Object numberM2018/008:041
DescriptionIn 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 letter is from Leo’s mother Hermine, with a note written by Adolf. According to the letter, Hermine’s sister Anna Seifter has left to seek refuge in Italy with her husband. Hermine writes that they do not plan to follow her sister for the time being: whilst the general cost of living is cheap in Italy, rent is expensive and the local Jewish committee does not offer financial support. However, she also writes that she will travel to Italy if there are still no Australian landing permits to be had by August, since their stay in Vienna officially expires then due to Gestapo-imposed restrictions.
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 letter is from Leo’s mother Hermine, with a note written by Adolf. According to the letter, Hermine’s sister Anna Seifter has left to seek refuge in Italy with her husband. Hermine writes that they do not plan to follow her sister for the time being: whilst the general cost of living is cheap in Italy, rent is expensive and the local Jewish committee does not offer financial support. However, she also writes that she will travel to Italy if there are still no Australian landing permits to be had by August, since their stay in Vienna officially expires then due to Gestapo-imposed restrictions.
Production placeVienna, Austria
Production date 1939-07-12 - 1939-07-12
SubjectHolocaust, Nazi political activities (1933-1939), refugees, refugees, Gestapo, visa application, family life, refugee experiences in Australia, Jews in Vienna, landing permit
Object nameletters
Dimensions
- letter length: 264.00 mm
letter width: 219.00 mm
envelope length: 162.00 mm
envelope width: 113.00 mm
Language
- German My dear Leo,
It was a pleasure to receive your last letter from 25.6 on 7.7 along with the picture. You look better than in the last picture. Every Friday we wait for a letter from you to come, since your letters have been arriving recently on Fridays.
Have you received a response from Switzerland or London? We haven’t heard anything. We wait daily like you do to receive a definitive answer, and are very anxious at the moment about whether we will be approved. Hopefully the answer won’t come as late as autumn, as you wrote, because our stay in Vienna will have expired.
Uncle and Aunty are travelling to Italy tomorrow. They haven’t got a pass to go anywhere at all. Pauli also wants to join them but I wouldn’t like that because his ship ticket wouldn’t be paid for in Italy and we have no money to pay for it ourselves. We’re hoping to receive our tickets from the Cultural Committee here. Uncle Abraham supports us usually financially but please don’t worry about us. My greatest concern is the permit and today I was also very nervous because I was thinking of Aunty and whether I’ll ever see her again.
Hopefully you’ll be able to read my letter [due to handwriting difficulties]. I only wish to be with you, although this is only a wish. Though I still haven’t lost hope.
Today I wrote a card to Aunt Pepi asking her if she could do anything for Pauli, since we hear that there are people who manage to get in [to Yugoslavia]. I would like for Pauli and Adolf to both be away somewhere already, though where I don’t know. At the same time I wouldn’t like to be alone; it would drive me crazy. So we don’t know what to do, especially because of the ship tickets. That is, we’d like to go to Italy but you don’t receive anything from the Cultural Committee there apart from food and some very small assistance, plus apartments are very expensive there. For one pound you can get 90 liras, but an apartment costs 120 lira and Uncle must also be able to buy himself something for breakfast, since the Committee only provides lunch. He also would have to eat in the evening, and laundry also costs something – so we don’t know what we should do.
Tato is very nervous at the moment because there is no security for us, which gets him down as you can imagine. You wrote that if we had gone to Switzerland with you we would have less to worry about, but who knows what it will be like there in a year’s time; it could be just the same as here. I believe you that you are very concerned, and it pains me that you must have such worries.
We haven’t heard anything from Palestine in 4 weeks, and nothing from Olga either. Since they are unaffected, maybe they aren’t thinking of others. The dear Lord G-d should also help me before I lose my strength. Leonku, if you could please go to Canberra to make an enquiry there and speed up the process – otherwise we won’t get anywhere.
We are healthy, thank G-d, and you look after yourself if it’s still cool over there. It has been so hot here but this week it rained and then cooled down which I prefer as I can’t stand too much heat. Are your teeth all in order, Leonku? I should also get a few of mine pulled but I’m afraid to have it done. This time I know you’ll have difficulty reading my letter, because I am very nervous – maybe I’ll write to you again this week when Aunty is gone.
Today we received a card from Uncle Alfred. He transferred me 100 crowns, less than last month when he transferred 200, but we’re getting by; save what you can to send to Pauli and for us when we leave from here, but don’t deprive yourself of anything and keep healthy.
Write to us again soon as we look so forward to your letters, and no-one’s letters excite me like yours. I re-read your most recent letter every day until a new one comes. All our friends send their regards.
A thousand kisses,
Your Mama
(Pauli is in the shop)
Dear Jonas!
At the moment I am also feeling uneasy about the permit, but we’re hoping that it comes in the near future. Our stay is approved [in Vienna] until the end of August. If the permit doesn’t come soon we’re going to go to Italy. The clearance certificates expire at the end of July.
Kisses from your Tato
[Additional note from mother]:
Aunty will write to you from Italy as soon as she finds out her new address. Maybe Pauli will go to live with them. You must transfer the money to a bank. My dearest wish is to fly over to you myself instead of this letter…
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Pauline Shavit