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The Wandering Jew
The Wandering Jew From Vienna to Arosa
Part II
By Hershel Lieber
The palace of the Prince of Liechtenstein
We took our time on this Wednesday morning in July; we just didn’t rush. The weather was rainy, and there was a light fog in the air as we headed out from Innsbruck, Austria.
We started our climb to the higher elevations of the Alps on curving roads with over a dozen tunnels carved into the formidable mountains. The fog started to dissipate, and we were able to see the ice peaked mountain tips. As the sun started to appear, every exit from a tunnel brought another stunning vista of Hashem’s handicraft. We made an hour stop in Feldkirch near the Austrian border. The town was picturesque, and we took a self-guided tour of the castle and museum. From there, it was only a short drive to Triesenberg across the border in Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein is not a well-known country. In fact, it is one of the smallest countries in the world. You can cross the width of this country in less than two hours. The population of this German-speaking nation is small, yet it is one of the richest countries of the world. It is known for its Alpine landscapes and medieval castles, and, by stamp collectors, for the beautiful postage stamps it regularly issues.
We took a walk in the tiny capital Vaduz, a city with under five thousand residents. We visited the city museum and, of course, the post office. We ate our dinner of food we brought along from Vienna sitting on the veranda of our hotel. There, we were able to view the calming waters of the Rhine River as it snaked through the valley dotted with cottages, against a background of the magnificent Alps.
The next morning, we toured the grounds of the Prince’s palace. The palace is open to the public only once a year on the Prince’s birthday when many well-wishers come by to wish him a long healthy life. From there, we headed into neighboring Switzerland. The scenes we passed were beckoning our camera, and we obliged by making many photo stops. We had our sandwich lunches at a waterfall overlooking the lush valleys and small villages below. As we were heading to our destination, we spoke by phone to all our children. Our daughter, Chavi, told us that her in-laws, Volvi’s parents, Shloma and Hindy Feldman, would be in the same hotel as us that Shabbos.
We arrived in Arosa at three in the afternoon and checked into the Metropol Hotel. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the beautiful fruit basket that our mechutanim sent to our room. The hotel itself had probably seen better days and, despite our tiny room, we were complacent. After dinner, we went out to the lake where we were treated to a concert by the players of the Alpenhorn. The music
An alpenhorn concert
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that came out of this long, weird instrument left a lot to be desired, but we were compensated by the dancing, colorful fountains and the fireworks. It was way past midnight when we finally went to sleep.
Friday after breakfast we took a hike to the next neighboring town. We returned on the famed red scenic train that ran along the mountainside. After lunch, we ascended Mount Weisshorn by cable car. At the summit of this mountain, we were able to see Arosa and its lake, which seemed straight out of a fairytale. Though we were stepping on snow, the sun basked us with her warmth and we sat out there for quite a while.
We returned to the hotel to get ready for Shabbos. I was honored to daven kabbalas Shabbos, and we met many people from around the globe. Among the distinguished personalities who were with us was Harav Yehoshua Neuwirth, the author of Shmiras Shabbos K’Hilchoso. Also present was Harav Shloma Zalman Ulman from Bnei Brak. The seudah was inspiring with zemiros and divrei Torah, and the food was ample and delicious.
Shabbos was very nice at the hotel. After davening, there was a lavish kiddush and we had a chance to mingle with the guests, who were mostly from Europe or Israel. We shared a table with our mechutanim, the Feldmans, for the day seudah and enjoyed their company. In general, we meet them only by simchos where there is little opportunity to have a good conversation. Being together and alone for a seudah is a rare occasion, which we cherished.
In the afternoon, I went to a shiur given by Rav Neuwirth on Hilchos Shabbos, while Pesi went to a lecture given by his rebbetzin. On Motzei Shabbos, we took a walk and came back for a Melave Malka seudah.
With Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth, author of Shmiras Shabbos K’Hilchoso
alphaonestudio@gmail.com
life is not perfect, but it is beautiful.
A view of Graz
The Swiss Alps near Arosa We left Arosa on Sunday at noon. We took a different route as we headed back to Austria. We passed the famed ski resort Davos and then slowly climbed Mount Weisshorn. It was actually snowing in the upper echelons of the mountain. We passed a herd of cows grazing between patches of snow and heard the ringing of the Swill bells they wore around their necks. When we descended the mountain, we headed into the Romansch cantons of Switzerland. There are only about 45,000 people who still speak this Latin language. The landscape was pastoral with unsurpassed beauty. The drive back to Innsbruck was heavenly with a shining sun and a deep blue sky scattered with puffy clouds.
We stayed overnight in Innsbruck and headed out early to our final destination, Graz. We loaded up our car, which was in the hotel’s underground garage. As I was backing up, I heard a crackling sound from the rear hatch window and realized that I hit a protruding pipe. The glass crumbled into thousands of splinters. I was at loss of what to do and went up to the reception desk, which was mobbed with dozens of Japanese tourists checking into to the hotel. I realized that my whole day could be lost by waiting, so I brushed off the glass and reloaded the car and set out on my way. The blowing air and the noise was unbearable, but I needed to move on.
As we were exiting Innsbruck, I saw a mirage in the form of a Mercedes Benz dealership with an auto repair shop! I quickly got off the highway and drove into their parking lot. The manager told me he could order a new back window, but it will take a day until it arrived from Germany. I did not have the time to wait. I asked him if he could tape up a thick plastic on the rear window so I could drive on the highway without the rushing air and noise. He said he could do it for a hundred dollars. I readily agreed, and the repair was finished in less than an hour. When it came to paying, though, he waved his hand and said that he wanted to do it as a favor and that there would be no charge. We were in awe at the chessed that Hashem granted us so that our five-hour trip to Graz would be a pleasant drive.
We arrived late Monday afternoon in Graz. The city dates back to the Middle Ages with a historic center of over one-thousand buildings dating from the Gothic to contemporary periods. Between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, we walked around for hours to view the architecture with an audio tour to become familiar with the city’s history. We took the funicular up a steep hill to Schlossberg to see the remains of the fortress and castle.
There are few traces of Jewish life in Graz, though Jews made up ten percent of the population before World War II. There is a synagogue and community center for the few thousand Jews who remained there. Even so, we saw a monument of a Jewish merchant in the historic center.
We left Graz in the afternoon and arrived in Vienna, where we stayed overnight before returning to New York. We were away for two weeks, of which the family chasunah kept us in Vienna for four days. The rest of the time we traveled and learned about many historic cities. We also appreciated the magnificent natural wonders that Hashem created for our enjoyment.
The gravestone of the Jewish merchant Rabbi Nissim in Graz
Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.
