Tag Archives: world war ii

Lockdown 1942, Lockdown 2020

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Suzanne Loebl

For me, the current lockdown is a vivid reminder of the two years I spent as a “hidden child” in Belgium during World War II. Actually, I was neither a child nor confined to my quarters like that other, very … Continue reading →

Posted in family stories, history | Tagged coronavirus, covid-19, german jews, hidden children, holocaust, quarantine, world war ii | 4 Comments

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

Trump and the Bully Pulpit

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Suzanne Loebl

Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0) As of today, Donald Trump has won a virtually unobstructed path to the Republican nomination. The grandstanding and uncouth utterances of the Republican campaign over the last few months remind me of the tirades … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged adolf hitler, donald trump, election, election 2016, fascism, hitler, holocaust, nazi germany, nazis, nazism, politics, presidential election, republican party, republicans, trump, world war ii, world war ii history | 1 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

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