Lives Less Ordinary

Secrets of my family's lost café


Listen Later

Meriel Schindler grew up in London in a family of émigrés. They were Jewish and had fled Austria in the late 1930s as Hitler's Nazi Party took over and the violent persecution of Jews turned into the Holocaust. When her father died in 2017, Meriel inherited 13 photo albums. One was dedicated to the Café Schindler in Innsbruck, Austria, a venue set up by her Jewish grandfather in the 1920s. As Meriel started to research the café, she discovered it had gone from being a hub of jazz music and delicious pastries, to a Nazi watering hole. But the research would also uncover some uncomfortable truths about her father that she struggled to make sense of.
Meriel has written a book called The Lost Café Schindler.
Get in touch: [email protected]
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
Picture: Meriel Schindler and a photo of the Café Schindler in the 1930s
Credit: Holly Falconer / courtesy of Meriel Schindler
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Lives Less OrdinaryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

467 ratings


More shows like Lives Less Ordinary

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,728 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,041 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

399 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,471 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,808 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

950 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

585 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,811 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,064 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,930 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,052 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

520 Listeners

File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4

File on 4 Investigates

40 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

733 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

840 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

83 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,184 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

752 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

60 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,628 Listeners

History's Heroes by BBC Radio 4

History's Heroes

502 Listeners

The Gift by BBC Radio 4

The Gift

84 Listeners

Intrigue by BBC Radio 4

Intrigue

177 Listeners

Strangers on a Bench by Tom Rosenthal

Strangers on a Bench

708 Listeners