Dayenu: It would have been enough. That phrase, repeated as a refrain in a Passover song that offers a litany of thanks for blessings piled upon blessings, has been going through my head sporadically since last October, when I gave a talk at the Freud Museum in Vienna. It’s been an amazing journey, albeit one… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Kornmehl family
Mystery Adoptions & Cryptic Crypts: Finding Cousin Erika
UPDATE: I was wrong. I hate that — especially since it means the mystery of Erika remains unresolved. What happened? Sometimes I think that if I wait long enough, relatives will turn up to resolve all my genealogical issues — or at least clarify them. The original post, below, posited that two childless members of… Continue Reading
Jewish Immigration, Part 2: Sponsorship & Family Rifts
This is Day 9 of the Family History Writing Challenge, 2018. In yesterday’s post, I described the restrictions against immigrants, especially Jews, coming to the U.S. from Nazi Austria (an accurate term, I decided, for a country that welcomed Hitler and that was instrumental to putting his Final Solution into place–claims of being occupied notwithstanding). … Continue Reading
Bertha Kornmehl Gets Married, Part 2
This is Day 7 of the Family History Writing Challenge. One week down, three to go, lord help me. As I continue my search for information on my great aunt and uncle, Bertha and Adolf Schweitzer, here’s a wrap up of what I’ve discovered so far. Marriage No. 1 Bertha Kornmehl became Bertha Singer on March… Continue Reading
It’s the Quinquennial Family History Writing Challenge!
Like many writers, I thrive on deadlines. That’s not to say I don’t rail against them and say many bad words when they close in, but without a strict time frame I tend to dither my time away. When I am paid to write, the incentive for meeting my deadlines is clear. When I am… Continue Reading
A Grave Concern: Help Restore the Tarnow Jewish Cemetery
Fanning out. Contracting back. In my last post, I explored the story of a family member who fled halfway across the world from Vienna to escape Hitler–only to have to escape another dangerous dictator in his adopted home. Here I look back to my ancestral roots in a town I’d never heard of until I… Continue Reading
New York Report, Pt. 2: Family & Film, Pastry & Punctuation
I admit it: It sometimes takes me a while to unpack from a trip. On my recent return to Tucson from New York, I didn’t need the winter clothes I’d brought with me (nyah nyah); only an underwear shortage inspired me to retrieve the contents of my suitcase. It sometimes takes me even longer to… Continue Reading
Survival in Paradise: Southern France
Get a cup of coffee or tea and settle in. I’ve got a great read for you today, courtesy of one of my talented relatives. I introduced Manfred Wolf briefly last week when he added information about his uncle Paul to an earlier post about the far-flung Kornmehl family. Today the spotlight is entirely on… Continue Reading
Of Photo Identification & British-to-American Translation
I often feel deficient in the genealogy department. When it comes to tracing documents, I have been spoiled by help from others, by getting gifts of fish, as the old saying goes, rather than fishing lessons. But I recently discovered that I’ve learned quite a bit about my mother’s family in the past year — which… Continue Reading
A Reboot, A Rabbi & A Reunion
…walk into a bar. Just kidding. But that title cried out for it. The Reboot I had a wake up call recently, thanks in part to a comment by guest poster and Viktor Frankl biographer Anna Redsand. Who are all these people you’re writing about? she asked. You need a scorecard — or at least… Continue Reading
