Brillat-Savarin in Terezin by Fred and Otto Zeckendorf
Object numberM2021/038:046
TitleBrillat-Savarin in Terezin by Fred and Otto Zeckendorf
Creator Fred Zeckendorf
DescriptionTyped and illustrated book by Fred and Otto Zeckendorf. The recipe book was a gift to Otto's wife, Anna, on the occasion of their 23rd Wedding Anniversary on 26 September 1943. Various drawings are also illustrated by artist Vilém (Wilhelm) Konrad.
It features various illustrations and texts with a mixture of stories and recipes. It focuses particularly on food with secret recipes for making Viennese coffee and a chapter devoted to lentil soup called 'Dreaming about Linsesupe'. Other chapters focus on hospitality, sweets and patisserie, potato goulash, Pesach food and 'coloured potatoes' that taste like Chinese eggs.
This work provides a unique insight into the spiritual survival, often tongue-in-cheek, of the Czech Jewish prisoners of Terezín. The book is a fantasy grounded in the harsh reality of the situtation at Theresienstadt. It begins and ends with a 'song around the table'. Otto is described as the last one singing with a new 'optimistic' song;
'[Otto is singing] Spring will come, it will come, it will be May again,
And for us in Terezín, paradise will come again.
We'll be people like the others again,
We'll rejoice in our country's beauty!
Spring will come, spring will come, and we'll go camping,
And we'll leave Linsensuppe behind.
We'll enjoy the sweet pie and the roast,
I'll eat thirty plum dumplings myself!'
Collection of artworks (drawings, sketches and watercolours), hand typed manuscripts and letters produced by Bedrich (Fred) Zeckendorf and Otto Zeckendorf during their time as inmates in Theresienstadt ghetto (or Terezin). The manuscripts and letters were given to Fred's wife, Anci (Anna), who was separated from her family in the ghetto at this time. The collection also includes photographs of the three family members.
Otto Zeckendorf was born in 1923 in Popovice, Czechoslovakia, an only child to Anci (Anna) Zeckendorf, born in Prague, and Bedrich (also known as Fred) Zeckendorf, also born in Popovice in 1893. Before the war, Fred worked firstly at his family's mill before working as an export sales manager for a firm which made neckties. Due to introduced anti-Jewish restrictions, Otto was forced to quit school in 1938 at the age of 15.
The family were deported from Prague in January 1942 to Theresienstadt ghetto. The Zeckendorf family were housed in the Kavalier barracks, with men and women in gender specific accommodation. Although separated, Fred and Otto communicated with Anna through cards, drawings and handmade gifts. This included sending Anna a wedding anniversary gift, a handwritten and illustrated manuscript of recipes and other humorous writings.
Fred worked in the Administration Department's Information Office, a busy department within the ghetto. Otto recalled; "One day there would be 500 in that building but that varied day to day, and he [Fred] had to keep track of who arrived and who was where. It was necessary to always have someone in the office. Someone would arrive asking 'Is my father-in-law still here? Where can I find him?' When no one was around, he did the drawings." During quiet moment, Fred captured life in Theresienstadt including labour scenes, food, landscapes and Jewish prayer life and ceremony.
Otto Zeckendorf worked as a cook in the Theresienstadt kitchen. He worked long and arduous hours, starting at 2.30am to have meals ready by 11.30am, with the shift ending at 1pm. Privileges were enjoyed by inmates in the kitchens and related facilities. Occasionally, Otto managed to sneak extra rations to his father. He recollected, "My father had half of his stomach destroyed because he had ulcers. Without my help as a cook, he wouldn't have survived...with the afternoon free, I would sit with my father until the next shift began."
Fred and Otto spent 2 ½ years in Terezin, from January 1942 to 28 September 1944. On 28 September 1944, they were deported to Auschwitz, where Fred aged 51 was murdered upon arrival. During their wait for deportation, Fred and Otto wrote three letters to Anna in 12 hours. Unaware of what separation would mean, the last time Otto saw his father was during the selection process. Otto was then listed in Meuselwitz, a subcamp of Buchenwald, where he worked as a mechanic slave labourer in an ammunitions factory until he was liberated in April 1945.
Anna survived and was liberated in Terezín, rendering 'essential services' such as growing vegetables for the SS, and planting fast-growing flower seeds in preparation for the Red Cross visit of June 1944. Otto was reunited with his mother and together they travelled via the 'Ugolino Vivaldi', arriving in Australia in December 1949. Otto states they came with only his father's artworks and four pounds sterling in his pocket.
Otto met his wife, Dolly Turner, in Australia and they married on 1 November 1959. He worked as an accountant, continuing to practice well into his 90s. Anna passed away in December 1971 and Dolly in 2019.
