childhood and youth
Erich Lessing was born in 1923 in Vienna. He was a member of the Socialist Youth, which was made illegal in 1934, the Austro-fascist corporate state. The relationship between illegal corporate state socialists and learning was still better than about between illegal "swastika learning" and socialists. Lessing still dominates, as he proudly told the technique of painted on walls and walls of swastikas being a "perverse" to draw SDAP - and with his hands behind his back (how it exactly looks and I do not, however).
From Policy of the corporate state was directly affected his family, due to the so-called "dual law". This was that in married couples (or general budgets?), In which both partners are employed, one had to renounce the exercise of his profession. His father was a dentist, his mother a concert pianist. Which of the two now had to give up the profession, I do not know anymore. Probably his mother. The question remains which of the two state employees was / r ... possibly the law applied not only to state employees. In any case, this proposed method of combating unemployment in the corporate state directly to the household income of Lessing.
His parents described Lessing as "persuaded the Jews." Jewish traditions, customs, festivals were observed live, but not orthodox. We celebrated Hanukkah, Bar Mitzvah, etc. Sukkot Lessing also appeared as a child in the swimming section of the Hakoah. The religious education at school looked like that all Jewish children were taught the high school in a class. At least since 1936 but this was more lessons in Jewish history as a religious or Zionist lessons because the teacher was actually a mathematician, who for some reason was not allowed to teach mathematics.
After the Anschluss in 1938 all Jewish high school students of the 7th, 8th and 9 District for religious education (or general?) in the RG 8 summarized in Albert Street. However, even temporarily, for soon after Jews were forbidden to attend school. Until leaving in 1939 Lessing were still down some obstacles in their way.
After connection: should emigrate separation from the family, escaped to Haifa
that the family was, probably until after the November pogrom of 1938 all clear really. Because only the end of 1938 Lessing began efforts to depart from Vienna. At this time it did the Nazis want to leave, but even more difficult than in the first months after the Anschluss. After the November pogrom was suddenly everything changes, everything worse. Personal relationships between Jews and non-Jews, in the case of the family such as Lessing, when it came to an official stamp for any documents (specifically: When Adolf Brunner - not identical with the war criminal Adolf Brunner - in the Prinz-Eugen-Strasse obviously important stamp distributed and somehow familiar with Lessing, was making the whole smoothly and quickly, without harassment, proceeded), did not work, not later than 1939, probably because no grace, no exemptions have been more tolerated. Even with the regional administration was apparent after the November pogrom of radicalization, Lessing. For while the pogrom, this did not worry that will be destroyed "so much" (well, especially in relation to business or flats and less because of the synagogues), and soon after it was no matter what, in the course of the persecution of the Jews are destroying everything.
that Lessing had to wait a year before he could emigrate legally, is certainly harassment due to the Nazi bureaucracy. Because of a valid passport you need two valid documents, namely, one on the "Jewish property levy" and another that you leave no debt (if I understood correctly). Both documents were only 14 days, but the waiting time for the second document (which you could obviously get only if the first was provided), was at least as long as the first document that expired again was. It had been so, Lessing, no two valid documents while in the hand and never came so his passport which was needed to leave. Apparently it was indeed once the meeting with a notary, Dr. Harrandt, which allowed Lessing, come in good time on his passport and to leave Vienna at one of the last occasions in December 1939. In Lessing's case was to be exact, a "school certificate", issued by the Jewish Agency, with whom he could leave.
He took the train to Trieste, from where it went with the "Galilee" in Haifa. He went alone, because his mother wanted him to stay in Vienna to leave not only their mother. What happened to the father is unfortunately escaped me, but probably of this period have not seen already. Lessing also had an uncle in Vienna, who owned a mill, the company "Brach & Lessing. This Lessing left a legacy - not more we learned of this.
Until 1942, he got through the Red Cross messages from his mother, then broke off the contact. Through research, his daughter Hannah he learned of their fate in the concentration camps.
time in Palestine / Israel
In the former Mandate of Palestine Lessing went to a kibbutz in Beit Sha'ar, if I understood correctly (and which it, according to my research possible in German and English, at least two). It certainly was "bourgeois-Zionist" and Lessing's task was there to watch on a nearby mountain to the correct pitch of the source of three Israeli and one Palestinian villages village. So he sat there and spent many hours reading time. The rest of the time he measured fish ponds. The kibbutz, at least in any case the ponds, there are today, there are even very many to come. He then read a lot during his time as a taxi driver in Haifa (or Tel Aviv?), To certain times when there was little clientele. With photography, it is only in 1950 came in contact professionally. His first camera he had indeed been to his bar mitzvah in Vienna when he was 13 to get. But used more or less professional, he has it only from his time as a paratrooper in the British military (he shot out of the plane, possibly with his jumps, although something of a "box" was - once it is him then at a rough landing also broke down).
return to Austria
His first impression on returning to Austria - again, via Trieste and then by train to Vienna - was the following: If the passport control at the Austrian border, the official British passport by Erich Lessing took them , looked at him expired smiled gently, gave the passport back, and disappeared as silently as the whole process is. It was, Lessing, as a hidden welcome him.
Even with the return to Vienna, from which he had to leave about 8 years earlier, he had no problem. He met some nice people, such as the Social Democratic caretaker of once again, which were wonderful experiences. But he met people he had in 1938/39 unpleasant. The apartment where Lessing lived before the flight was now occupied by someone else. He did not try to get them back. But he sought his old furniture - and found them in the shops of interest: When coal merchant, the greengrocer, etc., he got back - he can pick them up, he said.
