April 24th is an important date for every Armenian. This is the day when a whole nation – regardless of Armenian nationals at home or the Armenian people in the diaspora – commemorates the genocide. It happened during the 1915 and 1916 years in what was later called Turkey. It’s called Aghet by Armenians.
Therefore, Armenians were glad when Joe Biden acknowledged this historical fact on this Saturday. He clearly classified the violent breech of international law as genocide. Turkey in general denies this genocide against all facts.
Appeasement politics weren’t that successful in the past. Think of Hitler and Munich 1938 or Stalin in the thirties and fourties. Therefore I appreciate very much that Mr Draghi called Erdogan a “dictator” on Thursday. That’s clearly his main feature as you can see in his behaviour. Want some samples?
• Everyone who can menace his power is called “terrorist”, even if nice and peaceful people are concerned like Mr Kavala who is only fighting for human rights. • Elections like that for the mayor of Istanbul are repeated if the outcome is unpleasant for Erdogan. • To butter up the ultra nationalists Erdogan left the Istanbul Convention recently. This Convention was meant to blame violence against women. The need of protecting women rights can be clearly seen when you consider the hundreds of Turkish women murdered (470 in 2019) or hurt each year. • Despite having a number of elected MPs the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is effectively detained from exercising its rights of participation.
That’s what sensible people call a dictatorship and Erdogan therefore a “dictator”. Well done, Mr Draghi.
Since years Poland and Hungary try to block any attempt of the European Union to sanction politics adversary to the rule of law. It’s well known that Poland for example undermines the independence of its judges. Hungary in comparison is going straight in direction to an authoritarian state. Mr Orbán is supported by an entourage that receives much money in reverse, some of it being of EU origin. Other steps of Hungarian government look strange as well. So this year 16,000 ventilators were bought from China at fourfold the prices the EU pays. This number of ventilators, however, can’t be used by skilled operators in an adequate number of high care units. Actually Poland and Hungary together with Slovenia are blocking a Covid-19 relief fond of 750 billion Euros. Some parts of it are coupled with complying to rule of law standards.
It’s clear that the EU can’t be a super state controlling everything, but it can’t be fooled by authoritarian countries either. First step to comment on that: Throw out the Hungarian Fidesz party of Mr Orbán of the EPP / EVP (Europaeische Volkspartei). If all fails there could be a very radical remedy: dissolve the EU and reestablish it afterwards without those countries that don’t comply with certain standards of democracy and human rights.
Somehow weird or even pervert: To choose from a list those names that sound “jewish” . Welcome to Berlin 1931, a few months before the Nazis and some years before the Shoah. The picture above suggests really nothing of this drama. In any case I wanted to give those of the school mates of my mother a name that were endangered or slaughtered by the Nazis.
These are further names I found information on: • Lore Strauss, born 2/14/1924. Combined with this name I found also the name “Lore Allard”, she was pupil at the Privaten Waldschule Kaliski, a school that could give quite a lot of attenders a shelter for some time. Lore Allard (Strauss) is mentioned with a letter to L. Kaliski from London dating 11/16/1981. If she is the Lore Strauss from my mother’s school, she had survived the Shoah. • Hanna Markus: The Yad Vashem data base reveals a person called “Hanchen Markus”, from Berlin, but born in 1922. Result unclear • Ruth Baer: for a Ruth Bähr, also born in 1924, living in Berlin, the Yad Vashem data base says “Während des Krieges war sie in Chelmno, Polen. Ruth wurde in der Schoah ermordet.” [She was during the war in Chelmno, Polen. Ruth was murdered during the Shoah.] For another Ruth Bähr the same data base says: “Ruth Bähr wurde 1924 geboren. Vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg lebte sie in Berlin, Deutsches Reich. Während des Krieges war sie in Berlin, Deutsches Reich und wurde mit transport 4 von Berlin, Berlin (Berlin), Stadt Berlin, Deutsches Reich nach Lodz, Getto, Polen am 01/11/1941 deportiert. Ruth wurde in der Schoah ermordet.” [Ruth Baehr was born in 1924. Prior to WWII she lived in Berlin, Germany. During the war she was in Berlin, Germany. Deported with Transport 4 from Berlin, Berlin (Berlin), City of Berlin, Germany to Lodz,Ghetto,Poland on 01/11/1941. Ruth was murdered in the Shoah.] Whether one of these persons by the name of Ruth Bähr is identical with Ruth Baer, is hard to decide, but possible.
The name list (of my grandmother?) is not that reliable. So I show a picture of the whole form of my mother at a school party on top of this page.
A list of those on the picture, but the list was obviously produced later.
In the beginning of the thirties my mother lived in Berlin Dahlem. She attended the Volksschule Lansstraße (?) in this quarter. Looking at two atmospheric pictures from her photo album I wondered what might have happened to her Jewish school mates, Martha Esther Hirschberg and her brother Walter Joseph (“Seppl”) Hirschberg. The photo was labeled “Mit Martha und Seppl Hirschberg Juli 1931” (“With Martha and Seppl Hirschberg July 1931”).
Looking on MyHeritage I got to know to my relief that both had survived World War II and the Shoah: Martha Esther Hirschberg died in 1979 and Walter Joseph Hirschberg in 1998. Apparently, Walter Joseph Hirschberg emigrated to San Diego. It would be nice to gain more information on both and the school they attended. I would be happy to send my photos to relatives of the Hirschberg siblings.
Appeasement politics weren’t that successful in the past. Think of Hitler and Munich 1938 or Stalin in the thirties and fourties. Therefore I appreciate very much that Mr Draghi 
after trying him for high treason.
Since years Poland and Hungary try to block any attempt of the European Union to sanction politics adversary to the rule of law. It’s well known that Poland for example undermines the independence of its judges. Hungary in comparison is going straight in direction to an authoritarian state. Mr Orbán is supported by an entourage that receives much money in reverse, some of it being of EU origin. Other steps of Hungarian government look strange as well. So this year 16,000 ventilators were 
