The white table was waiting while the crowd made its way to the Schlossplatz for the group photo. The weather, monitored over the last week with nervous attention, proved to be on our side. A glorious day welcomed the “lunch with locals,” the climax of our four days reunion of descendants. It was the third of its kind, after 1998 and 2008. And we were wondering what we could offer that would last, worthy of remembrance after two already so memorable events. In the end we had enjoyed four days that produced memories all along, every minute…
Almost all together on the Schlossplatz…
From the tours to the old Rhine, on the traces of refugees that passed the threshold between death and life 71 years ago – to the joyful variations of Salomon Sulzer’s music performed by his great-great-great-great-grandson Danny Blaker from Melbourne. And from the sometimes witty, sometimes poignant (and mostly both) speeches on occasion of the evening events to the excursions on the lake, or to St. Gallen and the countryside this was not only a journey into the past of family memories but an exploration of the diverse dimensions of the present, some pleasant and some scary as they may be.
And though all this was articulated without taboos (including encounters with Palestinian refugees and their hardships when it comes to visiting their hometowns – or the haunting experiences with new elected presidents) the mood of these days was relaxed and full of energy and joy. 180 descendants, literally from all corners of the world, enjoyed being together, transcending borders between religions, nations, languages, forming a truly cosmopolitan community that you will not easily find in any other place. Many were meeting their relatives for the first time, exchanging experiences, family legends, names and other genealogical bits and pieces.
Did I ever encounter a group of people with such a sense of irony and so much to tell and to discuss with each other? Does that necessarily mean that there was a gap between insiders and outsiders? Astoundingly the answer was: no! Helpers and friends from our association, staff members of the museum, and locals from the town joined the descendants, so nobody stood apart. For the first time, a large number of descendants who still live in Vorarlberg took part, members of the Hirschfeld family. Having Jewish ancestors was not always something to speak about, or even to boast with, after all that happened to Jewish families in the 20th century. Now for the first time this no longer seemed to be a barrier to talking about family memoirs in the open and with relatives, coming from the U.S. and Guatemala, Great Britain and elsewhere.
The Reunion 2017 was remarkable for all those who came for it from more or less distant places – but it also opened a new chapter in the presence of memory in Hohenems itself.
(The following photos were made – with few exceptions – by Dietmar Walser)
Welcome to the “Welcome desk”
Anybody did not register yet?
Guided tours on thursday: Traces of refugees
ready for the tour
The border on the old Rhine
marching on
meeting count Clemens in the Palace
Welcome event in the Rittersaal: Jutta Berger (president), Hanno Loewy (director), Luisa Jaffé-Brunner (committee of descendants)
waiting for the things to come
Philip Jaffé-Brunner, speaking about ambivalent feelings when it comes to heritage tourism
Breathtaking on the piano: Danny Blaker-Sulzer
Jessica Piper-Rosenthal about returning to Hohenems
Tim Hanford-Hirschfeld speaking for the American Friends of the Museum
The “Männergesangsverein” (Hohenems Male Choir” – going back to the Synagogue Choir in the 1850s
Museum staff members enjoy the welcome in the Palace
Singing in the rain: Friday morning guided tours started a little wet
Guided tours in the Museum, the lucky ones on friday
Kids on camera: the film team of the reunion
relaxing in between
Kaddish on the cemetery on friday: the rain is over
Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin from St. Gall together with Cantor Marlena Taenzer
Young desdendants and staff members reading together the names of the Holocaust victims born in Hohenems
Finding your ancestors
Sulzer family portrait – completed with ancestors
Friday afternoon cruise: meet the captain
The youngest and the oldest participant: River Kate Kinghorn-Taenzer (1, with mother April) and Jacques Dannhauser (91)
looking back on the lake
The film crew doing interviews
The genealogy experts use any minute to get things straight
Do you recognize the microphone
Friday evening: Kiddush in the former Synagogue with rabbi Ben Chorin and cantor Taenzer
… have a piece of Challah!
Saturday morning: The white table is waiting
…while guided tours through the Jewish quarter are on their way.
… and everybody who is here on saturday morning is gathering on the Schlossplatz.
Lunch with locals in the Jewish street: a glorious day
100 meter white table: not enough for the Guiness Book of records, but more than enough for a lasting memory
lots to talk about
… and lots of nice people to meet
Claude Rollin speaking In memory of Stephan Rollin: dedication ceremony for the new bench in the museum’s garden
Marlena singing some of Stephan’s favorite songs
Saturdays afternoon’s workshops: here with the Burgauers
Three generations of Rosenthals
The Hirschfeld story of rediscovery
An evening in the Löwensaal: getting in tune with the “Bauernfänger” band
The Taenzer gang
The Löwensaal in full glory
Susan Rosenthal-Shimer is getting serious: who is going to be the next editor of the newsletter
Reunion is also a birthday party. Nine descebdants celebrated their birthday in Hohenems
Nadia Follman-Rosenthal announces the next internship program of the American Friends: who will spend summer 2018 in Hohenems?
Dana Burgauer about the museum that “brings us together”
Karla Galindo-Barth and Andy Barth (both Hirschfelds) about their personal journey to Hohenems
The Bauernfänger and Marlena Taenzer celebrating Uri Taenzer’s birthday
caught in the act
Christopher Brauchli, speaking funny and angry about Mr. Trump and the crisis of politics today
Vahide Aydin, member of the Vorarlberg parliament represented the Vorarlberg immigrants of today: a personal view
Kids on Camera: the film crew got it ready for screening
No reunion without Hava Nagilah
Sunday brunch: a relaxing farewell
… and some excursions in the end: Pierre Burgauer guiding through Jewish St. Gall (here in the synagogue)
… while others prefer nature, cheese and woodcraft in the Bregenzerwald
In the “Werkraum Bregenzerwald” with Thomas Geisler
Dancing with locals: Uri and Marlena enjoy the farmer’s inn on the “Bödele”