Read Online The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy) by Christoph Fischer - Free Book Online
Authors: Christoph Fischer
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treated them with the most attention. Despite Greta ’s questionable roots, these two were the couple of the future. Nothing they did was ever wrong in her eyes. Wilhelm lacked strength but in that serious face, Johanna could read an intellectual superiority and leadership skills just like those of her husband Benedikt. Once her infatuation had been established, regardless of evidence to the contrary, she projected more superior qualities onto his character.
However, Johanna did not approve of the frequent visits from members of the Weissensteiner family to the farm. They might be polite and nice enough as visitors, but they were dark, gypsy looking and much more obvious as Jews than Greta, who could have passed for a gentile woman at any time. The Weissensteiners had responded to Greta’s less frequent visits to the weaver workshop in town by coming to the farm themselves, even though that meant they had to travel on a Saturday. Before the Berlin members of the family had left, it had been custom that whenever the Weissensteiners came to visit the guests would be well fed and, additionally, Elizabeth had always given them some food to take back home to the city. Greta had always appreciated this generosity and had seen it as a gesture of respect towards her. She had just got pregnant again and her family was so excited and pleased with the news that they seemed to visit almost every weekend now – very much to Johanna's annoyance.
Benedikt also worried that their reputation and standing in the community might suffer from a noticeable association with these Jews. J ohanna was secretly more concerned that Greta’s family would somehow lay claim to Karl and that she would have to share him with his mother's family. It was obvious that he belonged to the Winkelmeiers, blond and Aryan that he was. While she had previously always tolerated the Weissensteiners being welcomed warmly by Elizabeth and the big fuss the relatives had made when the Jews came, Johanna as the new hostess never offered them food or drinks when they arrived. Instead she emphasized loudly how busy she was and made sure that Greta had very little time to spend with her family. There were less people on the farm now with much more work for everyone and surely that had to be understood and respected. Greta’s brother Egon seemed to take the hint immediately, coming less frequently to the farm; when he did come, he was naturally quiet during the visits, seemingly preferred to be left alone and somehow could never wait to go back home.
Her sister Wilma however noticed the wind of change in their reception and took great offence. Unwilling to be shunned like that, she would deliberately challenge Johanna by asking for drinks or food every time they came to visit, forcing the skinflint of a woman to cook up ever more outlandish excuses to deny these requests. Wilma enjoyed this game of childish revenge but did not realize how much damage she was doing to the fragile family relations. It was exactly this pushiness and noisiness that annoyed Johanna most and, she believed, was the main reason that so many people hated the Jews. What a shame that her handsome Wilhelm had not at least been able to find a rich Jewish woman – if his wife had to be one of those; a banker’s or a lawyer’s daughter would have been much more acceptable. The wealthy and established Jews in the west were usually so assimilated or westernised that only their physique could identify them as Jews. While Greta herself was very decent and not at all obvious, Greta's sister Wilma was – bar the black clothing - the stereotype of a poor eastern Jew, that even their own, rich kind did not want to be associated with. Admittedly, the Winkelmeiers were not particularly wealthy or posh but they certainly were far above such outrageous behaviour and poor standing.
The conversion of the entire Winkelmeier family to Cath olicism had worked wonders for them and over the last year, the Slovak
However, Johanna did not approve of the frequent visits from members of the Weissensteiner family to the farm. They might be polite and nice enough as visitors, but they were dark, gypsy looking and much more obvious as Jews than Greta, who could have passed for a gentile woman at any time. The Weissensteiners had responded to Greta’s less frequent visits to the weaver workshop in town by coming to the farm themselves, even though that meant they had to travel on a Saturday. Before the Berlin members of the family had left, it had been custom that whenever the Weissensteiners came to visit the guests would be well fed and, additionally, Elizabeth had always given them some food to take back home to the city. Greta had always appreciated this generosity and had seen it as a gesture of respect towards her. She had just got pregnant again and her family was so excited and pleased with the news that they seemed to visit almost every weekend now – very much to Johanna's annoyance.
Benedikt also worried that their reputation and standing in the community might suffer from a noticeable association with these Jews. J ohanna was secretly more concerned that Greta’s family would somehow lay claim to Karl and that she would have to share him with his mother's family. It was obvious that he belonged to the Winkelmeiers, blond and Aryan that he was. While she had previously always tolerated the Weissensteiners being welcomed warmly by Elizabeth and the big fuss the relatives had made when the Jews came, Johanna as the new hostess never offered them food or drinks when they arrived. Instead she emphasized loudly how busy she was and made sure that Greta had very little time to spend with her family. There were less people on the farm now with much more work for everyone and surely that had to be understood and respected. Greta’s brother Egon seemed to take the hint immediately, coming less frequently to the farm; when he did come, he was naturally quiet during the visits, seemingly preferred to be left alone and somehow could never wait to go back home.
Her sister Wilma however noticed the wind of change in their reception and took great offence. Unwilling to be shunned like that, she would deliberately challenge Johanna by asking for drinks or food every time they came to visit, forcing the skinflint of a woman to cook up ever more outlandish excuses to deny these requests. Wilma enjoyed this game of childish revenge but did not realize how much damage she was doing to the fragile family relations. It was exactly this pushiness and noisiness that annoyed Johanna most and, she believed, was the main reason that so many people hated the Jews. What a shame that her handsome Wilhelm had not at least been able to find a rich Jewish woman – if his wife had to be one of those; a banker’s or a lawyer’s daughter would have been much more acceptable. The wealthy and established Jews in the west were usually so assimilated or westernised that only their physique could identify them as Jews. While Greta herself was very decent and not at all obvious, Greta's sister Wilma was – bar the black clothing - the stereotype of a poor eastern Jew, that even their own, rich kind did not want to be associated with. Admittedly, the Winkelmeiers were not particularly wealthy or posh but they certainly were far above such outrageous behaviour and poor standing.
The conversion of the entire Winkelmeier family to Cath olicism had worked wonders for them and over the last year, the Slovak
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