Category Archives: Press

Misbehaving Hasidim?

I have taken the liberty of posting here, a post that had been rejected because the moderators closed the original thread. Please feel free to continue the discussion below.JeromeFrom Charles Rosner:(I know that you decided to close this thread, but I believe that the following testimony may still go to the List )Dear Gary,I have ancestors as well from Sadagura as from Wiznitz. And one of my great-grandfathers from Sadagura even decided in his old age, after his second wife died, to travel to Palestine around 1908-10 so as to die in the Holy Land.Personally, I was born in Czernowitz and I live in France: I consider myself as a Jewish-Czernowitzer- Frenchman. And, when a Frenchman, an Israeli or a Jew in general misbehaves to the extent of what the Hassid do in Oman, I feel ashamed.Now, it happens that I travelled via Oman on my way to Czernowitz for the 600-years-celebration, a few days before Rosh Hashanah in 2008. The Hassid arrive there per thousand: just imagine thousands of them in a city smaller than Czernowitz! They own many houses (but certainly not enough accommodation) around the grave of the Tsadik and I can tell you that many of them really misbehave in the city and around.On the same trip I also made a stopover in Odessa: the big synagogue is located on one of the main streets of the city: there were quite some Jews praying when I got inside. I didn’t notice any policemen stationing nearby the building, whereas I saw quite a few of them maintaining order near the Tsadik grave in Oman.I was posted in Ukraine 1996-99 and I consider that things slowly change for the better over there. But, even in 1996, there was a Sholem Haleichem statue downtown in Kiev. This doesn’t mean that there are no Anti-Semites, like in every country all over the World, including France and Israel.This is just to say that there are correct people in every group and others, nationalists and extremists in general, who misbehave with the exception, of course, of the Old-Czernowitzers and their children and grandchildren, who are all and always correct.
Regards,
Charles

Unveiling Ceremony for Eliezer Steinbarg’s Funerary Monument on 08.10.1933

It is sad, children, in this wide giant world.It is bitter! Let’s at least enjoy a fable!

Moshe Altmann Memorial Plate on 23, Kobylanska Street (Herrengasse)

History Museum of the Romanian Jews, Bucharest

Links: Eliezer Steinbarg, Arthur Kolnik, Barbu Lazareanu, Jacob Sternberg, Moshe Altmann, Dr. Shlomo Bickel, Leib Malach

Photos: Courtesy of Edgar Hauster, Irene Fishler, Lydia Schmerler, Sergij Osatschuk, Iosif Vaisman

Dr. Manfred Reifer

“Der Tag” has brought up to “now“ at least 3 critical articals about Reifer’s paper in the Allgemeine Zeitung. On the net I found a French translation, but none English or Hebrew and not the Original. It appeared on September 2, 1933 and was for obvious reasons not very much liked by the Jewish community and probably not preserved by individuals.As there might be important differences (misunderstanding or even bad faith) between the French version and the original I would very much like to read the article as it appeared and also Dr.Reifer’s answers and excuses for it.  Can somebody find this written material from 1933 or later?As Dr.Reifer, one of the prominent Czernowitzer Jews, critically expounded the Jewish role in the rising of Nazi Germany, and that from a  Zionist standpoint – his article being cited up to now by antisemites- it would be nice to have its entire original text for study .Unfortunately my personal connections (one uncle who was second in charge to him at the Keren Hayesod in Cz. and others) that could provide more information are long dead. Does anybody remember the case?Berti

Maccabiah Games 1933 in Czernowitz Banned!

Berti Glaubach: “Reading to-day the critical articles in “Der Tag” I had no premonition about the incumbent banning of the newspaper for a week. On retrospection I understand why the authorities did so. The newspaper points out that the change in official politics –  first allowing and then retracting after a short time – actually shows the government’s weakness. I think it is this very truthful point that really hurt  the authorities, on top of the natural  antisemitic background that created it.The Siguranta would not vouch for the safety of the Jews coming to the Maccabiah. It seams that Mihalache talked to Lord Melchet (president of Maccabi) in London and “convinced” him that to cancel was justified for safety reasons. But “Der Tag” rightfully says: What are you doing, governing or not?Indeed they were not, and all sorts of radicals like the Cuzists and the Garda de Fier could have their say in nearly everything without being punished, except may be when they attacked the Royal Family. Only Antonescu, 7 years later put an end to their freedom, unfortunately after taking ours and worse…”
Links:
http://czernowitzdaily.blogspot.com/
http://ehpes.com/blog1/2011/01/02/prominent-visitor-at-the-turn-of-the-year/