Heini told us the story, which I had already heard from my mother and father, in Kew Gardens. We were in the cafeteria. As he told it to me he started weeping.
We ignored the rest of the people there and I hugged him and we wept together. At the end of the story he insisted on writing the name of the street down. But he is 98 (he is 99 in May*) and so might not have remembered the name correctly. But he could see what he described as if it was happening in front of him.
We ignored the rest of the people there and I hugged him and we wept together. At the end of the story he insisted on writing the name of the street down. But he is 98 (he is 99 in May*) and so might not have remembered the name correctly. But he could see what he described as if it was happening in front of him.
"I went to see your grandmother in Prague [he was confusing me with my mother].
"When I found her She was packing her bags because the Nazis had ordered all the people to gather in the main square."
"She was there and she was very, very scared. It showed on her face"
"She said to me: 'Heini what am I going to do?' And I didn't know what to say."
At this point Heini burst into tears.
"She looked so scared and she was an older lady just like my mother and I didn't know what to say.
"Run away,' I said.
'Its too late Heini,' she replied. 'Heini, I have had such a hard life; and now this.'
"At that moment we heard shouts and steps on the stairs below. They were shouting:
'Vo ist der Jude Steinhardt, Vo ist der Jude Steinhardt?'
"And she turned to me and said. 'Heini, you are a young man, there's nothing you can do and you can't be seen with me. Quick go upstairs.'
"And so I did, and I was hiding on the landing upstairs and listening to them as they shouted and banged open her door and took her away down the steps.
"And there was nothing I could do."She was just a old woman - like my mother," he said.
And, of course, I hugged Heini and said to him, "Heini, Heini, it's alright, it's alright. It wasn't your fault. You could do nothing. She knew that. She knew you could not do anything to help."
"At that moment we heard shouts and steps on the stairs below. They were shouting:
'Vo ist der Jude Steinhardt, Vo ist der Jude Steinhardt?'
"And she turned to me and said. 'Heini, you are a young man, there's nothing you can do and you can't be seen with me. Quick go upstairs.'
"And so I did, and I was hiding on the landing upstairs and listening to them as they shouted and banged open her door and took her away down the steps.
"And there was nothing I could do."She was just a old woman - like my mother," he said.
And, of course, I hugged Heini and said to him, "Heini, Heini, it's alright, it's alright. It wasn't your fault. You could do nothing. She knew that. She knew you could not do anything to help."
Can we ever forgive these people?
I don't think so.
Steinhardt Regin
Regin Steinhardt nee Neumann. She was a seamstress and married to Arthur. Prior to WWII she lived in Wien, Austria. During the war she was in Wien, Austria. Regin perished in the Shoah. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on 16-Aug-1999 by her family, a Shoah survivor.
The information is correct except for the name Arthur. Arthur was her oldest son. Isadore was her husband. The information was submitted my a member of her family: Josef Groz in 1999 who was a survivor. I have never heard of him. Josef Groz provided information on many, many people. All of whom, presumably, were my relatives on my grandpa's side. They lived in Vienna before the war at Waehringer Strasse 75710 76. I googled it here. My grandfather refused to go back to any school reunions after the war, though they asked him many times. It's no wonder why.
1. Who is Josef Groz?
2. Is he still alive?
3. Can he tell us more?
* Since i wrote this Heini died.
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