Erstellt am: 19. 11. 2010 - 17:35 Uhr

My Reality, Saturday (12-13)

One small step for a grandson, one giant step for his grandparents. Ben Weiss on preserving his family's history, his Holocaust survivor grandparents and how their resilience shaped who he is.

by Ben Weiss

Springtime in April in Frankfurt, the 30 year old Ben Weiss arrived from Hong Kong with a backpack and a plan to attend the 65th anniversary memorial service for his two grandfathers who were liberated a short 200km distance away at the Buchenwald concentration camp.

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Outside the gates of Buchenwald 65 years to the day when his 2 grandfathers were liberated in April 1945]

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Outside the Small Fortress at Theresienstadt where his grandmother, Lotte, was liberated in May 1945

Fast forward to November and after blazing a trail through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, inspired by the heroism of his grandparents survival during the war years, Ben set about the tasks of having the life stories of his grandparents published, and laying the platform for the return of his grandfather to his homeland, Vienna, after an absence of 71 years.

What started out as a spring break has created a lifetime of memories for Ben, his grandparents and his entire family, proof of the Robert Frost saying that it is "the road less travelled by that often makes all the difference".

A triumphant return to Vienna, 71 years on, for the dapper 85 year old Kurt Fuchs. On 5 October 2010, the lionhearted Kurt Fuchs arrived in Vienna after a 71 year hiatus from his city of birth.

Invited as a guest by The Jewish Welcome Service, and through the help of the resourceful Margit Wolfsberger , Kurt's return to a vibrant, vivacious, Vienna was a far cry from the city he left in 1938, when the dark clouds of Nazi Germany were forming over this ancient capital.

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Kurt as a young man before the war with his two sisters, Margit and Edith

Flanked by his two grandchildren, Ben and Keren Weiss, Kurt set upon a quest to retrace his family and childhood roots; along the way, leaving a trail of fans and admirers (including the President of Austria, Dr Heinz Fischer) who were left marvelling at the strength of his memory, his gregarious personality and his zest for life.

Spazierens to the Danube, Schoenbrunn and the Prater were mixed in with longer trips to the diminutive Deutschkreutz (the place of birth of Kurt's
father) and Eistenstadt, where Kurt and his second generation family stood adjacent to the stone column firmly holding the "chain" that symbolised the entrance to the Jewish quarter of this historical city, and where he used to holiday with his family as a young boy.

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Kurt and family at the Prater

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The commemorative plaque laid at Herklotzgasse 21 for Kurt's family

When not charming the local radio personalities at the ORF, Kurt's "official" business in Vienna included attending the symposium "Österreichisches Exil in Neuseeland", the laying of a memorial plaque at Herklotzgasse 21 for his family who perished in the concentration camps and attending the book launch of 86 year old, Auschwitz survivor, Lotte Weiss, the paternal grandmother of Ben and Keren.

The ever talented Bianca Blei's article on Kurt's life in derStandard also became a huge hit with over 22,000 people tuning in to her moving story.

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Kurt was at home at ORF, and charmed all the local female radio personalities along the way

His family's legacy preserved, his "heavy heart" towards Vienna vanquished, Kurt now beams happily from his base in Sydney, Australia. His personal revival far from complete, he and his family are already plotting their next trip to this great continent.

Lotte Weiss's book "Meine zwei Leben" waltzes to success in Vienna

When the sprightly 86 year old Lotte Weiss addressed the packed audience at the Jewish Museum in Vienna on Election Day in October, all were left in awe and amazement by the strength of a most remarkable woman.

A Czech born survivor of Auschwitz and 5 other concentrations camps, Lotte spent a total of 38 months inside the Nazi slave labour and death camps.
The only member of a family of 8 that survived, Lotte was liberated at the age of 21, alone and afraid. In time, she learned how to cope with her tragic memories, and set about building a new life and raising a family in New Zealand and Australia. Lotte's message is one of hope and inspiration, to channel one's energy towards positive thinking and to treat every day as a blessing.

LiT

In attendance at the book launch in Vienna were several members of Lotte's family and a number of dignitaries from New Zealand, academics, historians, family and friends.

The book titeld"Meine zwei Leben", with forewords prepared by Dr. Heinz Fischer and Dr Michael Haupl, was published in German by LIT Verlag, and as a new innovation, includes as an insert the DVD titled "Lotte Weiss - a Life Reborn", created by the talented team of Sabine, George and Konrad. Lotte Weiss lives in Sydney, Australia and can be found most Sundays at the Sydney Jewish Museum where she is a volunteer guide.

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The President of Austria, Dr Heinz Fischer, receiving a copy of "Meine zwei Leben" by Lotte's grandchildren at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

It ends where it all began...

What started as a spontaneous decision to visit the Buchenwald concentration camp will end at the place where it all began. Kurt and Ben have been invited as guests of Germany to attend the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald in April 2011.

If there has ever been a quote that is a truism in every sense, it can be found in the almost 2000 year old text, The Art of War, where Sun Tzu proclaimed that "opportunities multiply as they are seized."

It is time for us all to start seizing those opportunities, wherever they may lie...

Ben Weiss, Tel Aviv, 2010