Autobiographical interviews of Jews born in German speaking countries ("Yekkes") - 50/60 years after their immigration to Israel

The interviewee's maiden name was Jeanette Deutsch. She was born on 04/25/1920 in Vienna. Education: “Gymnasium”. “Matura” (Brit. A-levels) in 1938. Emigration to Palestine with a student's certificate in January 1939. Three semesters studies in Jerusalem, later different jobs and voluntary work in the British Institute. Three years secretary in a military office. 1946-1948 work in a British governmental office and assisted in her husband's clothing business. ; Jeanette Goldstein's youth in Vienna and her emigration: She was born in Vienna. Her parents immigrated to Vienna during World War I from Galicia. J.G. has one elder brother. The family lived in district IX in Vienna (Alsergrund), her school was in district II (Leopoldstadt). She was in a class with Jews only. After the annexation of Austria her school was closed down for a few months, but in June they were allowed to take the final exams (“Matura”). J.G. watched Jews who were forced to clean the pavements, and Jews jumping out of the windows. Her father died in Rothschild-hospital a few days after he was beaten up. Shortly before, her family had been forced to give up their apartment; they moved to relatives. An uncle managed to bring their grandmother to Poland and to get for Jeanette and her brother student's certificates. J.G. arrived in Palestine in January 1939 soon after her brother. It took several months to get a certificate for their mother from the Jewish Agency; she reached Palestine in September 1939. ; Jeanette Goldstein's life and career in Palestine/Israel: She spoke only German with her friends, and still speaks German with her husband and her brother. After her immigration, she became a member of a group of former Viennese students. The siblings lived with a grant given by an association of immigrants. Her family moved to a central quarter in Jerusalem. The money from the grant would not have been enough to support their mother, therefore only Jeanette's brother could go to university, Jeanette started to work in different jobs. She had learned little Hebrew at school in Vienna, in Jerusalem she attended Hebrew classes at the university. Her uncle wanted her to attend Hadassah nursing school, but she decided not to due to the long hours. However, when she became a maid in a hotel she also had to work long hours. Famous people stayed in the hotel. In her free hours, she did one year of voluntary work in the British Institute. She had learned French at school, taught herself English and is proud of still knowing it well. A friend taught her English shorthand. Once, the highest-ranking officer of the new military office in Jerusalem was guest in the hotel. J.G. asked him for a job in the office. So she became secretary of a paymaster and stayed in the office for three years. ; She also got for her brother and her friends jobs in the office. She married in 1944, her husband founded a clothing factory. J.G. handed in her notice to the office because of financial discriminations after her marriage. She then started as a secretary in a pharmaceutical factory. From 1946-1948 she worked in a British governmental office, which closed down briefly before the establishment of Israel. ; Jeanette Goldstein's family life: She came from a traditional and kosher household. She herself is not religious, but her husband is more traditional. She had two still birth pregnancies during the Israeli War of Independence. Her decision to go to another hospital was lifesaving because the convoy was shot at and there were constant bombings. People died while they queued up for food. The Goldsteins had to give up their new apartment because of hazardous material (explosives) in the cellar of the house. Jeanette Goldstein's husband and brother served in the army, her brother was injured. The Goldsteins bought a new apartment and lived there for 38 years until they moved to Hechaluz Street. Two daughters were born. Jeanette Goldstein helped in her husband's factory and fashion store, which he ran for almost 50 years. The Goldsteins have six grandchildren. Their elder daughter Ariella speaks German well with a Vienesse accent. Once, J.G. visited Vienna with the elder daughter who wanted to see where her parents had lived. Their younger daughter also understands German. The daughters speak German with their mother when they do not want the grandchildren to understand. The grandchildren refuse to learn German. J.G. speaks German with her friends from Czernowitz. Today she reads German and English as well, her favored newspaper is the “Jerusalem Post”. ; Jeanette Goldstein's and her children's language situation and their relationship with Austria: In 1955, J.G. visited Vienna for the first time after the War. She cannot imagine living there. About a cousin who lives in Vienna; one of this cousin's daughters is Ruth Beckermann, a well known Austrian filmmaker and author. Jeanette Goldstein has only one friend who returned to Vienna after the emigration, the other schoolmates live in Great Britain, USA or Israel. They keep in touch. - The Goldsteins listen to Austrian news every day. They are members of an Austrian-Israeli association, but they do not have a feeling of affiliation with Austria. Nevertheless, they consider themselves as Viennese with a Viennese mentality, J.G. regards the preservation of her German language as indicator for this identity. She found friends from other German-speaking countries in the David Yellin B'nai B'rith Lodge. It is the only German-speaking lodge in Jerusalem, they have weekly meetings and lectures. In contrast to her husband, J.G. does not feel bitterness towards Austria anymore. Immediately after the War she was not able to listen to an Austrian waltz. Their daughters had sworn never to visit Germany when they were children, but they did when they grew older. When their daughter watched some military reception in Vienna, she associated it with National Socialism; nevertheless she felt fine there. ; J.G. tells that the “Yekkes” were ridiculed during the first years because of their decent clothes and their accuracy. These peculiarities changed after a while, but if nowadays someone is accurate, he is still called a Yekke. She thinks that the second generation felt ashamed to be of Yekkish origin. J.G. is conscious of her Viennese pronunciation in Hebrew and English. She thinks that the relationship with her grandchildren might be closer if she could talk in German with them. In her family in Vienna, no dialect was spoken, but some typical Viennese expressions were used. About the difference in vocabulary of German and Austrian immigrants, which are still perceptible. Her mother started to speak Yiddish with her neighbors in Israel, her father always had a Yiddish accent. She notices changes in the German language when she listens to Austrian news, namely Anglicisms. She thinks that she dreams in German. - Her daughter's generation speaks with another accent. J.G. tends to code-switching in spontaneous speech; she uses Hebrew words if the correct German word does not come to her mind. If she had brought dialect-speaking friends home, her parents might have considered them as not well educated. She considers dialect as a defective language, but sometimes a dialect word is the best expression for what she is trying to say. She notices that the dialect changed as well as standard language and the language of literature.