

Anny’s New Year’s Message

MY PICTURE FROM ISRAEL, ONE WEEK IN MY LIFE.

HISTORY: After WWI the world said never again. They created the League of Nation, what was done there was unimportant for, 20years later, we had WWII after which the United Nations was created. The only difference I can see between those two is that in 1948 they agreed to accept Israel as a State and thus have created the country which, whatever happens anywhere, the fault for all evil and wars have now a name and address – Revolution in Egypt – unrest in Syria – all this is caused by ISRAEL/the Jews who don’t agree to sign a peace treaty with the Palestinians which would solve all the Middle East and world problems. This is history.

A week, nearly 2 weeks ago / just my near past incredibly cruel pictures were transmitted from Syria more horrid than any ones before like thousands killed daily, a people killing, bombarding, their own but none shook the world so hard as the use of Gas!! We have heard of it before Iran/Iraq – father Assad used it to kill a part of the population he didn’t like but there was no media to report it on real time, not everyone had some camera in their pockets to show it all and there were hundreds of children slayed by GAS!!! Even Hitler didn’t make use of it when all was lost. Really heartbreaking – by the way if you want to know who started the war in Syria, ISRAEL of course!! Anyway, the French were the first to shout ” Bloody murder, unacceptable!” the Brits/Turks/Germans/USA/the Arab League made loud noises. In the Bible when God created the world between one day and the next it’s written ” There was evening there was morning and day 2, And so all these nations demanded action.

We in Israel prepared our gas masks -which by the way we have had for the past 2 years in our gas-shelter, mail delivered for 25 Shekel, but not all Israel is disciplined and arrived “just before Obama’s attack” last Thurs. Fri. latest Sunday. Meanwhile France thought they had shouted too loudly, got scared of their own voices, Cameron went to Parliament and was voted down and the USA had second thought and they still think. Turkey and the Arab League are waiting and I am too. Suppose Yom Kippur and Syria’s “great victory” over Israel, as they call it, is a nice day for another one??

So, I want to wish all our friends in Israel and all those living all over the world SHANA TOVA, Have a Happy, healthy year and do go on writing and reading.
anny

Views on Czernowitz – Views from Chernivtsi

Marion Tauschwitz: “…following traces of Selma’s life I try to breathe as much Czernowitz atmosphere as possible. So yesterday I went to an interesting exhibition: Ansichten of Czernowitz. Young people have started to discover Czernowitz and to claim the town as their heritage: ancient views caught by young people who discover Czernowitz’ history and start being proud of what has been created in Czernowitz. The project started in spring and summer 2013 initiated by “Zentrum Gedankendach” by Oxana Matijchuk, the forum of architectures of Lübeck and the Oead Cooperation Centre of Lemberg. A Jury chose the 16 best motives and they were printed as postcards. The idea is to send the postcards to people all over the world and so transport the spirit of Czernowitz into the world. “Zentrum Gedankendach” and a local journalist documentated the opening exhibition and took interviews and they want to try to offer the film to a German TV station . They asked what I thought about the project – I told them that I am fascinated by the idea and that I think it is time for young people to start to cope with the history of their town. To discover the wealth of the culture that was created by Czernowitzers – especially by the Jewish population. to follow the tragic traces,too. These traces can be found all over the town. Each stones has its story, each “Kanaldeckel” can tell about history. Today I went along former Bischof Hackmen Gasse and discovered “Kanaldeckel” – from Vienna, Rumanian and Sowjet times – lined up in one row. Lined up history….”