I'm going to Vienna in June. After writing about the city of my parents' birth for the past two years, I'm finally taking the plunge. I'm looking forward to the trip. I'm also dreading it. I was there only once before, in the early 1970s, at the request of my parents. While I was planning a trip to Europe with a college friend, Andrea, they asked me to visit the relatives
Austrian antisemitism
Unhappy 75th: The Anschluss & The Vienna Philharmonic
Yesterday I posted about how the film "The Sound of Music" gave a distorted image of Austrian complicity in Nazi policies, suggesting the Austrians were victims rather than enthusiastic participants. Apparently show music isn't the only type of music that gives a distorted picture of Austria's role in the war. Today, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Anschluss, the full
Auf Wiedersehen, Pt. 2: Why “The Sound of Music” Doesn’t Play Well in Austria
The history of my mother's family -- of the Rosenbaums, in particular, and the Jews of Vienna, in general -- only came to me in fits and starts, if it came at all. As I explained in Part 1 of my discussion of the film, "Auf Wiedersehen: 'Til We Meet Again," my family, like that of filmmaker Linda Mills, kept lots of secrets. I suppose I could have gone off on my own to try
In Praise of Meandering
I spent yesterday morning in a research haze. It often happens when I work on posts about my family. I start with one bit of information that needs clarification and follow it as my interests take me until I realize I've gone far from my original search and that I'd better get back to work, either on the blog post or on the writing that pays the bills. Usually I just close
My Mother and the Governator
My mother couldn't stand Arnold Schwarzenegger. She wasn't a spitter but if she had been the type to expectorate over her shoulder, peasant style, she would have spat at Arnold. If she hadn't been Jewish she would have made the sign of the cross whenever she heard his voice or saw his image. She was appalled to see her fellow Austrian become an American hero, a movie