Schnapsen Log Archives
Columns for November, 2013
Almost Inseparable
Martin Tompa
November 12, 2013
Friday, May 18, 1934. Vienna, Austria. Hans enters the apartment, the last of the family to arrive home. He joins his family at the table.
“I’m very sorry to be late for dinner, Apu and Anyu,” Hans apologizes. “I had a very long meeting with my doctoral advisor, Professor Abel.”
“That’s all right, Hans, we understand,” his mother Anyu reassures him. “We just sat down ourselves and were about to start. What was the meeting about?”
Hans pauses, wondering where to begin. “It wasn’t the usual technical discussion about electrolytic processes. Dr. Abel confided in me about his views of what’s happening here and in Germany, and his vision of the future. It was stark and alarming. His vision, I mean.”…
Youthful Exuberance
Martin Tompa
November 15, 2013
Friday, March 13, 1936
Dresdnerstraße 80/9
Vienna XX, Austria
50 Bryn Road
Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
Dear Hans,
I truly enjoyed your lovely letter. It is noteworthy that two brothers must first have a distance of many kilometers between them, in order to be able to speak out. Perhaps, though, it isn’t noteworthy at all, but rather — self-evident….
Precarious Position
Martin Tompa
November 23, 2013
Thursday, July 8, 1937
16, The Grove
Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
Dresdnerstraße 80/9
Vienna XX, Austria
Dear Apu and Anyu, dear Peter, dear Tibor,
I hope that this letter finds you all well. I regret to tell you that I have had some unsettling news here this week. I’m sure you will recall that, one year ago, I received a letter from the Austrian Legation in London informing me that the Mattersburg District…
Show of Force
Martin Tompa
November 29, 2013
Thursday, April 28, 1938. Vienna, Austria. Peter, Tibor, and their mother Anyu delay dinner until Apu finally enters the apartment, looking more tired and defeated than usual. It has been a horrible few months for them and their friends and relatives.
On March 12, Adolf Hitler and his German Wehrmacht army had marched into Austria. Demonstrating miraculous efficiency, within just a few days 70,000 Austrian Jews and political opponents of the unification of Austria with Germany were arrested. Jewish organizations and activities were outlawed. Three days after the invasion, 200,000 cheering Austrians gathered in Vienna’s Heldenplatz to hear Hitler announce the annexation of Austria into the German Reich.
On April 26, Hermann Göring, in charge of the German economy, began a wealth transfer campaign with an order to catalog the assets of all Austrian Jews. Every Jew with property worth more than 5000 Reichsmark was obligated to report all financial holdings. The plan…
