Once Vienna

We are all part of the history of the world. Erich Scharf, always viewed his life as part of a chain, a Jewish chain. He loved and lived history from a Jewish perspective. Erich, was not a rigorous 'religious' Jew. If anything, his interests in Physics and Philosophy probably had as great an influence in molding his beliefs, as did his experiences with Zionism and being raised Jewish in 1920-30s Vienna, amidst the rise of fascism and virulent antisemitism. As a teenager, he survived the political turmoil and devastation of a Nazi invasion of his country. He witnessed the destruction of the political structure of Europe and the persecution of the Jews as "the scapegoat" of Hitler's empire. In this book he describes life in Vienna as a young boy, the rise of Nazism, the takeover of Austria by Germany, his family's escape from Nazi rule, and the stories of others who were not as fortunate, and perished. Family and friends scattered all over the globe in order to escape and survive. Their journeys for survival took them to far reaching places like New Zealand, Shanghai (China), Palestine, England, Argentina, Cuba, as well as the United States. These life events formed Erich's strong belief in family loyalty and unity. He practiced and taught "family before self." He also believed that survival requires Jews to be aware and be defiant against the rest of the world when necessary. "We are here. We survived. We are free, and we will do everything possible to not let it happen again." One of his core desires was for the Jews to have their own homeland, Israel. He believed fervently that had Israel existed, millions of lives would have been saved. He also was grateful that he, along with many others, were able to rebuild their Jewish lives in America, and would ask himself "How did someone like me end up in Florida?" Erich understood that his written word would carry his history, and the history of those who came before him, into the future. This book will hopefully introduce or remind readers of the dangers of certain political and social climates and the consequences of spurning division and hate between peoples. If this book inspires just one reader to speak out against inexcusable behavior of one human being against another, then it has served a purpose. This is a story of the horrors created by hate, and the hope and survival of those who lived it.