It features various illustrations and texts with a mixture of stories and recipes. It focuses particularly on food with secret recipes for making Viennese coffee and a chapter devoted to lentil soup called 'Dreaming about Linsesupe'. Other chapters focus on hospitality, sweets and patisserie, potato goulash, Pesach food and 'coloured potatoes' that taste like Chinese eggs.
This work provides a unique insight into the spiritual survival, often tongue-in-cheek, of the Czech Jewish prisoners of Terezín. The book is a fantasy grounded in the harsh reality of the situtation at Theresienstadt. It begins and ends with a 'song around the table'. Otto is described as the last one singing with a new 'optimistic' song;
'[Otto is singing] Spring will come, it will come, it will be May again,
And for us in Terezín, paradise will come again.
We'll be people like the others again,
We'll rejoice in our country's beauty!
Spring will come, spring will come, and we'll go camping,
And we'll leave Linsensuppe behind.
We'll enjoy the sweet pie and the roast,
I'll eat thirty plum dumplings myself!'
Collection of artworks (drawings, sketches and watercolours), hand typed manuscripts and letters produced by Bedrich (Fred) Zeckendorf and Otto Zeckendorf during their time as inmates in Theresienstadt ghetto (or Terezin). The manuscripts and letters were given to Fred's wife, Anci (Anna), who was separated from her family in the ghetto at this time. The collection also includes photographs of the three family members.
Otto Zeckendorf was born in 1923 in Popovice, Czechoslovakia, an only child to Anci (Anna) Zeckendorf, born in Prague, and Bedrich (also known as Fred) Zeckendorf, also born in Popovice in 1893. Before the war, Fred worked firstly at his family's mill before working as an export sales manager for a firm which made neckties. Due to introduced anti-Jewish restrictions, Otto was forced to quit school in 1938 at the age of 15.
The family were deported from Prague in January 1942 to Theresienstadt ghetto. The Zeckendorf family were housed in the Kavalier barracks, with men and women in gender specific accommodation. Although separated, Fred and Otto communicated with Anna through cards, drawings and handmade gifts. This included sending Anna a wedding anniversary gift, a handwritten and illustrated manuscript of recipes and other humorous writings.
Fred worked in the Administration Department's Information Office, a busy department within the ghetto. Otto recalled; "One day there would be 500 in that building but that varied day to day, and he [Fred] had to keep track of who arrived and who was where. It was necessary to always have someone in the office. Someone would arrive asking 'Is my father-in-law still here? Where can I find him?' When no one was around, he did the drawings." During quiet moment, Fred captured life in Theresienstadt including labour scenes, food, landscapes and Jewish prayer life and ceremony.
Otto Zeckendorf worked as a cook in the Theresienstadt kitchen. He worked long and arduous hours, starting at 2.30am to have meals ready by 11.30am, with the shift ending at 1pm. Privileges were enjoyed by inmates in the kitchens and related facilities. Occasionally, Otto managed to sneak extra rations to his father. He recollected, "My father had half of his stomach destroyed because he had ulcers. Without my help as a cook, he wouldn't have survived...with the afternoon free, I would sit with my father until the next shift began."
Fred and Otto spent 2 ½ years in Terezin, from January 1942 to 28 September 1944. On 28 September 1944, they were deported to Auschwitz, where Fred aged 51 was murdered upon arrival. During their wait for deportation, Fred and Otto wrote three letters to Anna in 12 hours. Unaware of what separation would mean, the last time Otto saw his father was during the selection process. Otto was then listed in Meuselwitz, a subcamp of Buchenwald, where he worked as a mechanic slave labourer in an ammunitions factory until he was liberated in April 1945.
Anna survived and was liberated in Terezín, rendering 'essential services' such as growing vegetables for the SS, and planting fast-growing flower seeds in preparation for the Red Cross visit of June 1944. Otto was reunited with his mother and together they travelled via the 'Ugolino Vivaldi', arriving in Australia in December 1949. Otto states they came with only his father's artworks and four pounds sterling in his pocket.
Otto met his wife, Dolly Turner, in Australia and they married on 1 November 1959. He worked as an accountant, continuing to practice well into his 90s. Anna passed away in December 1971 and Dolly in 2019.
Production placeTerezin, Czech Republic
Production date 1943-09-26 - 1943-09-26
Subjectartwork, ghetto, cooking, recipes, presents, Pesach, Theresienstadt ghetto, cartoons, food and eating
Object nameart
Materialpaper, fibres (fabrics)
Techniquetypewritten, drawn
Dimensions
- width: 215.00 mm
height: 310.00 mm
Language
- Czech [Front page: Authors' dedication]
To our dearest Annie on the 23rd anniversary of the wedding day.
In Terezín , 26 September 1943.
