Some Summer Black and Whites

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

After working a lot on my colour photos I finally found time to return to the analogue black and whites. Here is a selection of images I took in August during the trip to Ukraine and Moldova. Represented are Jewish cemeteries in Chişinău (Kishinev), Orhei and Vadul-Raşcov (Vadul Rashkov) in Bessarabia/Moldova, cemeteries in Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa) and Raşcov (Rashkov) in the break away “state” of Transnistria, as well as the former synagogue of Sniatyn in Galicia, Ukraine.

Chişinău Jewish cemetery

Orhei Jewish cemetery

Rîbniţa Jewish cemetery

Orhei Jewish cemetery

Raşcov Jewish cemetery

Vadul-Raşcov Jewish cemetery

Sniatyn synagogue

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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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Bessarabia in Black and White (Vol. 3)

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries

Here is the next selection of analog black and white photos from the trip to Bessarabia/Moldova in spring 2016. I’m glad to have time to work on the images, without interruptions by further journeys. This set contains pictures of Jewish heritage sites in Alexandreni, Bălţi (Beltsy), Lipcani, Orhei, Otaci (Ataki), Rybnitsa and Vadul-Raşcov (Vadul Rashkov). As many Moldovan towns and cities have been fully destroyed in World War II, the cemeteries are often the last voices of the Jewish history.

Lipcani Jewish cemetery

Alexandreni Jewish cemetery

Bălţi (Beltsy) Jewish cemetery

Orhei Jewish cemetery

Otaci (Ataki) Jewish cemetery

Rybnitsa Jewish cemetery

Vadul-Raşcov (Vadul Rashkov) Jewish cemetery

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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.