9 Comments

Glad I had a chance to finally read this. But it also strangely reignites my fury at those who think Ukraine somehow brought the Russian invasion on themselves.

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Thank you for sharing that, Birgitte. The part about the teddy bear is a poignant touch. As for the uncertainty your parents had to live through all of those months, I simply cannot imagine.

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Thank you Michael. Perhaps I say this because we lived it, and lived through it... it was hard, but nowhere near as devastating what people living in literal war zones around the world—STILL, TODAY—are going through. What has been much more heartbreaking is having your entire family line shattered and dispersed literally all over the world. As they say, the physical things can be healed (usually), but the psychological and mental impacts are orders of magnitude tougher.

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This was a heartfelt story. Escaping the Iron Curtain. No one can understand the perils unless they’ve been there. So good you made it well to America. Regarding Austria, not sure if you have read about the election outcomes this year.

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Thank you Claudia 🤗. I've never told this story publicly. Interesting what's going on in Austria, the votes split essentially in thirds, and it seems the two runner-up parties aren't thrilled about working with the FPO. You could look at it one way (oh no it's a far-right wave!) or another (the numbers don't contrast as much as they do here). How do you see it?

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Thanks for the reminder of what the U.S. still represents, especially to those who gave up everything to come here. That includes my ancestors, who left under better conditions but still escaped Austrian rule. People lightly considering a greener shore should read this and watch “Anthropoid.”

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Yes, although America's image has been tarnished in the recent past, and I worry it will rust still further if the incoming administration makes good on its promises. Putting "Anthropoid" on my list :)

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Oh, you haven’t seen it? It’s about the Heydrich assassination. It’s brutal.

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Beautifully done, thank you.

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