That he has returned to Austria, is due basically to the fact that it was more difficult to get a visa for France (he wanted to professionalize his photography in Paris), than with a British passport to enter into some British-occupied Austria . He then asked for all agencies in Vienna, whether they need a photographer. Although he could not photograph well, as he told us, but: "others not" . He found a job with Associated Press, where he met his future wife, Traudl - A Christian who later, before the children came, is a convert to Judaism (mikvah had to make a , a kind of "baptismal bath" in the "dip").
His high point as a photographer - at least its most successful and most famous photos - so were the photos of the Hungarian uprising 1956th That he was at the right time and right place is because that he has already felt the whole time, what will happen. The mood, the tension in the nation have shown this. And when the Soviets withdrew after the uprising in Hungary, he had already can not believe that the fallen can. So he's traced the car to transport troops to the border - and after the border were already large storage tanks and, apparently just waiting for an assignment command. Lessing went back to Budapest and then announced his assessment that the Russians would come back. But no one could or wanted to believe it until then it just happened yet. So it was that Lessing apparently was the only photographer, was able to supply the images from the suppression of the uprising in Budapest. Even before it was over, he was back in Vienna, and the photos were their journey around the world.
Lessing was then at least in Austria and was also registered, although rather irreligious, "good" at the Jewish Community because "befits" . Over the years, he has to go also in the lives to "at least on the high holy days" in the synagogue.
Jewish identity
Although Lessing rather irreligious as described and, as I say, could make friends later, with regular visits synagogue, he describes himself as "a committed Jew." Because "has its staunch Jew nothing to do with religion" (Quote Lessing).
He also told an anecdote about his daughter, Hannah Lessing, as General Secretary of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism should give a speech in Parliament. She worked on the speech and then came the following question to her father, Am I really Jewish or Austrian Austrian Jewish? A clear answer could not seem to give her Erich: Both, actually comes to it, with whom you speak. regard to religiosity in the family, says Lessing, it is a "schizophrenic family" : half / half. Daughter Hannah lives more religiously and eats the other daughter again not kosher.
to Israel asked ("How do you stand today with Israel") , Lessing had only silent times about 10 seconds - he was not a word, no sentence that he should say. After several attempts to utter a word, he then said in any case, he, or "man" does not interfere in the affairs of other countries have - "even if you have a certain affinity to" . As for the war in Gaza: Israel has learned from the Lebanon war to do so, Lessing. Because on both sides, there was very little loss. Israel has tried both among the Palestinian civilian population and among its own soldiers to avoid losses as much as possible.
to Kreisky Wiesenthal
also Erich Lessing Kreisky knew personally. He has more positive memories, Kreisky was about one very good jokes have been tell. The Kreisky-Wiesenthal affair was for him "none of the finer events" was. The reason for the violent confrontation between the two is for Lessing also due to the fact that both were "difficult personalities" that "talk is not" just wanted. Kreisky had carried on their character rather the setting of the assimilated middle-class Viennese Jewish community of the '20s, such as an Otto Bauer, Victor Adler, he had decided to be a European Jew - so Lessing Kreisky.
interesting statements made on the relationship between Lessing and Kreisky Israel. Sun Kreisky was yes to the demands of the terrorists , demanding the abandonment of the interim storage Schönau (community Marchegg) in Austria, where Russian Jews waiting to emigrate to Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, then traveled to Vienna in order to deter Kreisky, to give in to terrorists, and tried him for that purpose to "be Jewish" to remember. Kreisky was to it, however, a (not his Judaism in this case is "meaningless") and closed the camp anyway. The emigration of Russian Jews from the Soviet Union to Israel was, moreover, continue to Austria.
And what the affair concerns Wiesenthal Kreisky, Sun Kreisky's excitement about Wiesenthal's revelations and allegations could be explained with the fact that Peter Kreisky (Friedrich Peter, Vice Chancellor, FPÖ) have used, not just to be chancellor. Kreisky said to have had a interest, Lessing, that Peter and the Freedom Party is voted pro-Israeli. They wanted "the Liberals' Peter strengthen the effect and use it to the Freedom Party to make a liberal party. Israel also has supported those interests and supported. It has been around for a meal with Lessing, the Israeli ambassador and Peter. Wiesenthal's allegations but all efforts have "undermined" and everything destroyed. Had " the policy is working, we would have no Strache problem ", the most interesting comments Lessing of Kreisky, Wiesenthal, Peter and Israel.
to Waldheim and anti-Semitism today
The relationship between Lessing and Waldheim was " uninteresting - ". Whether the" Waldheim was an uninteresting man campaign against Waldheim had promoted anti-Semitism ? "How's doing is 'wrong' " hushing " would have been no better solution
to the coming elections.. : The development around Strache FPÖ and the bad, the coming elections will show, "what is going on" . In any case, Lessing "because Haider's 10 times better than the Strache, who had at least an opportunist."
And today's anti-Semitism, or anti-Semitism in general: "anti-Semitism has nothing to do with Jews." (in reference to the fact that it is anti-Semitism even in regions where no Jews live or exercised, would have any impact - key word: "anti-Semitism without Jews"). In Vorarlberg, Lessing, it is to be 10 times more likely to run over by a car as a Jew to have to shake his hand.
