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Image Not Available for Postcard with poem entitled 'Doors'
Postcard with poem entitled 'Doors'
Image Not Available for Postcard with poem entitled 'Doors'

Postcard with poem entitled 'Doors'

Author (Australian - Austrian, 1889 - 1942)
Date14 June 1939
Object number00015926
DCMITypeStill image
NamePostcard
MediumCardboard, ink
DimensionsOverall: 140 x 86 mm
Copyright© Jean Lederer
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Walter and Jean Lederer Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
DescriptionThis poem was written by Austrian migrant Arthur Lederer in 1939. As the scale of Nazi persecution against the Jewish population escalated prior to World War II, Arthur Lederer and his family fled Austria for Australia via Czechoslovakia and Great Britain. This poem was written by Arthur shortly before the family departed England onboard SS ORAMA. The poem captures Arthur's thoughts about the significance of a front door and his personal feelings of disappointment and frustration in searching for a new home. Some doors have hearts it seems to me, they open so inspiringly; you feel they are quite kind - akin to all the warmth you find within some doors, so weather - beaten, gray swing open in a listless way, as if they wish you had not come their stony silence leaves you dumb. Some classic doors stand closed and barred as if their beauty might be marred if any sought admittance there, save king or prince or millionaire Oh, may mine be a friendly door. May all who cross the threshold o'er within find sweet content and rest and know each was a welcomed guest. 14 June A.V. Lederer 14.6.39',HistoryBorn in Vienna, Austria in 1889, Arthur Lederer was a talented tailor who made gala uniforms for European royalty and high society. On the eve of Adolf Hitler’s march into Vienna in March 1938, Lederer was working on Archduke Otto of Austria’s crowning robes, believing that the exiled monarch would return. In November 1938 Arthur Lederer, his wife Valerie and their son Walter attempted to escape the escalating Jewish persecution in Nazi-occupied Austria. They travelled by taxi from Vienna to the Austria-Czechoslovakia border but were held up by the German Gestapo and thrown into jail. They were released after three days and returned home to Vienna. Four weeks later they made another attempt to escape. The family purchased passports in December 1938 and travelled by Austrian Airlines to Prague, Czechoslovakia. The League of Nations (forerunner to the United Nations) issued them with Nansen passports, an internationally recognised identity card provided to stateless refugees. Arthur then started appealing to his well-connected clients for help to escape Europe. Most clients did not respond, perhaps fearing they would be persecuted by the Nazis for assisting Jews. Eventually Lady Max Muller, wife of the British Ambassador to Spain, provided them with tickets to Australia and the £300 arrival money required by the Australian Government. The family travelled to Australia on the Orient liner SS ORAMA, which departed Toulon, France on 17 June 1939. ORAMA stopped at Naples, Italy, Port Said, Egypt, Aden, Yemen and Colombo, Ceylon before arriving in Fremantle, Western Australia. From Fremantle the Lederers sailed to Sydney, where they began their new life in Australia.SignificanceThe story of the Lederer family provides a glimpse into the experiences of the Jewish population of Vienna and illustrates the tortuous journey many emigrants were forced to endure in order to flee to safety. This poem by Arthur Lederer documents the story of one migrant family's flight from Nazi-occupied Europe to Australia and captures the sentiments of many displaced persons.