The Austrian Encounter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Summaries |
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In-Depth Descriptions |
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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
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Europe or Prefer to Speak German
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Contact
person:
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Samson
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Eleonore
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Send e-mail to:
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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.