1918
I return now to my own story. As I had mentioned before, I arrived with Else in Czernowitz at the end of September 1918, and I registered immediately at the University. There was anarchy also in Czernowitz, as Ukrainian troops had taken over parts of the Bukowina, including Czernowitz. But soon afterwards Rumanian troops arrived, small contingents only, and succeeded in occupying the Bukowina, with very little shooting, and the Ukrainians retreated. These operations were in a kind of vacuum, and normal life returned soon to Czernowitz. The Rumanians went even much further, taking advantage of the upheaval and precarious situation, in which the Russian army was, and occupied all of Bessarabia, the province between the rivers Pruth and Dniester and the Black Sea, with, the capital Kishinew.
The University functioned normally and so did other schools. My mother was happy when we, Else and I, arrived. My stepfather had arrived a short time before us, and had resumed his business activities. Our house was undamaged and so was our apartment, although the Russian troops had lived there for over a year, and had destroyed many pieces of furniture, which they had used for heating. But they could be replaced by other more primitive tables, chairs, and wardrobes, and we could live as well as before. Else received frequently long letters from Franzi in which he begged her to return to him to Vienna. Whether she answered him, I don’t remember, but she refused to go back to him. That I know.
There was one thing that disturbed us very much, especially my mother. Alice and her husband Samuil were living in our apartment, and had converted our dining room into a bedroom for two. Our apartment was, after Else and I had arrived, really filled up to the brim. It should have been for them a short stay in our house, till they could find a suitable apartment. But they did not really look for one, and stayed for many months. When we had come to Vienna, 4 years back in 1914, we stayed also in their apartment, but only for 2 or 3 days, and only I was especially invited by aunt Rosa to stay with them for a longer time. But this was now a different situation, as we were terribly crowded there. My mother was especially annoyed, since they had a room occupied through which everybody had to pass, especially when going to sleep and after getting up in the morning. Alice had the habit of walking around in her nightgown, which did not cover very well her breasts, and did not put on a robe. Since my stepfather had to pass that room, my mother was very annoyed and really jealous. This came to an end after a few months, when they moved out, and relations between my mother and Alice remained cool for a very long time afterwards.
We were now all at home, with the exception of Carl, who had gotten an engagement with the theatre in Krems from November 1st, 1918, till September 30th, 1919. We had to tell each other stories about our experiences during the war, and were sitting together every night, without end. Uncle Isidor, aunt Gusta, Isa, and Egon were back in Storoznetz, but their oldest son, Marzell, was wounded in the war and was a prisoner in Russia. Some time later, he came back, bringing with him a Russian wife.
Among many others, my old love Mitzi Klein and her family were also back in Czernowitz. I visited her quite often. But a change had taken place: My feelings for her had cooled off, and I had to tell her one day that I did not love her anymore. We had a serious long discussion about it, but it did not help and she cried bitterly. It so happened that some time before I had met one of her friends, Sidy Berler, also a very pretty girl, in her house, and I had fallen in love with her. I went to her house and spent many pleasant evenings with her. Later on, she spoke about marriage and was willing to wait 4 or 5 years till I would have finished my medical studies. But I was soon disillusioned, especially when I met her parents, who were very primitive people, and my love cooled off soon. Anyway, I was about to leave for Vienna soon. I had introduced her to my mother, who did not discourage me, since she seemed to like her. But I had serious doubts finally that this was the right girl for me to marry.
When the collapse of the monarchy came, I had, of course, to take off my uniform and put on civilian cloths. To get these was not easy, since there was great shortage in everything, and the stores, which had opened, had little to offer and of poor quality. But that was not tragic, and I could go out into the street without having to be ashamed, since everybody was in the same situation. Anyway, I was all day long at the University.
My eagerness to study was great. I was hungry to learn. I was a different man now, when I came back from the war. I was not a broken down man, just the opposite. I was full of ambition and a desire to start a new life. I got up early every morning, since the classes started at 8 o’clock, and I came home late in the evening. I had registered for every subject that was taught, did not leave out anything. Many professors had returned to the University and were teaching again. Here is a list of the subjects for which I had registered, with the names of the teachers if I remember them: Chemistry (Prof. Pomeranz), Physics, Botany, Zoology (Prof. Zelinka), Zoologic microscopy (Prof. Zelinka), Embryology, Bacteriology (Prof. Raubitschek), Geology (Prof. Pennecke), Mineralogy (Dr. Reinhold), Crystallographic practicum (Dr. Reinhold ).
