Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) In The Pale

Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) In The Pale

Lilacs are mentioned more than one might suppose in the yizkor memory books. According to Mordkhe Schaechter's book, Plant Names in Yiddish, one of the plant's Yiddish names is בעז or bez, which is similar to the Ukrainian (бузок/buzok) and identical to the Belorussian (бэз/bez). The other Yiddish name listed is מײַ or may. In Polish lilac is also known as bez.

The common lilac or Syringa vulgaris, is in the olive or Oleaceae family and native to southeastern Europe and naturalized in other parts of the world including North America and eastern Europe. In Ukraine, this plant has been relied on for its medicinal qualities by traditional medicine practitioners.

Between the world wars, in the shtetls of Barditchev (present day Berdichiv, Ukraine) and Cherkoss (present day Cherkasy, Ukraine) folk healers applied a lilac remedy before a paroxysm (a surge in symptoms of disease). In Broslev (present day Braslav, Ukraine) and Ritsev (present day Hritsiv, Ukraine) folk healers, most likely opshprekherins, steeped the dried plant in olive oil to make a solution that was applied with a feather to a patient's erysepilas (skin infection). In Kresilev (present day Krasiliv, Ukraine) and Polona (present day Polonne, Ukraine) lilac was part of a folk midwife's repertoire for treating leucorrhea. In Slovita (present day Slavuta, Ukraine) folk healers addressed head colds and rheumatism with formulations that included lilac. In Olt-Kosntin (present day Starokonstantiv, Ukraine), traditional medicine to relieve diarrhea included lilac. In Zvenogorodka (present day Zvinohorodka, Ukraine) head colds and "aching bones" were helped by lilac folk remedies.

A few lilac excerpts from the yizkor memory books:

"Lilacs grew in most of the yards in Kopaigorod. In the morning, upon opening the windows, I was immediately intoxicated by the aroma of the lilacs which filled everything around the area. The color of the lilacs was certainly eye-catching, and it was the first thing one might experience stepping out into the yard. There was always a fragrant bouquet of lilacs in a vase in every house. And we, like all children, loved to look for a flower with five petals to know for sure that all our wishes would definitely come true."

"Sfire [counting of the Omer, the 49 days after Passover] was counted until Shavuos , which was the crowning holiday of the summer. The town was flooded with bright sunshine, steeped in green plants, lilacs, and blossoms. The houses and houses of prayer were decorated with leafy branches and kvitchers [screamers – long grass that produced a screaming sound when blown upon]."

"I trembled with cold. My father led me by the hand. Outside, we were embraced by a delicious warmth. He took me on a bit of a walk, up to Lubliner Street and then further up to Rubieshower Road, to the Chelmer forest, where people regularly gathered wood and mushrooms and in the summer days of Shevuot picked lilac and berries, and where they would sing revolutionary songs. And to me it seemed that walking that road we were also commemorating King David's yortsayt."

Weeks, holidays pass
On the highway of Polish stones.
The street is higher and cleaner,
The beauty of lilac is in the air.

Lilacs as a source of strength and hope: I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree is an incred­i­ble sto­ry of reach­ing deep with­in one­self to find courage, strength, and even love dur­ing those [the Holocaust] hor­ri­ble times.

Sources:
Mortkhe Shekhṭer, ‏שעכטער, מרדכי., Mortkhe Shekhṭer, and Mordkhe Schaechter. 2005. ‏די געוויקסן־וועלט אין יידיש. Nyu-Yorḳ: Yidisher ṿisnshafṭlekher insṭiṭuṭ-Yiṿo. (Plant Names in Yiddish)

Ossadcha-Janata, Natalia. 1952. Herbs Used in Ukrainian Folk Medicine. New York: Research Program on the U.S.S.R. and the New York Botanical Garden.