Beda and Ottka
[Contents Page]
Authors' foreword page 1
How it actually happened 3
Brillat-Savarin tells a story 5
Didactic chapter 7
An idyllic chapter about coffee 11
Chapter about soup 12
Chapter about colourful potatoes 14
Hearty chapter about Kneidel [dumplings] 16
Chapter about hospitality (Wipo-gulash) 19
Sweet cake-shop chapter 20
Agrarian chapter (Eintopf Stew) 22
Gourmet chapter 23
Nautical chapter 25
Religious chapter (Millet for Pesach) 27
Infantile chapter (In Kriechslingsheim) 30
Heroic chapter 31
Closing chapter 33
… and a Happy End 36
[Chapter: Authors Foreword]
LET'S SING A SONG AROUND THE TABLE!
'Honza, it's your turn!'
'Hey, you green groves, you used to be mine,
You used to be the delight of my heart...'
... and after we had a nice walk in the green grove, we rested
on nice grass, unpacked the lunchboxes and knapsacks - man,
it was a delight, tasty cold chicken, open sandwiches with
everything possible, a piece of dessert, fruits ...'
'Stop it, man, just continue on and on!'
LET'S SING A SONG AROUND THE TABLE!
'Karel, it's your turn!'
'…The carp was fooling around in the water when
I was walking with my sweetheart,
Today - and tomorrow for the last time.'
... and then, we sat down together in that little riverside pub,
the innkeeper caught the dear carp, his wife fried it nicely,
...and potato salad... you guys, you would have loved it!'
'Come on, don't tempt us! Don't delay, come on!'
LET'S SING A SONG AROUND THE TABLE!
'Erik, it's your turn, and sing some awesome song!'
'In that green meadow, there are deer grazing'...
... oh boys, venison with a dumpling and
with cranberries, that was just a wonderful treat!'
'Stop it, you sadist, telling such tales here in Terezín!
Come on, come on!'
LET'S SING A SONG AROUND THE TABLE!
'Frantík, sing some old-Czech song!'
'And Grandpa snuffs rappé and Grandma grinds coffee...'
... well, there was nothing better than coffee at Fisher's or Savarin's, it
helped a man back on his feet!'
In Café-Savarin! What a fancy name! Professor Brillat-Savarin,
Your gastronomic star shines now in heaven, look upon us and have
mercy on us! Before yesterday, yesterday and today Linsensuppe [lentil soup]
and speckled potatoes, tomorrow, after-tomorrow and the day after tomorrow
speckled potatoes and Linsensuppe! What would you do, you culinary artist,
what would you cook from food ingredients that are
condescendingly allocated for dear, honest money to our
provisions and kitchens? How would you, you incorrigible
optimist who could pick the best out of all the bad,
describe in your kind mother tongue your impressions of Terezín,
what the famous ideal of feminine beauty of your time would say,
Your cousin Mme Recamier?
Descend from heaven, Brillat-Savarin, come to us,
so that the spirit of your spirit may enter into the heads of our kitchen masters,
to illuminate the minds of our chefs,
and sanctify the hands of our cooks and chefs!
Come down from Heaven and tell us what and how You saw us in Terezín
with your eyes, the eyes of an immortal genius in the field
gastronomic genius! Amen!
[Chapter: and a Happy End]
LET'S SING AROUND THE TABLE!
"Bohouš, it's your turn – [sing] some country one!"
[singing] "I was planting millet grains on the edge of my field ..."
"Beat him up, man! He's the one who caused us to
have to eat all those hirsinky [millet] for weeks! Give him his part...!"
"Leave him alone, he'll never do it again! Go on, go on [with the song]!"
LET'S SING AROUND THE TABLE!
" Frantik, it's now your turn!"
[singing] "Nanynka went down to the cabbage garden, picked the leaves, the little leaves.
Pepíček came to her..."
"... what Pepíček! A little police man came to her and took
her breadbasket and arrested her, that's how it was. She got three months!"
"Come on, young men, come on!"
LET'S SING AROUND THE TABLE!
"Jenda, it's your turn, and sing some Moravian [song]!"
[singing] "Only one loaf of bread, and I fell through the attic for it."
"Good for you, you would have been locked up in Terezín
until you were black! - Go on, sing!"
LET'S SING AROUND THE TABLE!
"Otto, it's your turn, and sing some new song, optimistic ones!"
"Now, boys, watch out!"
[Otto is singing] Spring will come, it will come, it will be May again,
And for us in Terezín, paradise will come again.
We'll be people like the others again,
We'll rejoice in our country's beauty!
Spring will come, spring will come, and we'll go camping,
And we'll leave Linsensuppe behind.
We'll enjoy the sweet pie and the roast,
I'll eat thirty plum dumplings myself!
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Otto Zeckendorf
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.