Liechtenstein is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to.
Idyllically positioned between Switzerland and Austria, the Principality of Liechtenstein is one of Europe’s smallest states covering an area of 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) and has a population of 40,000 citizens. The country – which is governed by the enlightened Prince Hans Adam II – enjoys a thriving expat community, including a small but historic Jewish community; it even had a Jewish princess, Princess Elisabeth (Elsa) of Liechtenstein (1875–1947).
Elisabeth von Gutmann – who was born into a wealthy Jewish family that had been ennobled in 1878 by Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1848-1916) –converted to Catholicism in 1899.
Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein (1853-1938) and Princess Elsa had no children. Following the 1938 annexation of neighboring Austria by Nazi-Germany, the princess went into exile in Switzerland. She is buried in the princely crypt next to St. Florin’s Cathedral in Vaduz.
With an impressive 600 year old history, the Princely House of Liechtenstein – which presently has 122 family members – is one of Europe’s oldest dynasties. The family has also given its name to the Principality of Liechtenstein, which has been sovereign for 300 years.
During World War II, Liechtenstein offered Jews sanctuary – with a special protection from the country’s ruling family.
Throughout the war, the princely family treated Jewish refugees with respect, kindness, humanity and generosity
Liechtenstein’s World War II legacy, including its role protecting Jews, is surprisingly not well-known.
“My grandparents – Moses and Elsa Strauss – fled from Heilbronn, Germany, to Liechtenstein in 1937,” says Anita Winter, the president and founder of the Jewish Community Association of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
“My grandfather, Moses Strauss (1887-1981), who was a famous medical doctor in Heilbronn, Germany, before the war, always spoke fondly about the princely family of Liechtenstein and how they treated Jews with the utmost respect and kindness.”
Strauss, Winter reveals, left Germany because of antisemitism but was unable to enter Switzerland despite his wife being Swiss and having her entire family there. “My grandmother Elsa had lost her Swiss citizenship when she moved to Germany to marry my father, and this is how they ended up in Liechtenstein.”
“My family always felt safe in Liechtenstein throughout the war even though local Nazis called on the government to expel them to Germany.”
Though Strauss was not able to practice medicine in Liechtenstein, throughout the war he supported his family by writing medical books and organized in a volunteer capacity religious life for Jewish refugees. “The local Nazis often referred to my grandfather as ‘the Chief Rabbi’ although he was not a rabbi, but rather a communal leader. He did not have a rabbinical ordination.”
In 1940, Strauss established the first Jewish association in Liechtenstein which was also tasked with providing financial assistance for Jewish families in distress. The very same year, Strauss faced immediate danger as his German passport had expired prompting the Nazis to call for his expulsion to Germany.
“He wasn’t sure whether he would be able to remain in Liechtenstein because he had to pay a visa fee of 55,000 Swiss Francs but he didn’t have the money.” In the end, Prince Franz Joseph II provided Strauss with “a tolerance visa” for an initial three-month period but it was promptly renewed until the end of the war.
“My family never forgot how they were treated throughout the war, with so much kindness and respect. I have heard similar stories from other Jewish families who survived the war in Liechtenstein.”
After the war, the Strauss family moved to Switzerland. Winter’s father, Walter Strauss, was already in Switzerland where he had been since 1939. “My father, who was born in 1922, was very lucky because he was able to enter Switzerland after surviving alone in Berlin where he completed an apprenticeship to become a tailor after having been barred from attending school in Heilbronn because of being Jewish.” In Switzerland, Walter Strauss established a family business within the garment industry.
“My grandmother, Rosa Fern, suffered unspeakable crimes at the hands of the Nazis as they stormed her apartment on Kristallnacht in 1933.; they stole everything from jewelry to paintings. She had been the secretary to the local orthodox rabbi in Nuremberg, Germany, and had the key to the synagogue. The Nazis wanted to burn down the synagogue and wanted the community’s membership list.”
Winter’s mother, Margit Fern, was born in 1934: A turning point for Fern came during the early stages of the war when the Nazis placed her on a deportation train – with other women and children – but it broke down, offering the youngster an opportunity to flee.
Fern ended up finding shelter at a monastery where she hid as a “Christian orphan.” Growing up, Winter relays, her mother would often tell her that her grandmother feared that she wouldn’t survive to tell her daughter that she wasn’t a Christian – but a Jew.
“My grandfather from my mother’s side barely survived the war but he lost all of his family, including parents and siblings when they were executed on a single afternoon at a marketplace in Ukraine.
