German troops invaded Austria in March 1938 and incorporated the nation into the German Reich in what is known as the Anschluss. When I visited Herta Walcoff in her home she shared details regarding her escape from Austria.
“I was born April 23rd, 1929 in Vienna, Austria. My father’s name was Isadore Roth and my mother was Marjian Rubin. I have an older sister, Regina. My younger siblings, Susie and Irwin, are both deceased. Prior to Germany’s invasion, I recall a happy family life. My father made a comfortable living as a linen importer. We lived in a beautiful apartment. The centerpiece of our home was a Steinway piano on which I took lessons. My mother lit candles every Shabbat and my siblings and I always received new clothes on Passover. Antisemitic attitudes in the public school I attended indicated that horrific times were just ahead.”
Herta recalled Germany’s invasion of Austria
“On March 13th, 1938 Hitler marched into Vienna and our lives were forever changed. It was Sunday and the entire family was seated in the dining room when all the terror began. A wave of violence and deportations against the Jewish community followed in Vienna and other cities throughout the German Reich during the spring, summer and autumn of 1938 culminating in the Kristallnacht riots and violence in November. My father was arrested at the Czech border when he tried to enter Poland without the proper documentation to sell his merchandise. He was released after being imprisoned for six weeks. After a gentile dentist took over our apartment, my mother, siblings and I moved into my uncle’s much smaller apartment. In the summer of 1939, my mother made arrangements for Regina, Susie and I to immigrate to America.”
Herta reflected on her move to America
“In August 1939 when I was 10 years old, my mother made arrangements for my sisters and I to move to New York where my Uncle Herman lived. My mother was able to obtain visas for us since we were born in Austria. She was originally from Poland, so she was unable to join us. When we boarded a train at the station in Vienna it was the last time we saw my mother and brother. They stayed behind and we found out years later that they were killed in a concentration camp. I never saw my father again either. Years later I discovered that my father had tried unsuccessfully to get my mother and brother released by offering to trade jewels for their freedom. After boarding the train in Vienna, my sisters and I traveled to Paris where one of my uncles met us. We were hungry and I remember my uncle serving us onion soup. From Paris we boarded a train to Le Havre, France, a major port city located on the banks of the English Channel. We crossed the English Channel by ferry. I remember the Channel currents being very rough. In Liverpool, England, we boarded The Laconia, a British ocean liner that took us across the Atlantic Ocean. My sisters and I arrived in New York on August 23rd, 1939 and stayed for a few days with my Uncle Herman. Susie and I went to live with another uncle (my father’s brother) in Brooklyn while Regina stayed with my mother’s friends. When my aunt received news that my paternal grandmother was moving to America from Europe, Susie and I had to find another place to live.”
Herta recalled moving to the Pleasantville Cottage School
“With the help of the Jewish Federation, Regina, Susie and I moved into the Pleasantville Cottage School located in Westchester County. Regina lived with the older girls while Susie and I remained with our age group. PCS was founded by the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society and is located on 160 acres. I remained at PCS until I was 13 and then moved into a foster home located in the Bronx.”
Herta recalled living in foster homes
“Susie and I lived together in a foster home owned by a milkman and his wife. I remember my foster mother ordering me to wash the kitchen floor at 11 o’clock in the evening when I had school the next morning. I responded by saying, ‘I’m night going to wash the floor tonight and be too tired to go to school tomorrow.’ I was taught never to speak back to adults, but what she was asking of me wasn’t right. In my second foster home I was a babysitter for my foster parents. Everything was fine until one day the husband put his arm around me when no one was home and told me how much the family liked me. I was scared and called the social worker. She reassured me that I would be safely placed in another home within 24 hours. She also told me not to report the incident since the couple had been married more than 30 years. I didn’t like to lie and told the couple that I had to leave without any further explanation. In the third foster home I lived in, I was very happy and remained there until I was married.”
Herta recalled life following foster care
“After finishing high school I enrolled in business school and got a job working for an import/export company. I met my husband, Leonard, when I went with two girlfriends to the Jersey Shore for the weekend. Through a chance encounter I met Leonard who was accompanied by his two friends while I was out walking with my friends. Leonard and I married on March 26, 1950. Leonard was a second generation American who had flown 35 missions over Germany while serving in the US Air Force during World War II. I loved the fact that he had bombed Germany. We lived in Little Neck and then bought a home in Plainview, Long Island. We lived in Orlando after moving to Florida. Twenty years ago we moved to South Florida. We have three children (two sons and a daughter), six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Leonard passed away in 2015 after 65 years of marriage.”
Herta shared her words of wisdom
“Be happy, smile and don’t let your troubles get the best of you.”
