 The poet's paternal grandfather, Zaharia, was an observant Jew from the Russian Empire who had escaped the draft and was living incognito in Romania; his first name was passed on to his grandson, Zaharia.The family was registered as "Herșcovici", which was Păun's first official surname.Păun, his parents, and his older sister Nini lived in a suburb area just south of Dealul Mitropoliei.