Return to Transnistria

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Podolia, Synagogues

Our journey to Ukraine and Moldova goes on. The wish of my friend Sylvia to visit Bessarabia gave me a good pretext to return to Chişinău (Kishinev). While our friends Marla and Jay returned to Lviv yesterday, Sylvia and I took the bus to the Moldovan capital. Today we were out for a long day trip to Transnistria, a break-away ‘state’, only aknowledged by Russia. We visited Dubăsari (Dubasari), Raşcov (Rashkov) and Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa).

Dubăsari (Dubasari) mass grave

Raşcov (Rashkov) Jewish cemetery

Raşcov (Rashkov) – ruin of a Christian church

Lenin is still alive in Transnistria

Raşcov (Rashkov) – view towards river Dniester

Raşcov (Rashkov) synagogue

Rybnitsa Jewish cemetery

Our marshrutka from Chernivtsi (Czernoeitz) to Chişinău (Chisinau)

Chişinău (Chisinau) – view from Cosmos hotel

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To Sadagora with the Volunteers

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina, Synagogues

The volunteers of SVIT Ukraine continued their work in the Jewish cemetery in Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) today. It is hard physical work and after a five hours work-day all were exhausted. But the work-camp is not only about work; it is also about experiencing the multi-ethnic past and present of Bukovina. Today we went to Sadagora – once an important Hasidic court.

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery – volunteers at work

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery – Sylvia de Swaan and Arthur Rindner

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery – Arthur Rindner praying at the grave of his grandfather

Czernowitz Jewish cemetery

Sadagora Hasidic court

Sadagora Jewish cemetery

The volunteers with Arthur

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To Zhovkva in Good Company

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

A new journey has begun. Over the next two weeks I will be traveling with my friend Sylvia de Swaan – a great photographer. The first week of our trip through Galicia, Bukovina and Bessarabia we will share with our friends and researchers Marla Raucher Osborn and Jay Osborn. Today we were in Zhovkva, about 30 kilometers north from Lviv.

Zhovkva synagogue

Zhovkva synagogue

Jay Osborn

Zhovkva

Zhovkva – trace of a mezuzah

Zhovkva market – formerly the Jewish cemetery

Zhovkva market – ohel at the former Jewish cemetery

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Bessarabia in Black and White (Vol. 2)

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

I continued to work on the analog black and white images of the trip to Bessarabia/Moldova in March/April. Here is the result, including photos of Jewish heritage sites in Orhei, Otaci (Ataki), Prodănești (Prodaneshty), Raşcov (Rashkov), Rezina, Soroca and Zguriţa (Zguritsa). More is coming.

Rezina Jewish cemetery

Raşcov (Rashkov) synagogue

Orhei Jewish cemetery

Otaci (Ataki) Jewish cemetery

Prodănești (Prodaneshty) Jewish cemetery

Soroca Jewish cemetery

Zguriţa (Zguritsa) synagogue

Zguriţa (Zguritsa) Jewish cemetery

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Riga in black and white

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Livonia (Livland), Synagogues

Finally I found time to work on the analog black and white images of the trip to Riga in February. Here are some of them: the remains of the Choral Synagogue, the Altneie Shul, the former Jewish craftsmen school and the Seilen Shul. All synagogues represented in the photos were burned down in July 1941 – often with people burned alive – and serve different purposes today.

Altneie Shul, former synagogue – now a combined Beit Midrash and apartment building

Former Jewish craftsmen school – a place of further education

Seilen Shul, a former synagogue – now part of a school building

Remains of Choral Synagogue – now a memorial

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From Soroca to Otaci

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

From Soroca we went further north to Zguriţa (Zguritsa) and Otaci (Ataki). In both places there are Jewish cemeteries and former synagogues. Both cemeteries have a special magic – the one due to its picturesque location, the other due to the age and the artistic quality of the gravestones.

Zguriţa – signpost to the Jewish cemetery

Zguriţa – Jewish cemetery

Zguriţa – synagogue

Vălcineţ – Jewish cemetery

Otaci – synagogue

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Soroca

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Our journey takes us further into the north of Bessarabia – now up to Soroca. We visited the Jewish cemetery, were welcomed in the synagogue and saw the famous “Gypsy palaces”.

Soroca – Jewish cemetery

Soroca – Jewish cemetery – mass grave site

Soroca – Jewish cemetery

Soroca – “Gypsy palace”

Soroca – synagogue

Semen Veksler

Soroca – street view

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Into Transnistria

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

To go from Rezina to Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa) and Raşcov (Rashkov) one has to cross the border from Moldova to “Transnistria”. The border is controlled only on the Transnistrian side, as Moldova considers the region as part of its national territory. The Jewish cemetery in Rîbniţa and the old synagogue in Raşcov were our destinations.

Rîbniţa – Jewish cemetery

Raşcov – synagogue

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On the road to Bălţi

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

On our way to Bălţi (Beltsy) were Orhei and Teleneşti. The Jewish cemetery of Orhei is one of the oldest in Bessarabia. Rarely I have seen such an impressive cemetery. A unique place!

Chişinău – Gleizer Shil

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

Orhei – synagogue

Teleneşti – Jewish cemetery

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A first trip into rural Moldova

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Although we have by far not visited everything in Chişinău yet, we have undertaken a first trip to the surrounding region today. Călăraşi (Kalarash) and Nisporeni (Nisporeny) and its Jewish cemeteries were on our itinerary.