Interview with Liane Reif-Lehrer,

Interview Summary

Liane Reif-Lehrer discusses her childhood in Vienna, Austria in the 1930s, which was racked by her father's depression and apparent suicide in 1938. She recounts her departure from Europe with her older brother and mother in 1939 aboard the ocean liner St. Louis, on an ill-fated voyage that ended up bringing hundreds of Jewish refugees back to Europe. Some of these, Reif-Lehrer's family included, were taken in by France. She describes her family's stay for two weeks in Loudun, France and then for a year and a half in Limoges, France, paying particular attention to her interactions with German soldiers as well as her and her brother's schooling in Limoges. She recounts their eventual move to New York City, New York, where they took up residence with her aunt.

Interview Keyword

Family life Holocaust survivors. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Limoges (France) Loudon (France) New York (N.Y.) Suicide Vienna (Austria) World War Two World War, 1939-1945--Jews.

Interview LC Subject

World War, 1939-1945.

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.