Ceremonial Opening of Five New Stations in the Irst district -Innere Stadt, on September 15

Our meeting point for our tour of new stones to be opened in the 1st District of Vienna was at Sigmund Freud Park next to the Votive Church.

Music by the group Avanim brought a festive mood to the gathering with the song “Oseh Shalom”.

In addition to relatives, friends and initiators of the new stones, two residents of Ebendorferstrasse were also in attendance. Both had become interested after a newly set stone had been placed in front of their building, although official opening at this address has been delayed to next year due to Coronavirus.

District Councillor Ms Davis gave introductory words and accompanied us on the way. Councillors Joseph Dreier (of the Green Party) and Gregor Raidl (of the conservative ÖVP party) were also present at the opening. Ms Roswitha Hammer of the Association “Steine der Erinnerung” provided an introduction to their work and then, escorted by two policemen, the group began their tour of the new stations.

 

Rathausstraße 21

 

The initiator of this stone was the linguist Dr Luna Gertrud Steiner.

Dr Steiner gave a talk on the background of the ownership of the house at Rathausstrasse 21 where she herself had lived for a while and for which she had conducted meticulous research.

Link to speech

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuchlauben 18

 

Ms Maximiliane Frischenschlager and her family were initiators of this stone for Dr Josef Böhm, Ms Frischenschlager’s great-uncle.

By a happy coincidence, Mrs Frischenschlager came into possession of several handwritten letters from Josef to his bride and future wife. These touching documents gave a glimpse of his feelings and thoughts during a few years at the time of the First World War.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stones were also laid at this address for Bela Brüll, Chane Mann and Paul Kotanyi who had also been resident at this address at the initiation of the Stones of Remembrance Association.

 

Stoß im Himmel 3

This stone was laid for the Grünbaum family.

The initiators were Paul Secher from London and Mr Much, a resident in the building. Unfortunately, no trace of close personal memories of the Grünbaum family could be found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Franz-Josephs-Kai 19

 

Harry Ebner initiated this stone for his grandfather, Benjamin Ebner, and his family.

Benjamin Ebner worked as a respected lawyer in Czernovicz and then in Vienna until he was deported with along his second wife. His daughter from first marriage, Melanie Ebner, had a son named Leon with her husband, Saul Jam. The Jam family was also murdered in the Holocaust.

Ms Daliah Hindler from the Association read out the text Mr Harry Ebner had prepared for the pamphlet since he was not able to come to Vienna due to the Corona crisis.

 

Zedlitzgasse 8

 

The initiator of this stone was Dr Rolf Röschke, the grandson of Gudrun and Friedrich Weiss from Erkner-bei-Berlin.

Dr Röschke explained that, although he was not related to the deported Weiss family, his grandfather Friedrich Weiss had met the Viennese Weiss family on a Danube boat trip in 1928 after a mix-up of their luggage due their sharing the same name. The 2 Weiss families became close friends and remained so until the Viennese Weiss family was deported.