I was born and raised until about the age of sixteen in a small town in northeast Romania, named Saveni ( county of Botosani). 'Stetl' is a yiddish term for a small town in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust.
The name Saveni has its origin, so they say, in the name Savin - family name of an outstanding land owner who lived in the area in ancient times.
Samuel Lerner(1903- 1989) the famous american composer of Popeye, The Sailorman, was also born in Saveni. At the age of seven, though, he emigrated with his parents to America and the family settled in Detroit, Michigan.
Whenever I think of my birth town, I couldn't help smiling at the irony of things. Each of its surrounding villages got something valuable from Nature. Negreni village got a lake and fish ponds, Avrameni got forests, Draguseni got special, rich soil. Saveni got merely a hill (Naftuli Hill) and a segment of a river, the Baseu River.
The Hill, facing the Baseu river , and the river itself, marked the way out of the town to the train station of Ungureni, and to the county capital Botosani , and from there to other parts of the country.
The Baseu, affluent of the long Prut river separating Romania from Moldova and Ukraine, was causing a lot of damage when overflowing. In summer, it looked dry and unpleasant . It was because of this river, that my mother used to say : 'don't you ever go live near a body of water'!
There was nothing special about Saveni of my childhood. I don't recall any outstanding spots or buildings, except perhaps the two quite impressive orthodox churches: Saint Neculai and Saint George.
Yet, there was something in the air, in the atmosphere of the place. in the relative geographical isolation from the other towns, that gave birth to that very distinctive spirit of the local people the Savenians. They were witty, kind, hard-working, open-minded, and to this day, I'm proud of having been one of them.
Having said that, I wouldn't choose to live in a remote place like Saveni was in those days. So remote, that we had as teachers some high quality people that were exiled from other parts of the country as punishment for their political views. A place of exile, how about it?!
It sounds like a wonderful place to be exiled to.
ReplyDeleteNot bad, compared to my Mom's exile during the Holocaust ( to Moghilev, Ukraine) where she got beaten, and was glad to have some potatoe peels for a meal.
ReplyDeleteThis all sounds so interesting! Would you be willing to tell your mother's story in a future blog post? I think we would all be interested to hear more about her experience during the Holocaust. Thank you!
Delete--Melanie
Hi Melly. I might. It would involve things that are rather hard for me (beating, hunger, losing a child and a younger sister to disease, etc..). Anyway, thanks a lot for your interest.
DeleteInteresting beginnings for you.
ReplyDeleteYes, Saveni was the craddle of my beginnings. I have fond memories of the place in spite of the hard times (the country was still under communist regime).
DeleteSuch hardship. As a place of exile, I wonder how the residents felt about that attitude?
ReplyDeleteAs children and young teenagers we knew nothing of the exile in real time, only years later. The "exiled" people seemed to be happy with their work, decent lodging, fresh food from the local market. They were probably not allowed to discuss about the exile or political matters.
DeleteThanks for sharing the information with us.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to share it, Kathy. There comes a time and age when one wishes to share one's memories.
DeleteI am not sure I've ever met a person who grew up in a place of exile (without being exiled themselves) and educated by exiled professionals. Each of us has an interesting life story.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, Alana; each of us has a life story, which might or might not be interesting to others. That's OK.
DeleteI completely agree with you about wishing to share memories, I did the same today!
ReplyDeleteThe will to share comes with age, I think. Sharing memories makes it easier on our mind and soul, and brings us peace.
DeleteI am from a place, Newfoundland, where the people make it special. Where people live has a major influence on who they are. Your first home in eastern Romania sounds wonderful to me!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Marie. One's hometown, and especially one's first hometown has a great impact on one's life.
DeleteFascinating. Thank you for continuing my education. Your home town is not one I had even heard of before today.
ReplyDeleteI believe you . You couldn't have heard the name of a small, remote, insignificant town like Saveni. But there's always a first time, and here it is. (By the way, I think there's a Saveni also in the hungarian part of Romania).
DeleteEveryone has a story to tell. I used to record oral histories of Alaska Natives in their villages back in the 90s. It's interesting listening to people's stories. Some don't think their stories are good or special but to others hearing the stories they are interesting and amazing. Everyone should realize that they are important. It's nice learning about other people, things that they like or dislike, their culture and languages. We all are connected through our stories. We have many things in common. Thanks for sharing your memories of Northeast Romania.
ReplyDelete'We all are connected through our stories' - how very true, Bill ! We like to learn from the stories told by people about customs, traditions , languages, likes and dislikes. We have a lot in common regardless of where we come from.
DeleteI did not know Samuel Lerner moved to Detroit. I am 30 minutes from there. to the South. I live near a mighty big river and I love it. Knock on wood though we have not been affected by flooding. Janice
ReplyDeleteAccording to biograpghy, Detroit was the first stop of Sam Lerner's family. He studied at Wayne university. Died in Los-Angeles.
DeleteI think it's rather wonderful to live near a river, until.. it overflows and causes damage.
Although it was a remote town, it sounds like a wonderful place to have grown up, Duta. Thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteWell, Martha, looking back, it was probably its simplicity and relative isolation that made it a good place to start one's life.
