Business of Josef Pisker

Josef Pisker left Krems and his clothing and general goods shop in the Sparkassengasse already before 1938 and emigrated to Palestine. We can only assume that there were significant reasons for his departure from his hometown, because the data in the archives makes no statements about this. In the context of the information gap, which concerns both the shop itself and the circumstances of its sale, the location serves as an example of the historical treatment of the former Jewish businesses in the city.

Before 1938, there were 30 businesses in Krems run by Jewish people: for example, the clothing shop of the Neuner family at the Steinertor, the watchmaker Peter Bader in Dinstlstraße 2, or the brush maker Bernhard Glass. Many of these businesses – such as the laundry shop of Neuner – were plundered after the National Socialists seized power. In view of the hostility, many owners therefore decided to sell their businesses. Some were even forced to sell, like Rudolf Wasservogel, through imprisonment. In the rarest of cases, however, the selling price probably corresponded to the real value. Only two businesses, the pharmaceutical laboratory of Oskar Wolter and the carpentry shop of Otto Adler, are known to have been expropriated in favor of non-Jewish entrepreneurs. In two other shops, the couples divorced so that the "Aryan" partner could continue the business. Information about only ten of the 30 Jewish businesses is available, and this information is furthermore incomplete.