Charlie was able to negotiate a deal for free breakfast in exchange for no heat. As reported yesterday, the hotel had no heat because well, it just wasn’t the day to turn on the heat. And no one had any idea when heat day would be but probably in October. Larry and Debbie on the 2nd floor fared better than Dan and Charlie on 4. (Larry tried to turn the air conditioner on.) Dan got up twice during the night to let the hot water run in the shower for 10 minutes to try to warm the room up.
Some people wonder why the group is searching for Jewish cemeteries. What is the purpose? So a little history below.
Charlie takes pictures of Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe and has photographed over 500 Jewish cemeteries. Charlie speaks English, German and a little Polish. Dan speaks English, Romanian and French. He can get by in Spanish and from what we have seen almost any language. Dan drives and helps question people about the location. He is also pretty relentless in searching. The newcomers on this trip, Larry and Debbie, help spot. Larry has been searching the graveyard for Jewish headstones somewhat successfully. Debbie has been looking up information on her phone much of which Charlie and Dan already had but not printed.
Here is Charlie’s explanation for what Charlie does. “Each year I travel to eastern Europe to visit places I refer to as “former Jewish sites:” a synagogue, a bet midrash, a town square surrounded by homes and businesses that were formerly owned by Jews, and always cemeteries. These sites are found in any of a thousand small towns and villages scattered across eastern Europe. I go there to make a small record of a vanished culture and to pay respect to that civilization and to its members. I make no claim to merit as a photographer; rather, I go in order to set my feet on the ground in these places and to bear witness that someone who has no ties of religion or ethnicity or family to a part of the world where terrible things took place nonetheless has a stake in the Shoah. “Here is Charlie’s website , Galician Traces.
Below is a day in the life of the hunters.
They left Zagreb on the way to Budapest with several cemetery stops in mind. The first stop : Vrvovec. The Jewish cemetery is reported to be neglected and accessed via private property between a pig sty and and a henhouse. The guys got a hot lead to go to the tombstone maker. (Debbie is blogging and it is too cold for her). They take off until they find a cemetery and pull over on the side of the road. The assumption is that the house next to the city cemetery is the tombstone maker’s house. They found a worker that pointed the way to the cemetery (no tombmaker). It was so overgrown that they could not see any tombstones and take any pictures. Status: Found but not able to take pictures.
It is so cold that Larry actually came back to put on pants. (He likes to wear shorts so this is a big concession). He did, however, let in lots of cold air into the car with the doors/hatchback open. Charlie also left the door open. Stink eye for all. Debbie doesn’t do well with cold.
Second stop: Kvizevei The hunt began with a museum. Debbie and Larry are happy to report that they found the museum on foot while Dan guarded the car (The group had no Croatian coins. The plan was to jump in the car and run away from the parking lot if need be). Charlie found a woman with a friend (let’s call her Elena) that spoke English. Elena walked over to answer questions and agreed to take them to the city cemetery. They successfully got 5 people in the car with Elena in the front guiding. She took them to the city cemetery and thought that she might be able to find the private cemetery. Debbie, Dan and Elena left to go in search of the next cemetery (Sort of an advance team). Elena found the general area and talked to neighbors. Elena did it! She found the cemetery overgrown and in disrepair. She even wanted to see so went through the high grass. She was very kind and wanted to help. She refused any money for helping. Status: Found!
Third Stop: Ludbreg This cemetery had a Jewish section and was part of the city cemetery. This is unusual in this part of the world. Normally there are different cemeteries. Status: Found
Fourth Stop: Varadzie Here was found a locked Jewish cemetery with a caretaker but he would not let anyone inside the fence. There wasn’t enough time to follow it up and get to Budapest. Charlie and Debbie considered a plan of climbing over the fence in two different areas since the caretaker couldn’t get them both at the same time but decided against as Charlie has had a shotgun pointed at him last trip. Status: Found but not allowed to enter.
The tombstones bear witness to the holocaust. So many dates in the 40’s, neglect of the cemeteries and few if any Jewish people left in the towns.
The group traveled on to Budapest where Debbie and Larry left Charlie and Dan. Debbie and Larry met Joyce and Jerry for the second part of their adventure beginning in Budapest. Debbie and Larry missed Dan already as they struggled to figure out where to go. Eventually, Joyce heard them talking as they wandered by the windows. of the flat.
Vrvovec – Larry still in shorts mode 
Krizevci – The missing museum 
Krizevci – City Cemetery 
Eleana 
The cemetery is just beyond someone’s front yard 
Found! Can you see the tombstones? 
Charlie and Larry hunting 
Kvizevci tombstone 
The abandoned cemetery 
Charlie at work
Now that is what I call a good posting.
Thank you excellent reader
Wow! Successful hunt! It’s tragic that the cemeteries are abandoned and not managed properly. It’s comforting to know there are folk out there like uncle Charlie to honor them.
Thanks you for reading my blog 🙂 and yes he does a good job.