DeleteThank you for sharing your origin story, How did you end up where you are now?
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I am where I am, as a result of my jewish family's emigration to Israel.
DeleteAlways good to recall ones roots. Your mother was wise about living near water, especially if a dam breaks in two...thanks for sharing Duta.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. 'Roots' is a key word in life. With Climate Change in the background, living near waters (floods) and forests (fires) becomes dangerous.
DeleteI don't know the Savin family, but I do know plenty of people called Avrameni, Naftuli etc. Lots of family surnames seemed to have been geographically based - my husband is "mountain path" in German.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I thinl Naftuli is the yiddish version of Naftali, a popular hebraic first name. Indeed, many surnames are geographically based.
DeleteSuch strong roots! So good to hear about where you are from. Of course, many of us migrate from very remote places. Perhaps, we don't even realize it at the time. Such a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteMigration is an integral paro of people's life everywhere in the world. Thank you, Ellie , for your kind words.
DeleteMost of us do not stay put in the place we were born but would have migrated to another town, city or country. Somehow, no matter where we have migrated, there is a root linking us back to the place where we came from.
ReplyDeleteTrue. There's always a link back to the place of our origin. This place may actually define us in ways we cannot even think of.
DeleteThank you for this post, DUTA...I find it very interesting, indeed. Take good care. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad and flattered that you find my post interesting. Thank you.
DeleteI loved reading about your childhood town. I can see why you have memories of it and of the people who lived there. There is something comforting about a small town. But I agree, I wouldn't want to live in such a remote place as an adult. Your roots are deep and I loved learning about them.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, there's something comforting about a small town. However, as we grow up, we need more space, more variety, proximity to facilities, roads and traffic.
DeleteNothing like being surrounded by people who are witty, kind, hard-working and open-minded, especially when you are growing up.
ReplyDeleteExactly. the good qualities of the surrounding people shape us up, influence our outlook, help us find the right way.
DeleteGreat blog
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rajani Rehana.
Deletei would like to like in the mountains:) this is my dream life....maybe when I will be older it comes true
ReplyDeleteLiving in the mountains is not an impossible dream. I suppose there are lovely mountainous areas in Poland, one can choose from.
DeletePerdona, pero siempre pensé que eras israelita, y ahora me entero de que eres rumana, y observo de que no has olvidado el lugar donde echaste tus raíces, aunque no haya nada en él, que te invite a volver. Muy importante no olvidar nunca donde se nació, y que fue cuna de personas amables y cultas, como también lo fue de dictadores que no respetaban los derechos humanos... Ahora entiendo tu poco interés en no volver nunca allí.
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo, amiga Duta.
I'm an israeli of roumanian descent, as they say. I did go back , on a roots visit to my birth place area, but it's too far away for repetitive visits.
DeleteCommunism is bad, but what we have around us nowadays : violence, chaos, corruption - is not good either.
Have a wonderful week, Manuel!
I wouldn't want to live outside a big city at this point either.
ReplyDeleteI can understand that, Mary. Big cities have many advantages: proximity to various facilities dealing with health, education, entertainment, culture, means of transport, roads etc.
DeleteThank you for sharing this with us Duta, I must admit your home town is not one I had heard of.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Well, you're not the only one who hasn't heard of it:). Perhaps you've heard of Popeye the sailorman, and its composer Samuel Lerner - born in my hometown. That would satisfy me:). All the best to you too, Jan!
DeleteWow, that's very interesting about the teachers and that the man who came up with Popeye the Sailerman song came from there. It truly is such a small world. I grew up in a tiny town in Arizona named Eloy. I never have thought to research why it was named Eloy. I still have family there and often wonder why they stay there, but it is a special place just as your little hometown is.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, we wish to leave for a bigger place, but it's not always up to us. Anyway, Eloy town you've mentioned is probably free of violence and crime that characterize the bigger cities, and that's a huge plus, of course.
DeleteMy friend owns a summer cabin on the banks of a river that floods frequently. She will never give it up. Goes in and rips out walls etc. rehabs and returns to the place she loves.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading about your early beginnings. Your posts are so informative and interesting.
I'm afraid Climate Change will not let anyone keep a cabin on the banks of a river.
DeleteThanks Linda for your kind words.
Fascinating share. Thank you for telling us your history, I enjoyed reading about it. Do you have pictures perhaps from your time there? Would have been before digital pictures for sure, and I know when I was a child we took very few pictures. Buying the film, and paying for them to be developed wasn't something that was done much, but I thought I would ask.
ReplyDeleteGood queston, Sandy!I had pictures of the place, but I lost them when I compiled them in a musical slideshow. The computer collapsed,and the new one failed to open it. I might find a solution in the future.
DeleteI enjoyed reading about your history. : )
ReplyDeleteIt makes me glad to read your comment, Catarina.
DeleteI had a teacher in college who traveled Europe at times. He and a friend took a wrong turn and traveled throughout Romania. He said it was incredibly beautiful. When the they finally got where they needed to be to go where they should have been going. The car search they had was unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI have a silent awe with people who have lived in such different places in their lives. Such experiences you have had.
Indeed, Romania is 'incredibly beautiful'. Living in different places definitely enriches one's life through the various life styles one experiences.
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