Wow- Brilliant! Just like being there - thanks for capturing this for us Edgar! jerome Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 24, 2025, at 03:37, Edgar Hauster <[email protected]> wrote: > > Czernowitzers... > > A new edition of “Die Stimme”, the monthly Newsletter for the Bukovinians, > was published on 01-JUN-1955. Let's take a journey into the past together to > comprehend what moved our ancestors, their relatives and friends back then! > > I usually only present excerpts from articles from “Die Stimme” to you. This > time and perfect for the holidays and the end of the year it's different, > because in his article “JUDENGASSE IN CZERNOWITZ - A PICTURE FROM A BYGONE > ERA,” Prof. Dr. Hermann Sternberg describes the Jewish quarter of Czernowitz > so vividly that it would be a pity to shorten the article by a single word: > > “Sometimes we revel in memories. There are many things we would like to > forget but unfortunately cannot, but there are also things we like to recall > - perhaps out of self-love, because they are a part of ourselves. Who doesn't > like to think back to the place where their childhood made its first lasting > impressions? The Bukovinian, whose cradle stood in old Czernowitz around the > turn of the century, keeps in his heart the treasure of memories of the > quaint little town, which only later, in the space of a few years, became in > his eyes a Little Vienna with the arrival of water pipes, sanitary > facilities, electricity, paved streets, parks, and new public and private > buildings. Long before Italian laborers dug up the streets to lay water and > sewer pipes, there was a fountain that supplied water to the Jewish quarter. > It stood, as was to be expected, on Fountain Square, which retained its name > long after the fountain was gone. The Jews had a different name for the > square. They called it the ‘Ham.’ (The wheels of carts had to be braked > because the road was very steep at this point). The fountain, unknown to the > younger generation, was a landmark of the city. A mighty metal structure with > four spouts rose from a circular, enclosed basin, from which water flowed > continuously. The Jewish water carriers stood there with their large barrels > on wheels, which were pulled by a horse. The water was channeled into the > barrel via a long wooden gutter. Once it was full, it drove noisily through > the surrounding alleys, and the water carrier had to hurry to fulfill the > wishes of the impatient housewives. In return, however, he received a warm > snack in the kitchen, especially during severe frosts. In front of the > fountain, there was always a city guard, usually a Ruthenian - never a Jew. > The poor man was engaged in a hopeless struggle against all kinds of > miscreants, against boys who mocked him, against coachmen who refused to > recognize his authority, and against the German language, which he could not > learn. But on Sundays he wore a clean shirt and a hat with a black cock's > feather. Groups of Jews stood around discussing the events of the day. Far > below, one could see part of the Pruth Valley, the train station, and beyond > the two bridges, almost within reach, the Jewish town of Sadagora. Almost > everyone here was poorly dressed; poverty and deprivation were at home here. > Yiddish words could be heard everywhere, only unemployed farmers spoke > Ruthenian; they waited for odd jobs so they could drink away their earnings > in the neighboring tavern, the ‘Propination.’ They were rarely sober. When > the ‘train’ arrived, everything started moving. A line of carriages > laboriously climbed the steep ‘Reichsstrasse.’ First came the ‘better’ > travelers in ‘two-horse carriages,’ which at that time were still a very > unpleasant sight. Then came the ‘single-horse carriages,’ which were even > shabbier, but cheaper. Finally, there were small open wagons with an > incredible number of passengers, pulled by a mare that was visibly even more > hungry than her master, the Jewish balegule [Yiddish: coachman] . Often, the > poor animal would suddenly stop at the steepest point, unable to continue. > The coachman let his whip rain down on the bony back of the animal with an > angry ‘Alley-oop,’ but to no avail. The wagon rolled backwards. Panic broke > out among the passengers. Women screamed, men jumped out, and the coachman > cursed. Finally, he held out his open hand to collect at least the reduced > fare. He received a few pennies, or ‘Grazer’ in Yiddish. A few small houses > surrounded the square. A gate led to the grounds where the Jewish Community > Hospital stood. Many years ago, this site was home to the ‘Hekdisch,’ a > notorious asylum for homeless, sick Jews. To the right of the hospital was > Synagogengasse with its many prayer houses, including the ‘Wiznitzer Klaus,’ > the prayer house of the Hasidim of the miracle rabbi of Wiznitz, and finally > the large ‘Schul’, the monumental synagogue, which – as was said during a > great fire that engulfed the entire Jewish quarter – remained standing alone. > A miracle that was attributed to the promise of Rabbi Chaim Czernowitzer. (It > also remained standing when German criminals set fire to the magnificent > temple during World War II). This alley was also home to the ‘Cheder’ of the > Talmud Torah Association, an educational institution where poor boys were > taught free of charge. The neighboring Springbrunnengasse was the most > important traffic artery to the east of the city. This is where the butchers > had their headquarters, where there were shops for old clothes, where you > could get flour from Krauthammer, salt from Srul Ippen, goose fat from the > tradeswoman Feige, whose mouthpiece even courageous men took flight from, as > people used to say, and where you could buy a good drop for the Kiddush from > Srul Fallik. The alley led to the Old Market, which was later honored with > the name Dr. Theodor Herzl Square. This was the central market of the Jewish > quarter. Every day (except on Shabbat), it was teeming with people. In > addition to the Jewish merchants, there were ‘Swabian women’ from Rosch and > peasant women from Kaliczanka offering vegetables, fruit, eggs, and chickens > for sale. People jostled and pushed, haggled, tried to shout each other down, > and bought food that—despite the laws of hygiene—did not cause any widespread > epidemics. (However, there were numerous cases of dysentery in the summer > months). The path led past the squares to the ritual bath, called the > Kaiserbad, which received its water from the Turkish fountain. The wastewater > flowed into the deep gorge of the ‘Jar,’ a small stream that made its way to > the Pruth. Through the alleys in the south and west of the fountain square, > one reached the residential areas, which gradually lost their Jewish > character and eventually led to the suburbs, where only a few Jewish > merchants lived with their families. The Jewish quarter of Czernowitz was > never a ghetto, as Jews were allowed to live in any alleyway at all times, > provided they had the right to reside in the city. But outside the Judengasse > began a different world, one that was completely different, a less poor, more > educated, but also colder world.” > > https://czernowitzbook.blogspot.com/2015/05/du-sollst-nicht-vergessen-never-forget.html > https://www.difmoe.eu/uuid/uuid:599cb101-8054-4c56-a0b8-5291df64ab23 > > Dr. Manfred Reifer founded the Chug Olej Bukovina [Association of Immigrants > from Bukovina] and decided to publish “Die Stimme”. He entrusted with this > task Dr. Elias Weinstein, the former editor of the renowned daily newspaper > “Czernowitzer Morgenblatt”. > > I will try to let “Die Stimme” continue to resound in the future and invite > you to follow me on this journey. Your comments are highly welcome! > > Edgar Hauster [MacBook] ******************************************************************************* This moderated discussion group is for information exchange on the subject of Czernowitz and Sadagora Jewish History and Genealogy. 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