Transylvania 2012

As our honeymoon continued in Romania, Jenifer and I met up with my parents, siblings, two nephews, a niece, and some cousins. There were 15 of us in total, and using Oradea, Romania as a base, we spent two days touring a section of Transylvania where my Deutsch and Lichtman ancestors lived. When they lived there, it was part of Hungary. Now it is part of Romania.

One day we visited Huedin, Almasu (marked by the A), and Cluj. The other we visited Marghita and Simleu Silvaniei. My maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, was born in Almasu. The nearest train station from which the family likely departed in 1913 was in Huedin. My great grandfather's passport was issued in Kolozsvár (Cluj). In 1977 my great-uncle Ted Deutsch was recorded singing a song in part-Hungarian and part-Romanian about Kolozsvár. My great grandmother, Helen Lichtman Deutsch, was born in Marghita. Two nieces of Helen's, who remained in Romania, survived the concentration camps, but returned post-war, and settled in Simleu Silvaniei. They weren't allowed to leave under Communist rule until the 1960s. A daughter of one of the survivors, who grew up in Simleu Silvaniei, now lives near Tel Aviv. She joined us and acted as a tour guide.  

Almasu, Romania (Varalmas, Hungary)



About all we know about the home my grandfather was raised in until age 7 is that it was situated by the river. The Valea Babiu runs through Almasu. My parents took a photograph of a different house when they visited previously back in 2000. Either could be 100 years old; both have clearly seen better days. My great-grandfather was a tenant-farmer, so even if some depository had land records, his name wouldn't likely be on them.

Huedin, Romania (Bánffyhunyad, Hungary)



I like that the train station still has the Hungarian version of the town's name on it in addition to the Romanian. I also took photographs of two old benches that theoretically could have been there in 1913. One of the two benches isn't very useful anymore.  The sign on the red box says, "Pastrati Curatenia," which means, "Keep Clean" in Romanian. (There were newer benches at the train station, in addition to the chairs which can be seen in the first photograph.

Marghita, Romania (Margitta, Hungary)



We know the exact address in Margitta where my great-grandmother, Helen (Lichtman) Deutsch, was raised. However, sometimes streets get renumbered. There's a photograph of the Lichtmann leather shop prior to WW2. Is this the same building? While the front has been remodeled somewhat over the years, I believe it is.  While the building is occupied, we didn't knock on the door.

Update

Here's another archival image of the Lichtmann leather store, obviously taken at a different time than the one above because the sign above the door is different. The similarities between it and the current building are more noticeable.

Cluj, Romania (Kolozsvár, Hungary)

While in Cluj, I took a photograph of a monument. I couldn't read what it said at the base, but I figured I could look it up later.

It is a quote from Ioan Raţiu, one of several Romanians who petitioned Emperor-King Franz Joseph in 1892 for equal rights for Romanians.

Existenţa unui popor nu se discută, se afirmă!

which translates to:

The existence of a people is not for discussion, but rather for affirmation!
Photo Credits: 
John Newmark - June 2012 
Lichtman Leather Shop: Unknown photographer, Unknown date

Honeymoon - Etymology

There are several competing theories concerning the etymology of the word, Honeymoon. One associates it with the drinking of mead for a month.


Source: "A philosophical and statistical history of the inventions and customs of ancient and modern nations in the manufacture and use of inebriating liquors," Samuel Morewood, 1838, p. 466

For some, mead is a drink they last recall hearing about when they read Beowulf in their English Lit class. I've seen mead shelved with beer in some liquor shops, but it is closer to wine, and is often called "honey wine" to avoid confused looks from potential customers. There is definitely a lot of sweet mead, but like wine made from grapes, a dry mead can be produced as well. 

Jenifer and I received a gift of three bottles of mead on our wedding day from some good friends who were aware of this custom. We made those three bottles last for an entire lunar month (28 days), sharing a small amount each evening.  The custom held some extra meaning since both of us have a great grandfather who was a beekeeper.

The OED dates the word, 'honeymoon,' back to the 16th century, simply indicating the period of sweetness which follows marriage, but then wanes.

Sources seem to indicate that the concept of a trip taken after the wedding is relatively modern, dating back to "Bridal Tours" in 19th century Britain where couples (sometimes accompanied by friends or relatives) would visit those who had been unable to attend the wedding.

Photo Credit: Jenifer Newmark - June 2012

We spent three wonderful days and nights together in Prague. (See: Of Prague and Clocks, and Terezin - Not Your Usual Honeymoon Destination). However, our "bridal tour" had just begun.

