herman

This is a different kind of post.
It's not likely what you signed up for.
The photocentric newsletter you did sign up for will return.
I hope you will forgive the liberty I am taking.

It's not clear. In one variant of the story, Herman Singer left Vienna with his brother Leopold on the last train out in 1939. In another variant, he was at the border (with Italy? with Switzerland?) and was allowed out until his brother, who had been kept back, protested and Herman was called back.
They may have taken that train out together later.

They did manage their escape.
Of their twelve other siblings some were murdered in camps, two survived.

Leopold raised a family in Haifa.

Herman was refused landing in Cuba, somehow entered the United States, lived in New York City.

After the war he was "stateless."
Save for his daughter's good fortune in meeting a compassionate official of the Italian Line, in Vienna, he would have remained so.
He returned to Vienna, but not to his business. It remained in other hands.

This comes to mind as Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States, as the technopoly achieves full access to power, as Elon Musk twice raises his hand in the Nazi/Roman salute, as the ADF condones his actions, as the slaughter in Gaza is interrupted, as a deeply divided Israel pauses as well.

These are photographs of Herman in the 1930's. He was my grandfather.

May my adopted country live by its better instincts and welcome the stateless and other refugees in the days to come. May our neighbours to the South find the calm resolve they need to respond to extremism's violence. May we slowly turn the tide individually and collectively.

We are not bound to repeat our mistakes. Each individual choice and action has lasting, if often unnoticeable, effects. Even at this juncture. Particularly at this juncture in our politics and on our planet.

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I am always interested in your thoughts. Please leave a comment or send me a message at photosmm@pm.me.