Tag Archives: nazi germany

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

Christmas 2014: Other People’s Holidays

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

My mother was a Christmas junkie. I can still smell the pine aroma of the eight-foot tree that stood in our parlor in Hanover, Germany. Beeswax candles suffused the room with flickering light and a profusion of home-baked cookies weighed … Continue reading →

Posted in family stories | Tagged america's medicis, christmas, family, family stories, family story, german jews, hanukkah, holidays, nazi germany, new york city, NYC, rockefeller center, rockefellers, tiffany, winter in NYC | Leave a comment

Manhattan’s 86-Year Old Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf) School

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

The other day I hurried along East 79th Street on my way to the Met Museum when I glimpsed a likeness of Leonardo da Vinci paired with the promise of teaching the principles of the Italian Renaissance to children in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anthroposophy, education, educational philosophies, eurhythmics, german jewish history, german jews, germany, hidden children, holocaust, jewish history, learning disability, liberal education, nazi germany, pedagogy, rudolf steiner, rudolf steiner schools, steiner schools, waldorf schools, world war ii | Leave a comment

Dr. Sigmund Freud, Uncle Alex and the Centenary of World War I

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

A hundred years ago, when World War I was in its infancy, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria called up my great-uncle-in-law Alexander Loebl, Esq. and asked him to serve in his army. Uncle Alex had just graduated from law school, and though … Continue reading →

Posted in family stories | Tagged anxiety, austria, austrian jews, family, family stories, family story, freud, jewish history, nazi germany, sigmund freud, talk therapy, vienna, war, world war i, world war ii | 2 Comments

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

Degenerate Art: Exhibition at the Neue Galerie and my Family

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

In addition to its Jews, gypsies, mentally ill, and gays, Nazi Germany decided to rid its homeland of the “alleged horrors” perpetrated by its own writers and artists. Specially chosen “experts” plundered Germany’s museums and private collections and confiscated, sold … Continue reading →

Posted in Art review, family stories | Tagged art, bauhaus, christian rohlfs, cornelius gurlitt, current exhibitions, dante alighieri, dante's inferno, degenerate art, degenerate art exhibition, divine comedy, ernst barlach, francesca da rimini, georg grosz, german expressionism, german expressionists, german jews, hermann lismann, hildebrand gurlitt, holocaust, modern art, nazi germany, neue galerie, nyc art exhibits, nyc exhibits, nyc museums, paolo malatesta | 1 Comment

At the Mercy of Strangers: The Book That Keeps Giving

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

Like many teenagers, I kept a diary. In flowery prose I bemoaned my unrequited love for an older married man. I cherished leftist views of the world and a bombastic philosophy to match. I saw myself as a useless bystander … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adolescence, adult education, at the mercy of strangers, authors, german jews, hidden children, high school equivalency, holocaust, hse, john milton, judaism, memoir writing, memoirs, nazi germany, teenagers, teens, the writer's life, turning point, turning point education center, world war ii, writing, writing a book | 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

Kristallnacht

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Suzanne Loebl

Friday, November 9th, was the 74th anniversary of Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass), when the Nazi hoodlums, aided by many ordinary Germans and Austrians, unleashed their fury on their Jewish fellow citizens. One thousand synagogues were burnt. Seven thousand … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged at the mercy of strangers, cornelia street cafe, entertaining science, hidden children, holocaust, holocaust survivors, jfsa, kristallnacht, nazi germany, new york city college of technology, roald hoffmann, the question of forgiveness, world war ii | 1 Comment