Secularization means that religion is losing its influence in society. This development was also evident in many Jewish families in Graz around 1900. In the video clips of Kurt Landskroner, Edith Basch, and Eric Newman, you will learn how they and their families practiced their Jewish faith.
Kurt Landskroner was born on December 18, 1927, in Graz. He lived with his parents and his sister Liselotte at Annenstraße 30 - which was our first stop. Like Eric Newman, he attended the Oeverseegymnasium.
During the pogrom night of November 9-10, 1938, the family's apartment was destroyed by the Nazis and his father was beaten and seriously injured. A few months later, Kurt and Liselotte Landskroner were able to flee to England with a “Kindertransport”. Their mother was also able to emigrate to England. Their father died in Palestine in 1943 as a result of a brain tumor. Kurt Landskroner studied and worked in Great Britain, where he died on September 2, 2010, at the age of 83.
Edith Basch (born Schwarz) was born on November 25th, 1924, in Graz. Due to increasing antisemitism, she had little contact with non-Jewish people during her childhood. She first attended the Jewish elementary school next to the synagogue and later transferred to a state school. In 1939, Edith was able to flee to England on a “Kindertransport,” where her mother already had a residence permit. Her father was also able to flee to Great Britain. Together with her future husband and her father, Edith eventually emigrated to the United States, to Los Angeles. In the early 1990s, she and other Jews from Graz returned to visit on the invitation of the city of Graz. She declined the offer to reclaim Austrian citizenship.
You have already met Eric Newman at the first stop. Now you will hear the three contemporary witnesses tell you how they lived and experienced Judaism in Graz.