I have been revisiting the backstory of one of my characters in Music of the Mountain, recalling a Holocaust escape from Vienna in August of 1938, based on the true story of Maria Altmann, niece of Adele Bloch-Bauer, whose tale is told in The Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O’Connor. Some readers may recall the movie with Helen Mirren portraying the recovery of paintings stolen by the Nazis when they annexed Austria in the spring of 1938.
Adele (1881-1925) was not living during the Holocaust, but the next generation was, and it is Maria and her family that were threatened by Hitler’s demonic deportations.
While the paintings by Gustav Klimt are beautiful, Impressionist with gold leaf, I was more interested in the Jewish community in Vienna and how they survived or didn’t survive. I wrote about Adele and Vienna in a February post as well as Vienna’s significance in terms of the Nine-Eleven terrorist attack on our shores, that Vienna repelled the siege of the Ottoman Turks on September 11, 1683, after 300 years of war. It was no coincidence that the planes dove into the Trade Center towers, symbols of free enterprise, and Washington D.C., symbol of freedom, on September 11. October 7 also recalled the anniversary of an earlier war with Israel.
Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA
This recent Hamas terrorist attack on Israel returned my attention to the Holocaust of WWII. Indeed, there are similarities in terms of seeing it coming. Both Israel and the wealthy Jews of Europe relaxed their guard. In Vienna, the Jewish families who built empires on industry and banking, were pillars of society, donors to the arts and public works, with salons of literati esteemed by the ruling class. Gold leaf was appropriate decor for Adele’s portraits.
In returning to the story of Maria Altmann, how did she and her husband escape Vienna? I knew she and Fritz made it to Southern California, and she was alive in the early 2000’s to be consulted about the movie, “Woman in Gold” with Helen Mirren. It turns out Maria died in 2011, after winning her court case to retrieve the painting, but before Anne-Marie O’Connor’s account was published (2015).
We in America can also appreciate these cautionary tales of being blind to the reality around us. The terrible attacks of October 7 will not be forgotten and may open our eyes, although it is a horrible price to pay to see the truth. Many of the policies of the Left are no longer “Liberal” but racist regarding minority classes, but most ironically, racist regarding Jews, who have been some of the Left’s largest contributors. We shall see how re-alignments form in the next few years.
Truth is true. Truth exists. Daily we must seek it, live by it, else how can we possibly function? It is easy to look away from unpleasant truths, but perhaps the greatest danger in covering our eyes is our very survival. For if we think all nations mean well, all peoples desire our good, evil is a fiction, and morality is a human invention, we have our heads in the sand, or perhaps Plato’s cave. We need to seek the light of truth, to see honestly the truth of human fallenness, in order to protect our peoples, our many glorious peoples, all of our races from everywhere on this good Earth.
Some have called for a ceasefire in Israel. True history of the region and the terrorists themselves would shout that this is foolish. Andrew Klavan of The Daily Wire wisely said that war is a grave evil, but we go to war to prevent a graver evil.
How true. World War II recalls this truth, including the horrendous and controversial bombing of Japan. September 11, 2001 recalls this truth, including our own war on terrorists abroad and the domestic tracking of our citizens. Today’s vulnerability recalls this truth, as open borders invite terrorists into America, our communities, our homes. There are people that mean us harm. Wake up from woke, America.
The West is wealthy and spoiled and decadent. We need to learn from history, not rewrite it. October 7 is a painful reminder. Wake up, America!
Christine Sunderland
Christine Sunderland 