My cousin Max lived in the state of Bayern. He returned home relating how the Nazis marched in Muenchen and smashed Jewish store windows. Based on Uncle Wilhelm’s concentration camp experience and all the foreboding news we received, my father Ernst had the foresight to convince the 86 members of the Jewish families in Rottweil to leave; that to stay in Germany meant deportation or worse.
All the Jews in our hometown agreed to my father’s plan and he made sure they all left. After more than five generations of Rothschilds living in our town, we became the last Jews to leave and we fled Germany to Switzerland. My Uncle Max and most of the family went to the USA. One brother, Adolf, lived in Los Angeles already and everyone fled there. He and other relatives provided affidavits.
Suddenly there were no more Jews in Rottweil.
Then Kristallnacht happened in November 1938 when 91 Jews were murdered and 25,000 or more deported to concentration camps. Synagogues were destroyed, business and homes ransacked. Again, many thought that this would pass but firearms were confiscated from Jews and it was the beginning of the end.
Uncle Wilhelm was never the same. In 1937, I was still a bit too young to understand.
Chapter 2
My father tried his utmost, but I was scared of the water so it was impossible to swim. I was a good skier, but in my mind always afraid. Anxiety ruled my life. Even today my driving is overly defensive. The fear of being late makes me be unreasonably early. When others cross the street against a red light, I wait for the light to change. I pet dogs, but am always afraid I might be bitten. I often decide against speaking to a person or asking questions, even though logic tells me that no one bites and that most people like to talk and meet strangers. I have a fear of swimming in the ocean, fear of fish and waves, fear for others in such situations and many more. I always carry more money than I need. I rarely buy or sell stocks.
Yet there are some miracles. I have no fear of flying, no fear of dying, no fear of walking alone, day or night, no fear of a burglar, no fear of loosing all my money, no fear of earthquakes, no fear for my health. So I live with my weakness and I am fine.
Chapter 6
Luck has a lot to do with the success of a marriage. Additionally, you need patience, the ability to close one eye, take three deep breaths, look at your fingernails and stroke your hair. The next thought: How could this happen to a nice person like me?
Age difference: Normally in the first marriage there is very little difference – but the older the male, the younger the girl. I have a friend who is 90, lives in Hawaii in an old age home but owns a condo at the beach where he used to live. Now his 29-year-old Hawaiian girlfriend lives there rent-free. He is happy, takes her for trips to Europe, Stateside, etc. Obviously this is a great arrangement. Another friend of mine is 28. His girlfriend is 60 and that works, too.
Divorce seems to happen to "normal" couples, mostly fairly young. Surprisingly, the man usually marries another girl with the same looks and character as the first. This is also usually true for the third. They say that the more you have in common, the better - a rule that is seldom followed.
