Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Lucy Glaser Merritt - July 8, 1991

Was there ever talk about uh, the good old day of the Hapsburgs?

Yes. My father was very much so a monarchist. He felt-and now that the mess is in Yugoslavia I think he probably had more of a point than I thought, that Austria was viable only if was together. And then now that it fallen apart neither one of them could manage. So he felt that the monarchy served a definite function.

So he was politically aware.

Conservative and leaning towards monarchy.

Were there political discussions at your house?

Yes, because my brother was a socialist and there was considerable conflict

Oy.

between my father and my brother. And if, when he wanted to join the Young Socialists my father would let him go only if he also only joined the Zionist Socialists. So he had to join two organizations to be able to go to one.

So your father was a Zion...pro-Zionist.

Yes. He found it of interest. I mean, not Zionist enough that he wanted to go, but.

Well, at least to support them. Perhaps as a national.

Yes. He had supported, he would support Jewish causes. He was charitable until his death, even here when he didn't have a lot of money. But uh, he was not religious in that sense that he would go be observing like some people do. You know, go once a week.

Um, what, what part of Vienna did you live in?

In the second district. That's a very Jewish district because my father believed among other things that it was in very bad taste to flaunt your money. So we always tried to live under our peer. It was bad taste to be ostentatious. Always try to appear less so than what he had.

Where was the second district in relation to the Ringstrasse?

Well, it was across the canal.

So the.

You know where the Donaukanal.

A suburban.

No, it's not suburban. I would say it's inner city. There was the ??? there was the, the ??? and the Ringstrasse came up here. It was uh, something, it had another name but I can't think of it. I don't know. Leopoldstadt.

Oh.

Leopoldstadt. The second district.