[Cz-L] For travelers to Chernivtsi

Recently, a number of new members to the list, have asked
about travel to Chernivtsi. As one who has visited Chernivtsi,
3 times in the last 4 years, I would like to make some general comments.

Before returning for the first time to the town of my birth,
I was very hesitant and worried. I feared the inconveniences of traveling
and staying in an undeveloped country and I knew that I would not be able
to cope with the smallest incident of Anti-Semitism. Three different members
of this list, who had visited Chernivtsi in recent years, reassured me, that
the physical inconveniences were manageable and that they had not
encountered any expressions of anti-Semitism.

They were right;
Hotels in Chernivtsi are not as well equipped as medium price-range hotels
in the US or Western Europe, the roads are in poor condition, the choice of
food in the restaurants is different. BUT, the hotels are clean, the service
is good, the elevators work, there is hot water and electricity at all
times, taxi drivers do not attempt to cheat you and the food is good and
clean. No one asked for bribes, or indicated that they were expected.
Most important, the people are friendly and glad to help.
Younger people generally speak English and at no time and on no occasion
did I, or anyone I know, encounter any Anti-Semitism.

To illustrate what I mean, I would like to tell of some incidents which
happened to me during various visits to Chernivtsi and surroundings.

On my first visit, my husband and I went to a new restaurant in the town of
Wiznitz, which our guide thought we would like. The food was indeed very
good and the price very reasonable by American standards. When my husband
paid the bill, he also left a tip for the waitress who had served us. To our
surprise, she would not accept the tip. When asked why she would not accept
it, she replied, that the owners had charged us more than they would have
charged local people and therefore she could not accept our tip.

On my last visit, for the Czernowitz 2006 Reunion, it was my responsibility
to pay the hotel Cheremosh for the use of conference rooms, services of a
tour guide and the restaurant for a small party. At one point, I was not
sure whether I had paid all of them in full, so I asked all three people
whom I was supposed to pay, whether I had done so. All replied that indeed,
I had paid them in full. I had no receipts and no proof that I had paid, yet
no one tried to cheat me.

Many of us, who were in Chernivtsi for the reunion, also went to neighboring
villages. In order to do so, we made arrangements with drivers and
translators, who would accompany us. To the best of my knowledge, none of
us, had anything but good experiences with both drivers and translators.
In my case, we wanted to extend our tour. We calculated how much were paying
the driver and the guide on an hourly basis, agreed to pay them accordingly
for the extra time and it was all done to the satisfaction of all of us.

During this last visit, I also wanted to see the interior of what had been
my grandparents' factory. The building is now used by the dept. of medicine
of the university. My previous visits to Chernivtsi had been during
university vacations, when the building was locked. On my first attempt to
visit the building this time, the building was open, but since classes were
in session, the caretaker asked me to return the next day after 5:00 PM when
she would show me the interior. When I returned the next day, she showed me
the whole building, was very friendly and helpful, pleased to see a
photograph of the building from 1938, I had brought with me.

In the village of Davidivka (Davideni), the people living in the house in
which my grandfather was born, invited me in to the house, showed me around
and gave me a glass of milk from their cow. This milk, not homogenized, not
pasteurized, was the best milk I have had in a long time.

Walking in the vicinity of the house in which I had lived as a child,
I tried to find the steep street, on which we used to sled as children.
I stopped a teenage girl and asked her whether she spoke English.
She did and went with me to the street I was looking for. Later she also
showed me the building which I remember as the Putzerei and which had a
smoke stack tall enough to be seen from far. We then spent about 10-15
minutes talking about Chernivtsi and Czernowitz.

Apparently, the current inhabitants of the city, are just as proud and
pleased to be living in it, as we were. They are aware that much needs
to be done, to restore buildings and streets and to modernize the
infrastructure.

Possibly the most telling occurrence was when a group of us visited the
Toynbe Halle. The building now belongs to the "Sabotniki" A Christian
denomination akin to the Seven Day Adventists. It was a Saturday and the
building was full of worshipers for the Sabbath services.

When the head of the church was informed of our presence, he showed us
the whole building, everything we wanted to see, was interested to talk
to us and asked if we would allow him to pray for us in our presence.
We agreed and I remembered the Sabotniki peasant woman, who brought my
family food during the war, and once broke down and cried:
What do they want of you poor Jews?

There are currently about 3000 Jews living in Chernivtsi.
They do have a community organization, a Jewish school and some help for
elderly people in need.

Shavua Tov,

Mimi
         
Received on 2007-01-13 17:31:01