Roots tour

Doing a roots tour in a country very removed from any ancestory of mine didnt bring me any expectations of learning more about where I came from.

However, as we played the name game, I thought I would ask our cute smiley Lithuanian tour guide Chaim (a middle aged chatty Litvak with an incredible knowledge of local history, language and Jewish and Holocaust history), where the name Rapke came from (any attempt to glean anything from my family gleaned embarrassed shrugs).

So with trepidation, I ventured to ask Chaim (out of Tandi’s earshot so she wouldn’t later have any issue with taking on the name should she so desire) where the illustrious name Rapke comes from.

With a gasp of recognition (more of a squeal), Chaim siad “I know zis name. Zis is – how you say – wechetable“.

Oy, images of… I cant even write it, sprung to mind as Tandi know in earshot pissed herself laughing.

“Wechetables like many wechetables – like peasant wechetable….”

Oy – Please tell him to stop…

So after assuring Chaim that he was very wrong and should do a better search, Chaim went home that night to investigate the name in his many books.

So as we rise the next day Chaim approaches me with a piece of paper, obviously deliriously happy at having found what vegetable our important family name comes from.

I sheepishly look doewn at the paper and with horror read…

PENA = Rope = TURNIP

So as I sit here contemplating “Tal Turnip”, I just hold hope that our little Chaim, who is sure that Rapke comes from Turnip in Russian, may still be able to find me another more appropriate explanation in Polish or another language. In the meantime, I contemplate Tal Rabinowitz as an alternative.