Gary Reiner - Counting on America Second Edition: A Holocaust Memoir of Terror, Chutzpah, Romance, and Escape

Counting
on

America

A Holocaust Memoir of Terror, Chutzpah, Romance, and Escape

Kurt Reiner

and

Gary Reiner

Published by Authors Place Press

9885 Wyecliff Drive, Suite 200

Highlands Ranch, CO 80126

AuthorsPlace.com

Copyright 2020 by Kurt Reiner & Gary Reiner

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means: graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission, in writing, from the authors, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, article, book, or academic paper. The authors and publisher of this book and the associated materials have used their best efforts in preparing this material. The authors and publisher make no representations or warranties with respect to accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness of the contents of this material. They disclaim any warranties expressed or implied, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The authors and publisher shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. If you have any questions or concerns, the advice of a competent professional should be sought.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-62865-736-4

1. Memoir/Historical/Holocaust

2. World War II/Refugees/Immigration

3. Romance

Edited by: Sarah Madden

Note regarding the Cover Design: The cover design is a near-duplicate image of a firstday postage card that was printed by Dachaus Internal Information Office to celebrate Dachaus liberation, April 29, 1945. The original postcard was previously lent from the Reiner Collection to the National Museum of American Jewish Military History (NMAJMH), Washington, D.C., in 1995; and its rendition was used for a full-wall mural presentation by the NMAJMH in coordination with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The cover of Counting on America is a modernized version of the original displayed herein.

The True Story

of

Kurt and Hennie Reiner,

Counting on America is dedicated
to brave refugees from all over the world.

If you follow G-ds cues, the Universe will reward you with success.

-Kurt Reiner

Acknowledgments

Many thanks are extended to a number of people:

The editor, Sarah Madden, who meticulously scrutinized the document, correcting English grammar, proofing English and German spellings, and fact-checking historical details and footnotes. Her zeal for perfection and accuracy ensured the integrity and professionalism of the book;

Robert L. Jolles, who provided both inspiration and coaching that led to final completion of the work;

Harry Ivrey, who offered Web-based media suggestions, thoughtful critique and creatively formulated the books family tree illustration;

Karen Braun, whose editorial suggestions resulted in a greatly improved reorganization of the memoir;

Joanne Wyss, whose commentary regarding strategic communication led me to settle on a book Title that is right on theme;

Rusty Richards, for the translation of French documents; Nicole Glorius for the translation of German documents; and Dr. David Phillips, for the translation of both Spanish and Italian documents;

Kurt Reiner, for his writing down of almost every significant event he could remember regarding his and his wifes survival, and for safekeeping even the most trivial of documents that proved invaluable to the support of the memoir;

Me, Gary Reiner, for my eventual win over procrastination, and for succumbing to the overwhelming recognition that failure to publish my parents story would cheat the world of an immensely important historical document.

Preface

S ometime during the early 1980s, my father, Kurt Reiner, asked me to review the first draft of his memoir. He was curious to observe my reaction and listen to my comments before sharing his Holocaust experience with a broader audience. Before fully disclosing this horrific segment of his life and human history, Dad would vaguely mention the Holocaust to me. Only once during my late teens did he allude to the Nazis, revealing his penchant for revenge and noting his neighbors had once thrown his father (my grandfather) down a flight of stairs. It was clear that up until then, Dad was not prepared to provide a detailed account of events he and my mother had endured before coming to America. Perhaps it was because, at the time, Holocaust victims rarely discussed the camps of extermination or spoke of the humiliations perpetrated by their Nazi tormentors. Instead, they went about the day-to-day business of learning a new language, finding work, raising a family, and otherwise adapting to the culture of a new country. Another theory is he feared opening old wounds of Nazi Austria that still festered deep within. Although it was unlikely those wounds ever truly healed, he was able to confront his past when putting together this memoir. I am hopeful for him that communicating his story provided catharsis. He deserved a reward for his valuable contribution to Holocaust literature and all the effort he put into making sure such human victimization never happens again.

On the other hand, my mother could never speak about Vienna without breaking down in tears. It was too painful for her to recall memories of her fugitive life and the murder of both their parents. That outcome is extremely unfortunate because Hennies opinions and observations could have added important details to the memoir. The end result is that my mothers insight into that deplorable period remained locked in her head. Fortunately, this book speaks for the countless numbers of Holocaust victims and survivors unable to communicate their own experiences and perceptions of that horrific period.

Counting on America , the non-fiction account of Kurt and Hennie Reiners escape from Nazi-occupied Austria in the beginning stages of World War II, is the outcome of a decades-long collaborative effort between father and son. The original draft was concluded in September 1985. Considerable effort was made to accurately capture the precise substance of events and discourse from my fathers written notes and our personal conversations. To the degree the dialogue may be embellished is the end result of the absence of absolute recall as it relates to the memories of the co-authors. Peoples identities are accurate with the exception of those in which the last name appears as a single initial (followed by asterisks***). This is due to the inability to confirm the spellings of these names. Historical references that correlate with Kurt Reiners intellectual reflections and emotional perceptions have been inserted to provide context. The memoir exhibits dozens of original source documents, photographs, footnotes, and public domain pictures that appear concurrently with the reported event. Some documents that relate to specific incidents appear in the Appendix and are sequentially labeled as Artifact I, Artifact II, etc....

This second edition includes the reporting of memorable events and photographs attributable to the books 2018 first publication. They are located in the Postscript section near the back of the book.

Documents and pictures included in this book or otherwise published from the Reiner Holocaust collection are exhibited online at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). They are listed under Search our Collections and carry the heading, Kurt and Hennie Reiner Papers. To view, go to https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn611491