Object numberM2018/008:095
Description
In March 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in the “Anschluss”. From May 1938, the racist Nuremberg laws applied in Austria, and Austrian Jews were steadily ostracised from their societies during the process of “Aryanisation.” This tension came to a climax in the Kristallnacht pogrom from 9th-10th November.
In the meantime, Hardy Brothers, a British jewellery-making firm, offer young Leo Steiner from Vienna employment in Sydney, Australia as a jewellery mounter in July 1938. However, the Gestapo threaten to arrest Jews issued with travel documents who do not leave within a short time. Whilst Leo’s Australian landing permit is pending, it is therefore prudent to seek temporary refuge in a third country. Before he is discharged from his erstwhile firm Vienna Art Designs, Leo’s employer Oscar Fastlich writes that his stay in Switzerland is necessary for business. In July, Leo moves to Zurich on a temporary stay visa, leaving his parents, Adolf and Hermine, and brother Paul, behind in Vienna.
Once established in Australia, Leo makes various applications to the Australian government for landing permits on behalf of his parents and Paul, all of which are denied. All three family members would eventually perish during WWII.
This photograph depicts the facade of Leo's father, Adolf Steiner's, kosher poultry shop, sometime before the war. Adolf was unemployed during the war up until his pneumonia-related death in 1940, likely due to the Aryanisation of Jewish businesses. Leo's brother Paul was allowed to keep his job in a shop despite being Jewish, yet the unemployment of both parents meant the Steiners were partly reliant upon donations from relatives (what's more, Leo was prohibited from sending money over to his family in the post). In this photo, a sign reading "Geese - Ducks - Chickens" is visible as well as the word "kosher" in Hebrew writing in three different places. Also pictured are Adolf with his family members standing on the street outside the shop.
In March 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in the “Anschluss”. From May 1938, the racist Nuremberg laws applied in Austria, and Austrian Jews were steadily ostracised from their societies during the process of “Aryanisation.” This tension came to a climax in the Kristallnacht pogrom from 9th-10th November.
In the meantime, Hardy Brothers, a British jewellery-making firm, offer young Leo Steiner from Vienna employment in Sydney, Australia as a jewellery mounter in July 1938. However, the Gestapo threaten to arrest Jews issued with travel documents who do not leave within a short time. Whilst Leo’s Australian landing permit is pending, it is therefore prudent to seek temporary refuge in a third country. Before he is discharged from his erstwhile firm Vienna Art Designs, Leo’s employer Oscar Fastlich writes that his stay in Switzerland is necessary for business. In July, Leo moves to Zurich on a temporary stay visa, leaving his parents, Adolf and Hermine, and brother Paul, behind in Vienna.
Once established in Australia, Leo makes various applications to the Australian government for landing permits on behalf of his parents and Paul, all of which are denied. All three family members would eventually perish during WWII.
This photograph depicts the facade of Leo's father, Adolf Steiner's, kosher poultry shop, sometime before the war. Adolf was unemployed during the war up until his pneumonia-related death in 1940, likely due to the Aryanisation of Jewish businesses. Leo's brother Paul was allowed to keep his job in a shop despite being Jewish, yet the unemployment of both parents meant the Steiners were partly reliant upon donations from relatives (what's more, Leo was prohibited from sending money over to his family in the post). In this photo, a sign reading "Geese - Ducks - Chickens" is visible as well as the word "kosher" in Hebrew writing in three different places. Also pictured are Adolf with his family members standing on the street outside the shop.
Production placeVienna, Austria
Production date 1923 - 1932
SubjectPre-war life, pre-World War II, Jews in Vienna, Jewish businesses, family life, kosher butcher, world that was
Object namephotographs
Dimensions
- length: 139.00 mm
width: 90.00 mm
Language
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Pauline Shavit