Frischer, Erna

Parents
My father, who was born in 1876 in a small town near cracow (a part of Austria, which eventually became Poland), moved to 1890 to Vienna after having completed his mandatory schooling in Bielitz. He found a job in a paper wholesale place a trade which be made his own for the rest of his life.

My mother Therese was born in Vienna 1822, the daughter of a rabbi (his name was Mordeha Ber Klein, he was the author of a number of theological works and, or I understand, very well of religious circles) but, none the less, grew up to be a free thimber, a very modern woman of superior intelligence who attended between at the Vienna University which were open to the public. Her father cried when she was very young (she and two brothers were the product of a marriage) and she had to go to work at an early age. My parents were married in 1912 and I was born in 1919 an only late child and to my fathers device in the Austrian Army during World War I. Although my parents were not very religious, our high Holidays as well as Passover were always observed my parents was shipped at the synagoge in Eitelbergergasse from it´s direction there had this permanent seals there, I attended Jugendgottesdienst regulary and had my confirmation there (together with some of my closent friends). If I remember correctly, the rabbis name was Levine.

We lived a first at Hietzinger Hauptstrasse 105 in a rather small apartment it had been very parants home from the day of their wedding and then moved to St. Veitgasse 9, a new building at the time. When we had a beautiful spacious apartment. It was beautifully furnished, dining rom, salon and "Herrenzimmer in black, the chairs were coverd in black leather. We had a piano (mostly for my benefits although I really did not do it too much loud in all the apartment of a well to do businessman persian carpets, five paintings throughout.

Friends
My friends were mostly Jewish girls who were my classmates some of my friends I enquired somewhat when I joined Zinist Youth Groups. I played mostly on what was known as Roter Berg does it still exist? I even did some of my first attempts at staying there. Went see skating to a place which was a terms court during the rest of the year somewhere between my home and Roter Berg I do not really the name.

I took piano and ballet classes, as well as all kinds of physical exercise classes. My first personal encounter was in elemantary school. I must have been about for 9 years of age at the time, when a classmate called me a "Dirty Jew". I went straight to the principal, whose answer was in well, you´ll have to got used to that and who, when I said that I won´t, called my mother to school and complained about my sassiness.

I graduated from High School (MRG 13 Wenzgasse 7) in 1937 and only attended Special classes for French in a private School Kautetzky, somewhere on the ring in the city. On the day that Hitler marched inzo Austria, I was picked up on the street (trying to return home from above mentioned school) and taken to a synagoge to wash the floor there. I could never figure out, why the nazis were so interested that the floor at Seitenstättengasse Temple should be so clean!

But they released me after a couple of hours and other than my parents were very worried about my whereabout no great horn was.

"Staatsprüfung" in French
I took a "Staatsprüfung" in French, which would have entitled my to teach in a uni School Level and to my other astonishment completed the rest with "Auszeichnung". I still have this document which I, because the Austrian Adler was when printed with a Hakenkreuz. I did not much unix with you. Jews after the Anschluss since I really did not have any non-Jewish friends before.

I had a course living in what was then Palestine (he is the person when I later married) be immediatly applied for my admission to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I was accepted and this acception assured my entry into Palestine. Upon my arrival in Jerusalem in of 1938 I immediately applied for entry for my parents who really were unable to try any other country, since my father be that time had developed a case of Partizans be sease but unfortunately, the outbreak of the war are year later the warted that attempt.

As you can see I was no longer in vienna at Kristallnacht. I only know, that my parents had to leave our apartment soon there after since Hietzing was to became "judenrein". They had to move a number of times, first to a much smaller place some where in Mariahilf but subsequently they were made to share a small apartment with other families.

My fathers business "Papier en gros" in Linke Wienzeile 118 was "arrisiert" he died in vienna in January of 1940 and my mother who had nowhere to go was deported to Theresienstadt and finally in 1944 to Auschwitz.

Jobs in Jerusalem
I found myself doing all kinds of old jobs in Jerusalem I could not attend the Universitys, since I did not know Hebrew and had to make a living. I had left behind not only my parents and my way of living but also a with whom I was in love and whom I was meant to marry. In his observe and in new surrondrugs I found another man to love when I married in Jerusalem in 1941. We had two daughters in 1945 and 1951 respectively, moved to the USA in 1953, our family grew (2 Granddaughters and one grandson) and my husband died in 1992.

II returned to vienna for the first time to in 1950 primarily to bow after my fathers grave which is about all I have there.