Arthur and Lilly - My Father's Story

Arthur and Lilly - My Father’s Story

Dr. Aaron Kern | Jewish Long Beach & Alpert JCC Board

My father, born in Vienna in 1928, lived a normal life until the arrival of the Nazis. His parents, had to make the unimaginably difficult decision of sending him alone at age 11 to a children’s home in France with the hope of eventually reuniting in the United States. Unfortunately, neither his parents, nor his brother, were able to find a way out. They were deported to Opole, Poland where they ultimately perished.

After living in France for about one year, my father was fortunate enough to get on a Kindertransport (rescue effort of children from Nazi-controlled territory), to the United States, initially staying with a foster family and later with distant family members. Not long after his arrival in New York, he became a Bar Mitzvah. The ceremony occurred in a large synagogue where a double Bar Mitzvah was common. The other Bar Mitzvah came from a large and apparently well-to-do family. While this other boy was surrounded by family, my father had no one present on this “special” day, except for a 12-year-old boy who had arrived in the US on the same ship. The family of the other Bar Mitzvah was either oblivious to the circumstance or just didn’t care. In any case, my father described his Bar Mitzvah as “the most bittersweet day of his life.”

In spite of his experience, Dad never looked back. He attended college and obtained an engineering degree. While studying at CCNY, he met my mother and, noting she was more skilled in math, asked if they could study together. That was the beginning of a relationship that led to their marriage. They subsequently moved to California, which is where I entered the picture.

Approximately 20 years ago, Dad decided he wanted to return to Vienna to visit his childhood apartment, if possible. His first try was unsuccessful. But then, while on a cruise, he met a couple who happened to live in Vienna and, after hearing his story, offered to make a connection. In March 2003, he and my mother went to Vienna to see his childhood home. It was occupied by a journalist and her 11-year-old daughter, Lilly. Dad shared stories with them about his mother, Frieda Kernberg, and their family. He recounted memories of the apartment and pointed out details of the old bedrooms and piano room. In doing so, he forged a special bond with Lilly.

Following Dad’s visit, young Lilly wrote about the encounter to the Austrian history project “A Letter to the Stars,” which invited young students to profile individual victims of the Holocaust and write letters to them. Via the project, Lilly wrote the following letter to Frieda (translated from German):

Dear Frieda!

I live in the apartment you lived in at the time. My room is the piano room. I met your son Oswald Arthur. He survived and is a very dear person. He got married and had four children. His wife is also very nice. He met her when she was writing him a math paper at university. He loved it so much that he fell in love with her.

I hope you like it in heaven.

Your Lilly!

Lilly’s contribution to “A Letter to the Stars” was picked up by the German-language daily newspaper Kurier and included a small photo of Lilly holding a photo of my dad’s mother. Soon, the phones were ringing off the hook in the Kurier’s office. A woman called repeatedly, adamantly insisting that she must speak with Lilly. Per protocol, the paper initially declined. But as the woman was so insistent, they finally relented. But why was this woman so insistent?

It turned out that prior to their deportment to Opole, my grandparents had entrusted their most important documents to a close friend, who in turn, gave them to a cousin for safekeeping. It was this cousin, who after 50+ years, recognized the photo of my grandmother and wanted to return the long-guarded documents.

Two interesting asides: 1) The cousin moved 4 times in the interval. The papers, apparently secured to the bottom of a piece of furniture, traveled with her each time.

2) The article was published in a newspaper which the cousin would not normally have read. It so happened that on this particular day, her husband went to purchase her “regular” newspaper but it was sold out. He thus brought her an alternative newspaper, about which she was none too happy, but ended up leafing through it which is when she discovered my grandmother’s photo.

Having lived in the same apartment as my father had left a lasting impact on Lilly. Twenty years later, she arranged for the placement of a Stolperstein (stumbling stone), a brass memorial plaque placed in the sidewalk in front of the apartment to memorialize the lives of my grandparents and uncle. The ceremony took place exactly on my 70th birthday! To my surprise, Lilly and her mother had placed enlarged photos of my grandparents, uncle and father on the front of the building along with beautiful flowers. Lilly also arranged for a friend to sing Avenu Malkenu – the most spiritual version I have ever heard. It was a most emotional day but gratifying in knowing that the names of my grandparents and uncle are now memorialized.

Lilly was fascinated by my father’s history and documented his life and their friendship in a book entitled: “Arthur and Lilly”. It was published in German a number of years ago, and is finally being published in English and will be released this October. Lilly will be engaged in a national book tour starting in October, with several presentations in the Long Beach area, including at the Alpert JCC on Nov. 16.

“Arthur and Lilly: The Girl and the Holocaust Survivor” will be released on October 23 by TitleTown. The book is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. All of Lilly’s speaking engagements can be found at: lillymaier.wordpress.com.