The Austrian Encounter

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 

www.theaustrianencounter.at

20th Anniversary Symposium: Escaping the Burden of Silence -- Adult Children and Grandchildren of Victims and of Perpetrators of the Shoah/Holocaust in Dialogue (December 2015)

English, for A4-size paper

English, for letter-size paper

Deutsch, A4

Deutsch, Letter

 
Summaries

Mission Statement

History of Meetings

Financial Information

 

I would like to donate!

 
In-Depth Descriptions

The Austrian Encounter by Bobbie Goldman

The Seventh Encounter by Bobbie Goldman

The Austrian Encounter by Samson Munn

Die österreichische Begegnungsruppe by Samson Munn

 

Ein Weg aus der "Last des Schweigens" -- "The Austrian Encounter" -- ein Dialog zwischen Kindern von Opfern und von Tätern des Holocaust by Elenore Fischer

 
Contact Information
 
Links
 
Why "nach.ws" as our URL ?
 
Last Minute Announcements-- see information regarding December 2015 symposium in Vienna, above!

 


Summary Mission Statement

The original and primary purpose of The Austrian Encounter (TAE) was and is to foster honest, revealing, thoughtful, ethical, intellectual, emotional and constructive encounters between descendants of victims of the Austrian component of the Holocaust (who are/were primarily but not exclusively Jewish, Roma or Sinti) and descendants of Austrian Nazi perpetrators and/or their collaborators who perpetrated in Austria (who are/were especially but not exclusively German and Austrian); "constructive" is meant importantly both interpersonally and internationally, and, as the dialogue(s) progress(es), often in the senses of a) providing leadership and coordination in this area, b) mollifying tensions and diminishing prejudices by deeply enhancing tolerance and understanding, and c) forging bridges and avenues of communication between individuals and groups with parallel, ethical intentions.


Summary History of Meetings

The Austrian Encounter (TAE) originally met in Vienna in June 1995 as a group of ~ thirteen people whose parents related primarily to Austria: sons and daughters of Holocaust victims (from the U.S.), and daughters and sons of Nazi perpetrators (from Austria and Germany). It was founded by Samson Munn, who facilitated for many years. The group has met many more times since 1995, mostly in Vienna but also in the Boston area (July 2000). TAE meets intensively and privately. TAE participants have been the subjects of positive newspaper articles, have written articles and chapters in books about such work, and have spoken publicly at open meetings in Berlin, in Boston, in Vienna and elsewhere.


Summary Financial Information

The Austrian Encounter may be financially supported by donation. A donation made to TRT would be gratefully received; donations are not tax-deductible. To make a donation, please contact either of the individuals listed below in the Contact section of this web page.

TAE has no paid employees. Thus,100 cents of your donated dollar go toward or TAE's work!

 

Thank you ! !


In-Depth Descriptions

For an in-depth discussion of the purpose, composition, activites and genesis of The Austrian Encounter:

The Austrian Encounter by Bobbie Goldman

The Seventh Encounter by Bobbie Goldman

The Austrian Encounter by Samson Munn

Die österreichische Begegnungsruppe by Samson Munn


Contact Information

North America or Prefer to Speak English
Europe or Prefer to Speak German
   
Contact person:
Samson
Eleonore

 

Send e-mail to:

 

 

s-a-m-s-o-n-m-u-n-n-@-p-m-.-m-e

Remove each "-"

 

e-l-o-@-j-o-s-e-f-g-r-e-i-n-e-r-.-c-o-m

Remove each "-"


Why "nach.ws" as our URL ?

In our case, the "ws" stands simply for "web site" — easy to remember !

"Nach" is a German word which (in different constructions) can mean "to", "toward" and "after." Since we in The Austrian Encounter address what and whom we came after, and what we look to and are striving toward, it is fitting that our address be:

nach.ws


 

Jacob Macznik was one of the rising stars of the École de Paris

until murdered by the Reich at the age of 39 in the Ebensee slave-labor

division of the Mauthausen Nazi camp in Austria. At least some of his paintings remain missing.

