Lucy Glaser Merritt - July 8, 1991
Politics
Was there ever talkabout uh, the good old day of the Hapsburgs?
Yes. My father was very much so a monarchist. Hefelt-and now that the mess is in Yugoslavia I think he probably had more of apoint than I thought, that Austria was viable only if was together. And thennow that it fallen apart neither one of them could manage. So he felt that themonarchy served a definite function.
So he was politicallyaware.
Conservative and leaning towards monarchy.
Were there politicaldiscussions at your house?
Yes, because my brother was a socialist and therewas considerable conflict
Oy.
between my father and my brother. And if, when hewanted to join the Young Socialists my father would let him go only if he alsoonly joined the Zionist Socialists. So he had to join two organizations to beable to go to one.
So your father was a Zion.pro-Zionist.
Yes. He found it of interest. I mean, not Zionistenough that he wanted to go, but.
Well, at least tosupport them. Perhaps as a national.
Yes. He had supported, he would support Jewishcauses. He was charitable until his death, even here when he didn't have a lotof money. But uh, he was not religious in that sense that he would go be observinglike 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 Jewishdistrict because my father believed among other things that it was in very badtaste to flaunt your money. So we always tried to live under our peer. It wasbad taste to be ostentatious. Always try to appear less so than what he had.
Where was the seconddistrict in relation to the Ringstrasse.
Well, itwas across the Kanal.
So the.
You knowwhere 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. Itwas uh, something, it had another name but I can't think of it. I don't know. Leopoldstadt.
Oh.
Leopoldstadt. The second district.
© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn