Mi madre, Margret Holding, de soltera Sheer, nació en Viena en 1932. Sus padres eran judíos seculares. La familia abandonó Austria poco después de la ocupación alemana en marzo de 1938. En Kristallnacht, en noviembre de ese año, alrededor de 8000 judíos fueron arrestados y 5000 fueron enviados a Dachau. Para 1939, los nazis habían […]
A question of identity (written by Margret Holding- date unknown)
My father was for me a kind of guru. Guide, sage, an abstraction of all-knowing goodness- his belief became my moral philosophy, his views were scrupulously embraced as a pathway to leading an honourable life. His was a voice form beyond the grave, my devotion to his principles was self-imposed. But my fidelity to his […]
Tribute to Barney Cooney
(Published on my blog with agreement from Justin Cooney) I wanted to write something on the passing of our dear friend Barney Cooney. I won’t try and recount Barney’s numerous achievements in the political and legal fields about which others are better qualified to comment. My focus will be on Barney’s wonderful personality. I knew […]
Tribute to Margret Holding
Introduction Thank you for coming. Can I start by thanking Danny’s wife Delia, for doing most of the work to put this event together; thanks Delia. Margret was born in Vienna on 23 April 1932. Her father was Paul. Her mother Ilse had been born in Czechoslovakia. Her parents were secular Austrian Jews. Mum had […]
Random thoughts on the passing of a small animal
Lucy, our cat, was a weakling. She was the runt of her Devon Rex litter and Devons are on the runty side to begin with. Plus she had suffered an allergic reaction to a vaccine as a kitten. This left her with a chronic nasal condition. She was a snuffller. When we bought her sister Evie, the breeder asked us to take Lucy as […]