The City Without Jews: The Day After Tomorrow

Content In the aftermath of World War One, Austria faces a severe economic crisis. Unemployment. Fear of decline. However, some people argue that the problem sits deeper. For them, the country's soul is at stake. Finally, people are fed up and demand a solution. And they get what they want. They get their hero. His name is Chancellor Dr. Schwertfeger. The Aryan messiah elected by the masses offers a simple but radical solution: “Out with the Jews!”
A word and a blow and soon the whole country celebrates the day the last Jew left Austria. The whole country? No, not everybody is happy. Lives are shattered. Friends, families, and lovers torn apart. And to make matters worse, the economy is not picking up. The gap left by the Jewish exodus is greater than expected. In this time of turmoil, one man is prepared to make a stand. Leo is one of the exiled and had to leave his loved one behind. Now, he is ready to fight for the love of his life and to die for his home country! Will the lovers be reunited? And what will become of Austria?
About the Author and the Book With this satirical book, Hugo Bettauer was fighting the violent Anti-Semite movements of the 1920s. But little did he know! He was right and wrong at the same time. He was right, the Anti-Semites were aiming at a final solution to the so called Jewish question. Yet, we all know the course of history - exiling the Jews was not enough for the NAZIs.
The converted Christian Hugo Bettauer did not live to witness this human tragedy. After a failed attempt at moving to the US, the Austrian stayed in his home country where he worked as an author and as a correspondent for American newspapers. He wrote one of the first stories about a serial killer, wrote movie scripts, and published a magazine campaigning for progressive ideas such as impunity for homosexuals and women's rights. His articles caused so much sensation that he was taken to court, his magazine was seized and Mr. Bettauer received death threats. On 20th March 1925, Hugo Bettauer was shot and killed by a member of the NAZI party. The killer was released from a psychiatric clinic only 18 months after committing the crime.
What is there to learn from this story? It is more than just a piece of history. It was prophetic at the time of its release and its prophetic voice is still valid. As it seems, the demagogues, the dictators, the racists, the fascists, the haters of human rights, the terrorists and Anti-Semites are present here and now, the world over.