This post was initiated by Mrs. Shlomit (Shuli) Drukman-Levi on Facebook. Shuli – thank you a lot!!
The summary was written by Dr. Bilha Bashan. Thank you Bilha.
Attending – Dov, Vera his wife, Shlomit Levy his daughter , Baruch Eylon (my cousin), my sister Yetka huller and my daughter Ariel.
Origin – The family moved from Galicia to Bukovina around year 1800. They had no specific professions. The name Drukmann was due to the fact that he was a “Sofer Stam”- religious scribe.
Michael (Yechiel Mechel) received a large plot (~12,000 hectares) in a village called Hilcze, about 7 kilometers from Banila. Banila was a deserted place despite its fertile soil and pastureland. They grew a lot of corn.
Dov Shai (Schertzer– S.D) heard these facts from his mother Lotti (Leah Schertzer, born Druckman).
Grandmother Sarah Druckman, Michael‘s wife, died at the age of 101.
Michael was active in the community (עסקן). He was involved in a board committee of a trade vocational school in Chernovitz. When the schoolwas bankrupt, Michael was placed in prison.
Sarah, his wife, went to Vienna since she asked for and received a meeting with the Caesar. Sarah reached a financial arrangement with the Caesar, to pay the Caesar to release Michael from prison. Sarah sold all their ridge to the Adlersberg family (not related to us, a different Adlersberg family). Michael was released.
He was not aware that almost all the ridge was sold and got a heart attack. (according to Dov Shai‘s family saga book, he writes that discovering that the ridge was sold, instigated the heart attack – S.D)
Until 1848, 148,000 estates were owned by Jews. In 1850 the Germans arrived and received plots of land.
At the British library in London there is archival information about Bukovina, and in Augsburg too (Germany – S.D).
Henia Druckman, Michael’s daughter, married an Adlersberg HaCohen. She bought a plot of land in Banila. Berl (Henia’s brother -S.D) received the estate.
Dov Shai was born in 1927, in Hilcze. His father Berl sold the estate and they moved to Banila. They had a beer distribution agency.
Savta (grandmother – S.D) Bass’e had a Kosher Mehadrin restaurant/boarding house (Inn – S.D) with a few rooms. During the summer when people came from Chernowitz for vacation they stayed there. She also catered for small events (20-30 people).
Avraham and Betty were the ‘two intelligent ones’. Avraham Gertler was an accountant in Seletin, 76km from Banila. (Michael Druckman – Berl’s son, lived in Seletin with his wife Jeannette Sussman and daughter Chaya – S.D).
(His sister – S.D) Betty studied in Beit-Yaakov. The community opened the school (for girls – S.D) and my mother Betty taught there.
Joseff (יוז’יו) – The only one that had a profession – as a hairdresser, was Yosef Gertler, their brother.
(There were many “Wagon Owners” in Banila (wagon taxis S.D).
The Druckmans were ‘snobs’. They were the “Levi”, honored/privileged, the elite of Banila.
There was a main synagogue in Banila, where the rabbi prayed. Uncle Shmuel, Henia Adlersberg’s brother, had a seat in the East (facing East
Duniu Druckman (David Druckman – S.D’s grandfather – remark is regarding the family tree Duniu made which Dov Shai gave Bilha on her visit – S.D).
A recipe for Totch: (We tasted in the meeting the special Drukmann Toch)
3 eggs, half self-rising flour (measurement not mentioned – S.D), 1 packet of yeast, 5 large potatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt. Grate the potatoes (do not squeeze out liquids), add flour, yeast, salt and eggs. Leave to rest for 2 hours then place in a large oven baking pan for one to one and a half hours (temperature not mentioned – S.D).
* Note – Where I added my remarks, I placed my initials (S.D = Shulamit Druckman) to show it’s not part of the original text.