For years I have been interested in going to see the area from where my family originated - the area between Munkacs and Uzhorod in SubCarpathian Rus. I had heard stories about the area in my youth and read some about the area in later years. My parents lived in small towns near Munkacs and, as far as I understood, earned their living from farming and simple crafts. At one point I entertained the idea of being able to visit the area with one of my relatives who had survived the Holocaust and would be willing to go back and visit the area with some of the second or third generation family members. But that never materialized.
A few years ago, I heard of a group of students that would be visiting the area as a learning expedition under the auspices of the Shazar Institute. I was granted permission to sit in on some of their preparatory sessions, picking up much about the area along the way. After they returned, I attended a public session where they presented much of what they had discovered about the Jewish communities of the area: Munkacs, Uzhorod, Hust, Beregsas and more.
Was I excited when about two months ago, I saw an ad in one of the Shabbat pamphlets which flood our Batei Knesset about an organized tour to this area organized by Shai Bar Ilan. Nine days from Budapest, Hungary to Kosice, Slovakia to TransCarpathia - Uzhorod, Munkacs, etc. with an emphasis on Jewish heritage, Jewish cooking, the fate of the Jews during the Holocaust and the remnants of the Jewish community during the Soviet period till today.It didn't take long for us (Leah & I) to decide that we would join this tour. My first cousin Moish Lebowitz and his wife Surie, from Masuot Yitzchak, decided to join this adventure too, only adding to our expectations on this journey to our family's roots.
A few years ago, I heard of a group of students that would be visiting the area as a learning expedition under the auspices of the Shazar Institute. I was granted permission to sit in on some of their preparatory sessions, picking up much about the area along the way. After they returned, I attended a public session where they presented much of what they had discovered about the Jewish communities of the area: Munkacs, Uzhorod, Hust, Beregsas and more.
Was I excited when about two months ago, I saw an ad in one of the Shabbat pamphlets which flood our Batei Knesset about an organized tour to this area organized by Shai Bar Ilan. Nine days from Budapest, Hungary to Kosice, Slovakia to TransCarpathia - Uzhorod, Munkacs, etc. with an emphasis on Jewish heritage, Jewish cooking, the fate of the Jews during the Holocaust and the remnants of the Jewish community during the Soviet period till today.It didn't take long for us (Leah & I) to decide that we would join this tour. My first cousin Moish Lebowitz and his wife Surie, from Masuot Yitzchak, decided to join this adventure too, only adding to our expectations on this journey to our family's roots.
Tomorrow, we will be meeting with the other members of our tour group as well as our guides and organizers. This should help us clarify our expectations and focus our preparations for the trip which will begin on August 5, 2013.
In preparation we are reading about the area. First is a research project on our family written by our granddaughter Reut Har Zahav, a few years ago. The project was based on interviews with relatives, mainly my cousin Morris Stern, Z"L.
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