For the next leg, we flew to Budapest, Hungary - where we met up with several family members. We only spent one night in Budapest before embarking on a Family History tour of Transylvania.  But that's a different post.

Terezin - Not Your Usual Honeymoon Destination

Approximately 61 km (38 miles) NW of Prague is the town of Terezin, temporarily renamed Theresienstadt by the Nazis during WWII. Even though it was our honeymoon, and visiting a former concentration camp was a bit unusual, we both wanted to make the journey.

Terezin has a history that predates Hitler. The fortress was built in the 18th century by the Hapsburgs and named after Empress Maria Theresa. Gavrilo Princip, who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was imprisoned in Cell #1 until he died in 1918.


When the Nazis arrived, they found a fortress/prison already built for them, with few construction costs. Theresienstadt was primarily a prison/labor camp. We were told that they were in the process of creating a gas chamber there, but it was never completed.

Arbeit Macht Frei - German for "Work Makes you Free"

Theresienstadt is known by many for the children there 

• Pavel Friedman, who wrote the poem, "The Butterfly."
• Hana Brady, the subject of the book, Hana's Suitcase.
• Peter Ginz and the Boys of Terezin

The Nazi propaganda film, The Gift of the Town, was created at Theresienstadt.

Here's a photograph of the bunks that were slept in:

One of the few uplifting stories to come out of the camp, was that of the Maple Tree

The story of the seeds began on Tu B'Shevat, 1943, when a guard at Theresienstadt smuggled a tiny oak seedling into the children's barrack. With help from their teacher Irma Lauscher (one of the few Jewish instructors the Nazis allowed to hold classes), the children planted the seed in their courtyard. Miraculously, thanks to meager water rations the children were able to spare, the tree sprouted. 

By the time of liberation, the red maple had grown to become 5 feet tall. The children gave it one last drink before digging it up and replanting it near the crematorium where the ashes of 38,000 fellow Jews lay scattered. Declaring it their etz chaim (tree of life), they left a sign at its base which translates: "As the branches of this tree, so the branches of our people! (source)

The Maple Tree was lost in a flood a few years ago, but communities around the world, including: San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; Orange, CA; Cincinnati, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Israel; Surrey, UK; and Hampshire, UK have received seedlings from the tree, so the tree of life lives on.

While it wasn't a traditional Honeymoon destination, I am glad we visited. Reading books, and looking at photographs, doesn't convey what it feels to be standing where so many people suffered. And learning the story of the Maple Tree provided  me with something, though small, still uplifting to take away from the trip.
Photo Credits: Jenifer Newmark - June 2012

Of Prague and Clocks

During June my wife and I went on our honeymoon. I didn't mention it here beforehand, or during, as I'm not overly fond of letting the world know that I am not going to be home over a long period of time. But it's time to share some photographs. Many of them are of genealogical or historical interest.

Our first stop was Prague.  And we stopped by the clock tower.

No, not the Astronomical Clock:

We stopped there, too.  Constructed in 1410, with some additions in 1490, it is perhaps the best known clock tower in Prague. But there's another.

Located in the Jewish Quarter, these clocks top the Jewish Town Hall, and were constructed in 1586. The higher two of the three clocks have Roman numerals. The lower one on the left has Hebrew, and it rotates what can only be called 'counter-clockwise' except the term doesn't really make sense, does it?  Whatever direction a clock turns is clockwise for that clock.

Is this 'correct' for a Hebrew clock? How does one define 'correct?' While the language reads right-to-left, this doesn't necessarily require the clock to turn in this fashion.

We would visit Israel later in this trip, and though I saw several Hebrew watches in gift shops, none of them rotated in this fashion. However, wrist-watches are a relatively new invention, and Israel is a modern state.  There aren't many places in the world where one might find a Hebrew clock dating back to the 16th century. Prague may be alone. If it is, how does one decide if Prague's clock is 'correct'?

The Jewish Town Hall stands next to the Alt Neu (Old New) Synagogue.

Constructed in 1270, it is the oldest active synagogue in Europe. According to legend, the golem created by Rabbi Judah Loew sits in the attic, waiting for a time of great need to return.  (As a tour guide suggested to us...that time came, and no golem. There is a story that one Nazi agent died after entering the attic.)

Photo Credits: 
Astronomical Clock - Jenifer Newmark - June 2012
Jewish Town Hall and Altneu Synagogue - John Newmark - June 2012