22 June 2012

Praise the City Administration of... (Vienna - 1002 km)

(Vienna, 19.06.2012 - 22.06.2012) Praise the Vienna City Administration?! Why? First, for honoring Joseph Schmidt by assigning his name - in the year 1995 - to this square in Vienna. It's not exactly in the heart of the city, it's in the third district of Vienna, but however it's "ours"!

The Joseph Schmidt Tetralogy on Ehpes:
Part 1: Joseph Schmidt, a Star from Czernowitz!
Part 2: Joseph Schmidt, a Star in the Universe!
Part 3: Joseph Schmidt, a Star Fell!
Part 4: Joseph Schmidt, a Star in the Cyberspace!

Second and even more important, for erecting this plaque in front of the building Schottenfeldgasse 60. Why? In the thirties a synagogue was located here. Later, in the year 1940, the building was illegally expropriated and "sold" to the Polsterer family. The descendants of these profiteers, i. e. the Polsterer/Tree families, second generation profiteers, didn't accept the plaque to be wall-hung, so the Vienna City Administration gave proof of outstanding creativity and chutzpah: The plaque was erected at a distance of 10 cm in front of the wall, on municipal land, and Erich Fried's aphorism (German/Hebrew)

„Was keiner geglaubt haben wird, was keiner gewusst haben konnte, was keiner geahnt haben durfte, das wird dann wieder das gewesen sein was keiner gewollt haben wollte.“

was blanked out. Each (sunny) day, at about 3 PM CEST, the sun is burning the letters into the wall, as a fare against oblivion!

Links:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vereinsbethaus_Neubau
http://www.gedenkdienst.at/index.php?id=378

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