The painting above has surfaced. As of March 2023, it remains in the hands of a German

person living in Germany who says she inherited it from her father. She acknowledges that,

so far as she knows, no documentation of how he may have acquired it exists. It is

listed at lostart.de and should therefore not be sold at auction anywhere;

instead, the webmaster should be notified. She refuses private sale

at fair market value (perhaps overmarket value), and also refuses

to donate it to the Museum of History and Art of Judaism

(in Paris). Rather, she says she intends to offer it for sale at auction.

When, how, and where she might do so, if ever, remain unknown.

 

Perhaps just as important is the role of the auction house,

Van Ham Kunstauktionen GmbH & Co., of Cologne, Germany.

When the painting was brought by its current possesor to Van Ham to be

auctioned, the webmaster was contacted by Van Ham's Johann Herkenhoener,

because he had found the LostArt.de listing of the painting, preventing Van Ham

from listing it for auction. That was well over one year ago as of this writing.

It is the opinion of the webmaster that Van Ham has done little if anything to facilitate

return of the art to the artist's family, nor to facilitate donation of the painting to the

Museum of History and Art of Judaism (in Paris), nor to facilitate sale of the painting

to the artist's nephew for 6000 Euro (about twice market value), nor to facilitate auction

of the painting with a reserve price of 4000 Euro (at or slightly above market value).

Despite extensive correspondence between the webmaster and Mr. Herkenhoener,

the webmaster's opinion is that little or no effort has been made by Van Ham to

persuade nor encourage the painting's current possessor to follow any of those good paths.

In the opinion of the webmaster that such behavior is unconscionable. The webmaster

therefore encourages everyone to consider not doing business with

Van Ham Kunstauktionen GmbH & Co.

 

Das obige Gemälde ist aufgetaucht. Ab März 2023 verbleibt es

in den Händen einer in Deutschland lebenden Deutschen,

die es nach eigenen Angaben von ihrem Vater geerbt hat.

Sie räumt ein, dass es ihres Wissens keine Dokumentation darüber gibt,

wie er es erworben haben könnte. Es ist

bei lostart.de gelistet und sollte

daher nirgendwo versteigert werden; Stattdessen sollte der Webmaster

benachrichtigt werden. Sie lehnt den Privatverkauf zum fairen Marktwert

(möglicherweise über dem Marktwert) ab und weigert sich auch,

es dem Museum für Geschichte und Kunst des Judentums (in Paris)

zu spenden. Vielmehr sagt sie, dass sie beabsichtigt, es auf einer Auktion

zum Verkauf anzubieten. Wann, wie und wo sie dies

tun könnte, wenn überhaupt, bleibt unbekannt.

 

Vielleicht ebenso wichtig ist die Rolle des Auktionshauses

Van Ham Kunstauktionen GmbH & Co. aus Köln, Deutschland.

Als das Gemälde von der Person, die es derzeit hat, zur Versteigerung

zu Van Ham gebracht wurde, wurde der Webmaster von Van Ham

kontaktiert, weil er die Auflistung des Gemäldes auf LostArt.de fand,

was Van Ham daran hinderte, es zur Versteigerung anzubieten.

Das war vor etwa einem Jahr. Der Webmaster ist der Meinung,

dass Van Ham wenig oder gar nichts getan hat, um die Rückgabe

der zu erleichtern Kunstwerk an die Familie des Künstlers,

noch um die Schenkung des Gemäldes an das Museum für Geschichte

und Kunst des Judentums (in Paris) zu erleichtern, noch um den

Verkauf des Gemäldes an den Neffen des Künstlers (den Webmaster)

für 6000 Euro (ungefähr das Doppelte des Marktwert), noch um die

Versteigerung des vom Webmaster angebotenen Gemäldes mit einem

Mindestpreis von 4000 Euro (zum oder knapp über dem Marktwert)

zu ermöglichen. Trotz umfangreicher Korrespondenz zwischen dem Webmaster

und Herrn Herkenhoener ist der Webmaster der Meinung, dass Van Ham

wenig oder gar keine Anstrengungen unternommen hat, um den derzeitigen

Besitzer des Gemäldes zu überzeugen oder zu ermutigen, einen dieser guten

Wege zu gehen. Nach Ansicht des Webmasters ist ein solches Verhalten skrupellos.

Der Webmaster ermutigt daher alle, keine Geschäfte mit der Van Ham Kunstauktionen GmbH & Co.