Category: Politik

Do something about the obstruction politics of Poland and Hungary, EU!

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.

“Journey through the past” (Berlin 1931) / #3

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.

 

Siehe auch -- see also 
English -- Seppel (Joseph) Walter & Martha Esther Hirschberg  
Deutsch -- Seppel (Joseph) Walter & Martha Esther Hirschberg  

English -- Whereabouts of Lilli Cassel 
Deutsch -- Hintergründe zu Lilli Cassel 

English -- Class mates on an excursion / List of all class mates 
Deutsch -- Klassenfoto vom Ausflug / Liste aus Fotoalbum

 

What had happened to the Jewish friends? Berlin 1931 #1

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.

 

Siehe auch -- see also 
English -- Seppel (Joseph) Walter & Martha Esther Hirschberg  
Deutsch -- Seppel (Joseph) Walter & Martha Esther Hirschberg  

English -- Whereabouts of Lilli Cassel 
Deutsch -- Hintergründe zu Lilli Cassel 

English -- Class mates on an excursion / List of all class mates 
Deutsch -- Klassenfoto vom Ausflug / Liste aus Fotoalbum

 

Boris Johnson – a fox to keep the geese

The result was predictable: two thirds of the 193,000 members of the Conservative Party i.e. 92,193 people voted for Boris. Even if it’s the law, it’s more than ridiculous: A party that was reduced to the min during the elections for the EU parliament (8.8 %) and that was evidently unable to solve the major problem of Brexit can decide how the UK will be reigned in the next future. The ratio of the pro Boris votes compared to the whole population (60,800,00) is about 0.15 % – this can’t be the idea of democracy!

What have the 92,193 members of the Conservatives got by electing Boris? A vain, sometimes entertaining politician who often doesn’t know the nitty-gritty of an issue (see his remarks on article 24, paragraph 5 b of the GATT world trade deal). In his jobs as London mayor and as foreign minister he wasn’t that successful: He was responsible for the London Garden Bridge that was never built, but cost 46 Mio pounds. He proved to act very unprofessionally as foreign minister when he gave the English-Iranian journalist Zaghari-Ratcliffe no support, but reinforced the suspicions of the Iranian authoroties. She is still in prison. More examples could be added easily.

Resume: Boris Johnson can appeal to the John Bull-type of citizens when he flatters them (dudes). He may promiss a golden age for the UK, but chances are that his government will last no longer than that of Theresa May.

Stumbling towards exit…

Even arrangements with Boris Johnson and Rees-Mogg didn’t give Theresa May the boost desparately needed to bring her Brexit plan through parliament. What comes seems more like substituting the will of parliament by a random choice generator. There is a concerning lack of any player to gather people around one solution that would represent the majority of the British people. This is true for the Tories and for Labour. If both parties break up UKIP and other brain-damaged groups will have a greater impact on politics.

UK, when did you lose your common sense you once were famous for?