The Hare With Amber Eyes

The Austrian people were optimistic that the plebiscite would free them from Nazi authority. However, two days before the vote was to be held, German troops advanced on Austria’s border. Schuschnigg resigned, armed police appeared on the Ringstrasse wearing swastika armbands, and Nazi flags were hung from government buildings. Shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “Death to the Jews!” (281) rang through Vienna’s streets. Many of the Ephrussis’ Jewish friends abandoned their properties and attempted to flee the city. The train station was packed with people trying to travel to Prague, and Austrian Jews queued at the Czech border.

On the first night of Nazi occupation, Jewish shop windows were smashed in Vienna, and a group of men forced their way into the Palais Ephrussi. Victor, Emmy, and Rudolf were shut in the library as their home was looted. The intruders threw Emmy’s dressing table (the wedding gift from Fanny and Jules) over the handrail of the staircase, and it crashed to the floor below. In addition, they took the jewelry she was wearing and spat at the family’s feet before leaving. Across Vienna, many other Jewish families experienced similar intrusions. In some cases, men were beaten and taken away, and women were abused.