Austria

  • The Flag Flags often evoke strong emotions and can symbolize a variety of sentiments and ideals. Here are some common emotions and concepts connected to flags: In 1943, the Jewish family Gans was on their way to the train station because Father Josef, Mother Martha, and their four children Abraham, Louise, Emma, and baby Harry…

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  • Mauthausen

    Mauthausen was one of the most prominent and most notorious Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Located near the town of Mauthausen in Upper Austria, it was established shortly after Germany annexed Austria in 1938. The camp, originally intended for political prisoners and those considered enemies of the Nazi regime, eventually held a wide…

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  • Holocaust and Football

    We are in the middle of the UEFA European Championship, and I thought it would be a good idea to look at some European footballers who were murdered during the Holocaust. György Szeder, born György Silberstein, this left winger used a different name to disguise his Jewish identity. He was just 19 when he joined…

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  • The Battle of Castle Itter is a remarkable event from World War II, often referred to as one of the strangest battles of the war. It occurred on May 5, 1945, during the conflict in Europe’s final days. Castle Itter, located in Austria, was being used as a prison for high-profile French prisoners, including former prime…

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  • My interview with Jackie Young, a Holocaust survivor: Jackie Young (born Jona Spiegel) was born in December 1941 in Vienna, Austria, but raised by adoptive parents in England. He talks about slowly learning about his own past, which his adoptive parents had kept from him despite his own faint memories and hints mentioned by relatives.…

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  • The Dutch railways were essential to the Nazis, not only as the transport of Jews and others eastwards to the camps but also as a propaganda tool. During the pre-war crisis years, the Netherlands welcomed many malnourished Austrian children. Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart, himself an Austrian, thought he should show gratitude for this. The Nazis, therefore, organized…

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  • Ruth Maier is often referred to as Norway’s Anne Frank, I don’t agree with that. I think it takes away the value of the words of both women. Their circumstances and lifestyles were completely different. Even the way they were murdered was different. The only thing they had in common was that they were both…

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  • Remembering Jesaia Swart

    The number of victims of the Holocaust is just so difficult to fathom. When you talk about millions it just becomes a number it is just something that our human mind can’t comprehend. It is often better to remember those who were murdered, one by one. Today I am remembering Jesaia Swart. He was murdered…

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  • Anyone who has seen the movie “Schindler’s List,” will know about Amon Göth, whom Ralph Fiennes played. Göth was the son of a prosperous publisher in Vienna. In 1931, he became a member of the Austrian Nazi Party at the age of 23. He was granted full party membership on May 31, 1931. His decision…

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  • On 2 June 1942, 64 people were transported from Camp Amersfoort in the Netherlands to Mauthausen in Austria. Of the 64 people, 12 were murdered on 6 July 1942. Nathan de Klijn was born in Amsterdam on 29 August 1905. He was murdered in Mauthausen on 6 July 1942. He reached the age of 36…

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