I was always very interested in Natural History, in many of its branches. I had started with collecting butterflies and other insects, and that remained my main hobby for most of my life, with some longer interruptions, re-awakened by Francis’s interest in it. But it was Zoology in general that was one of my main interests, my strength, as we say in German, my interest in all animals that crawl, fly, or swim. And mineralogy, crystallography, geology, and, to a minor extent also astronomy. I had a collection of minerals, many of them ordered and sent from Switzerland, from Disentis in Graubuenden. I had had, at different periods of my life, an aquarium. All that, combined, was partially the reason that I later decided to study medicine. It may have helped me to become what is generally called a “good doctor.” Perhaps I was one.
The official language in the Bukowina was now Rumanian, but it took a long time till people learned to speak it. Names of streets were changed, and antisemitism could be noticed everywhere. Corruption was rampant, and one could not accomplish anything in the official offices without paying under the table. All that had to be accepted, and life in general was not unpleasant. It was, of course, difficult far the pupils in the schools to learn the new language, and the Rumanians were very strict about it. But they allowed the opening of the new theatre season with a German ensemble, as I had already mentioned before, and we had an excellent theatre season like in olden days, with excellent actors and singers.
My interest in theatre playing woke up again, since there was our club of amateurs, which became very active again. We started soon with rehearsals, and came out already on March 15, 1919, with the performance of Max Halbe’s drama Jugend (Youth). I have a collection of almost all the original theatre bills and of newspaper clippings, containing critiques. One theatre bill I don’t have.
We had played a drama by Hermann Sudermann, Heimat (Homeland). It was a fine performance, in which my sister Else had a part too. I had only a minor part in that play. At that time, the regular theatre ensemble was still using the theatre building. We had, therefore, to play in another location, the Deutsches Haus. For the stage management we engaged one of the best actors of the theatre ensemble, a Mr. Hartberg, and for the most important female part a young actress, Miss Ewald. In the play Jugend I played an important role, the role of a pastor. On April 9, we played the same play in Storozynetz with the same ensemble. Shortly afterwards, on May 16th, and again the next day in the afternoon we played Ascheribroedel, in English Cinderella in the Stadttheater in Czernowitz. It was a great social event. How it was arranged that the regular theatre ensemble surrendered the theatre for one evening, and the afternoon on the next day to our club for the performance of Cinderella, I don’t know anymore. A lady, Mrs. Minna Feller, had connections to and great influence in the City Hall, and was instrumental in freeing the theatre for these two performances. Her young daughter played the part of Cinderella. There were two ballets, a ballet of fairies and a ballet of goblins. The whole affair was an enormous success, really gorgeous and refreshing.
Then came on July 5th, 1919, the play Hinter Mauern (Behind Walls) by Henry Nathanson, a Danish author, which we had played already once before in the year 1913. This time, I did not play two parts and there was no complication anymore with the loss of the moustache. The success was so great that we repeated the performance 10 days later. Then came, on July 19th, 1919, the drama Der Strom (The stream), by Max Halbe. It was again a great success. The last play was Die Haubenlerche (The crested lark), by Ernst von Wildenbruch, performed on July 31, 1919. This was the end of my theatrical carrier. Acting on the stage brought me much inspiration and satisfaction, and was very conducive to my successes later in my profession and life in general, I should also mention here that during that first year after returning from the war, I was taking lessons in acting, reciting, and clear speaking with one of the best professional actors of the theatre in Czernowitz, Victor Hartberg. I studied with him many parts in classical plays like Schiller’s Kabale und Libe, Cabal and Love, Gutzkow’s Uriel Acosta, and modern plays like Gerhart Hauptmann’s Die versunkene Glocke (The sunken bell). I also learned with him reciting of famous classical poems, among them poems by Anton Wildgans.
My studies at the University gave me much satisfaction. But there came now a time to make serious decisions. I had to think of my future. The decision to study medicine came suddenly. I never had thought of it before. All that what I had learned during this last year appeared to be an excellent preparation for the study of medicine. And an excellent opportunity to go to Vienna came up. After the war, many people were stranded in different parts of the former Austrian monarchy. The railroads did not function for a long time, and people had to stay where they were, when the monarchy collapsed.