Winter’s mother, Margit Fern, arrived in Switzerland in 1961 after surviving the war in France where she hid in a monastery. The following year, she married Walter Strauss and Winter was born shortly thereafter.
There are, however, several Jewish families in Liechtenstein who have remained, but all of the World War II refugees have since passed.
There are presently an estimated 20-30 Jews living in Liechtenstein and some commute daily from Switzerland. “There might even be up to 40 individuals, but we don’t know everyone. The community is very small and is mostly expats from all over the world who either come to work or study but leave after a few years.”
“I established the Jewish Community of Liechtenstein as a tribute to my grandparents,” Winter says with obvious pride.
The Zurich-based entrepreneur – who is in the fashion business – speaks highly of Prince Hans Adam II and Crown Prince Alois. “The prince and his son are two impressive gentlemen known for their kindness, generosity, and humanity.”
Liechtenstein is staunchly Catholic – where the Church holds significant influence on social and religious issues such as abortion (its illegal) – but recognizes Judaism.
“This year, I won’t be able to attend the annual national day celebration because it falls on the Sabbath,” Winter says, pointing out that she is Sabbath observant. The annual national day celebration (Staatsfeiertag) is on August 15 and is held at the Vaduz Castle.
Tensions with Nazi-Germany, World War II
On March 24, 1939, local Nazis in Liechtenstein organized an unsuccessful coup against the monarchy: The German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) organized a march from the village of Shaan towards Vaduz, but it was stopped by the government with the support of local farmers. Under the plan, the VDBL would be supported by German troops positioned across the border in Feldkirch, Austria, who would ultimately incorporate Liechtenstein into Germany.
The plot against Liechtenstein came only weeks after Prince Franz Joseph II (1906-1989) and Prime Minister Josef Hoop (1895-1959) had traveled to Berlin for talks with Chancellor Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893-1946); the prince discussed safeguarding Liechtenstein’s independence and neutrality while maintaining good relations. From 1941, Liechtenstein supported the German war effort through manufacturing.
Winter possesses letters that Prime Minister Hoop wrote to her family.
In light of Liechtenstein’s close geographical proximity to Germany, many German and Austrian Jews – who were in a position to flee – feared settling in Liechtenstein, Winter explains.
Winter’s father, Walter Strauss, fled Berlin in 1939 for Liechtenstein but became the only family member permitted to settle in Switzerland.
Throughout the war, the Strauss family – along with other Jewish refugees – received occasional warnings from the government about potential Nazi plots against them. “My family were hidden for a couple of days in a prison where the Nazis were not expected to come and look for them,” Winter says.
Throughout the war, the princely family continued to treat Jewish refugees with respect, kindness, humanity and generosity, including at times when tensions between Jews and locals would be high.
One could speculate that had Jews known that Lichtenstein would be open for them, perhaps more would have come to the Principality. In the end, only a select few came.
Holocaust remembrance
Perhaps because of its long-standing friendship with Jews, Liechtenstein became one of the first countries to recognize The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) with Switzerland only joining years later, Winter says.
“On January 27 every year, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day is organized by the government of Liechtenstein in cooperation with other institutions. We organize lectures with Holocaust survivors in the local schools, and we have also organized various exhibitions. We maintain contact with the government on topics related to the Holocaust and antisemitism. We even have a group dedicated to interfaith.”
In 2014, Winter established the Gamaraal Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for Holocaust survivors and is engaged in Holocaust education worldwide. “Since our inception, we have organized over 115 exhibitions worldwide.
The foundation has interviewed Holocaust survivors, including from Liechtenstein and organized exhibitions featuring artifacts such as passports, the Jewish yellow star, among other items.
Winter’s commitment to educating the public on the Liechtenstein-Swiss-German World War II nexus is organized in a volunteer capacity, but her efforts have also been recognized by the German government which in February 2021 bestowed upon her the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Federal Cross of Merit). She has also addressed the United Nations Human Rights on Holocaust remembrance issues.
Since 2015, Winter has served as a member of a Swiss advisory group on Holocaust related issues for the Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs.
Relations with Israel
The Principality has always maintained close and friendly diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, but it is represented through the Swiss Embassy in Tel Aviv. The Israeli Embassy in Bern is also accredited to Liechtenstein. “Israelis do not need a visa to visit Liechtenstein,” Winter says, adding that the Israeli ambassador to Switzerland has accompanied her several times to Vaduz for events related to Holocaust remembrance. “The ambassador is always invited but he cannot always come because of other commitments.”
