My father was born in Raducaneni; I know very little of it and was able to determine even less.

All I know is that no Jews live there now and the Jewish cemetery is in terrible shape.

My father was reluctant to speak of his past (I had always surmised from his attitude about governmental figures that he was in the United States illegally) but he did mention that his mother was an 'angel' and that he had swum in the Prut as a boy. Sadly, I don't even remember my grandparents' names.

All I can tell you is that his name was Harry (Zvi), he was born August 4, 1893 and entered the United States at New York City on March 13, 1914 (which would have made him 21 years old at the time. I'm assuming, but don't know, that he was one of the thousands of Jewish-Romanian fussgangers who gathered together for safety and hiked from eastern to western Europe in order to reach a haven from the anti-Semitism of their shtetl.

Harry had two brothers who settled in Philadelphia: Isidore (Itzchak) and Julius who changed his name to Joshua when he changed his profession from grocer to cantor. I've lost total touch with that side of the family.

I am forwarding a photo of my parents, Anna and Harry, which I assume is their wedding photo. Beyond these very, very slim pieces of data I am an informational orphan.

Murray Schechter

Contributors. Murray & Helen Schechter in the USA

 

Anna & Harry Schechter

It is most likely that the original family name in Răducăneni was Hahamu, as Haham is a Schochet in Romanian, and it was changed to Schechter when they arrived in the USA. There was a Herscu Hahamu in Răducăneni born August 1893 see birth record below. It is thought that this is the Harry Schecter in the photo above. Research by Marcel Glaskie.

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