Lucy Glaser Merritt - July 8, 1991
Resentment Toward Austria
Did he have anyresentful feelings toward Austrian culture?
He certainly did. He, he felt very bad about hisbrother's death and he felt that they were all hypocrites in, in the way theywere acting afterwards. And so he was very resentful. He never went back. Neverset foot in the place again. One time he had thought he would if uh, if themoney from the social security didn't go far enough, he did consider to go backand live with the woman who took care of us because she'd asked him to. Henever doubted her sincerity. She was sincere.
Did your mother consider.
No.
taking up the practiceagain?
Uh, that at that time she couldn't because uh, Michiganhad laws against us because of the Canadian doctors. So they wanted you to goback to school and she didn't feel she had the strength to go back to school. Sheworked at the North End Clinic for free. And as long as she worked there shegot a lot of satisfaction because you know, your work, you define yourself byyour work. And we moved farther she couldn't get there anymore and I think thatuh, that shortened her life, I really do. But now they accept doctors fromeverywhere. They've changed.
Take a test.
Yeah, but not go back to school.
And they called her"Doctor."
Yeah.
D.do you remember any ofthe people that she. Or did you maintain relationships with some of the peoplethat either your father or your mother.
Uh, well most of them were dead you know, being inthat age group, outside of that one patient and my aunt who was not Jewish whostayed in Vienna. And then they had a barber who uh, who notified that mymother that my father-he was not Jewish. And his wife was the sweetest thingalive and she felt awful about it. She never felt any other way but awful. Youcould tell who felt at that time, you know, trying to help out. And there was auh, uh, a mother of a schoolmate of ours who was also friends with my parentsand she was uh, a socialist and in great danger herself and she was veryhelpful. She was the one who persuaded my parents not to wait out theaffidavit. She said, "Go, go." My father wanted to come directly. That wouldhave been easier. 'Cause England was difficult. They didn't have a work permitand so they had to live off what little I had. It wasn't a lot. So they'd beenthrough some very meager times, when they were used to more physical comfort.But all of that becomes very minor. And you don't whine about not having thisor that when you're alive and the others aren't.
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