Tag Archives: belgium

Refugee, But Not Forever

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Suzanne Loebl

The other evening, after a satisfying dinner, I was lazily surfing the net when I came across a photo of a beach filled with Syrian refugees running across the sand, trying to climb aboard a rickety ship. Suddenly my heart … Continue reading →

Posted in family stories, history, politics | Tagged belgium, brussels, d-day, dunkirk evacuation, family, family stories, france, german jews, hidden children, holocaust, miracle of dunkirk, nazi germany, nazis, new york, new york city, refugees, world war ii, wwii | 11 Comments

Pergamon, and my Belgian History Teacher, Come to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Suzanne Loebl

As soon as I entered the Met Museum’s magnificent survey of Hellenistic Art (Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World, April 18-June 17, 2016) the voice of Miss Feytmans, who taught at my high school some 75 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Art review | Tagged art, art museums, belgium, hellenistic art, metropolitan museum of art, new york, new york city, NYC, nyc art exhibits, nyc exhibits, nyc museums | Leave a comment

Visiting the Musee Rodin in the Wake of World War II

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

For me, the reopening of the Musee Rodin unleashed floods of memories. In April 1946, a month before my nuclear family was to immigrate to the United States, my mother, who was somewhat of a tyrant, surprisingly let me visit … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, art collecting, art exhibits, art museums, belgium, brussels, family, france, french art, hotel biron, modern art, modernism, musee rodin, rainer maria rilke, rilke, rodin, sculpture, world war ii, world war ii history | Leave a comment

Farewell to Babeth, My First True Friend

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

“Triste nouvelle,” read my May 22nd e-mail from Francine Bauduin, informing me that my friend Babeth (Elisabeth Wolff) had died. The picture of the old woman that accompanied the loving announcement marked the passage of a lifetime. To me Babeth … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged at the mercy of strangers, babeth wolff, belgium, brussels, elisabeth wolff, hidden children, holocaust, nazi germany, world war ii | 2 Comments

Returning to Brussels, the City That Saved My Life 70 Years Ago

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

My family has always traveled on its stomach. So it was no surprise that when in March 2015 I took my granddaughter, Branching editor Naomi, to revisit my Belgian roots, we would eat well. Our culinary exploits started well. After … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belgium, brussels, europe, family, family stories, family story, food, german jews, hidden children, holocaust, jewish history, judaism, restaurants, travel, world war ii | 3 Comments

Claude Frank: Pianist & Childhood Friend

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Suzanne Loebl

The last time I saw Claude Frank was after his performance at a Schneider concert at the New School. Though we rarely saw each other, we were always extremely happy when we met accidentally. These encounters were never planned, yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belgium, brussels, classical music, Claude Frank, family, family stories, family story, german jews, germany, jewish history, music, nazi germany, pianists, piano, world war ii | Leave a comment

World War I: August 3, 1914: Germany Invades Belgium

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

World War II defined my life, but it was actually a continuation of World War I, whose 100th birthday we “celebrate” this year. The hostilities took a while to get underway. They began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand … Continue reading →

Posted in family stories, history | Tagged Archduke Franz Ferdinand, battle of yser, belgium, france, german jews, germany, hidden children, history, holocaust, jewish history, nazi germany, Suzanne Daley, world war i, world war i history, world war ii, world war ii history, Yser | 1 Comment

The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Being Polyglot

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

In April 2014 my husband and I decided to vacation in France. We spent a few days in Paris, visited with some friends in Normandy and then boated up the Rhône and Saone in the Buri, owned by Viking River … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged belgium, columbia university, family stories, first language, german jews, hidden children, holocaust, immigrants, immigration, immigration stories, jewish history, judaism, languages, multilingual, multilingualism, nazi germany, new york city, polyglot, second language, third language, viking river cruises, world war ii, writing | 3 Comments

Gun Ownership by the Innocent or Unskilled

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Suzanne Loebl

In the wake of Newtown, Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s suggestion that we arm schoolteachers so as to prevent future massacres reminded me of the time my mother acquired a revolver. My mother was a bit paranoid. Our front door had … Continue reading →

Posted in family stories, politics | Tagged belgium, columbine, family stories, germany, gun control, gun control debate, gun control laws, gun laws, guns, hitler, mom, nazi germany, newtown, world war ii | 3 Comments

Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Little Ships

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Suzanne Loebl

For me, the first week of June 2012 was very emotional. First of all, there was The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Now in her mid-eighties, Elizabeth II has been a constant presence in my life. I admired her parents’—King George VI … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged allies, belgium, brussels, diamond jubilee, dunkirk evacuation, europe, little ships, miracle of dunkirk, queen elizabeth, winston churchill, world war ii | 3 Comments