Tag Archives: world war ii

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

D-Day, June 6, 1944: Seventy Years Later

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl

Listening to the BBC radio was strictly illegal in Nazi-occupied Belgium. Still, within hours everyone in Brussels knew that the Allied Forces had finally debarked in Normandy on June 6th. We had been waiting for that day for more than four … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged allies, d-day, german jews, hidden children, history, holocaust, june 6, normandy, world war ii, world war ii history | 9 Comments

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

If you love children’s books, hurry to the Morgan Library and Museum in New York to partake in an unusual exhibit entitled The Little Prince: A New York Story. The exhibit is on view until May 27th. Bring a child. Copies are … Continue reading →

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Suzanne Loebl | 1 Comment

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

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

My Annual Visit to the Brooklyn New School

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Suzanne Loebl

The end of May usually finds me visiting the Brooklyn New School (BNS), the alma mater of my three grandchildren. There I talk to four fifth-grade classes about my book, At The Mercy of Strangers: Growing Up on the Edge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brooklyn new school, genocide, hidden children, holocaust, rwanda, world war ii | 2 Comments