Father

Josef Aberbach born on 14 December 1894, came from Kolomea, south-eastern Galicia. Kolomea was a town with a Jewish majority and a politically active community. There were strong Zionist and socialist movements in Kolomea, but Aberbach was not exposed to such ‘heretical’ influences. When war broke out in 1914, the Russians invaded Galicia. The Jews, fearful of pogroms, fled to other parts of Austria-Hungary. The ex-servicemen grudgingly allowed to stay in Austria often had trouble getting permission to work or go into business without capital. The Austrian police lay in wait at the railway stations to catch the hamsterer, confiscate the fur skins he had bought and fine him heavily. Jewish traders were all exploiters and swindlers. If they refused to pay the asking price, they might as well be murdered.