Under a Cruel Star: A Life In Prague, 1941-1968

Two months after the liberation, divisions between people remain pronounced. People who had stolen from Prague’s Jewish community, or had otherwise benefited from the deportation of Jews, start to act out: “the innocent became a living reproach and a potential threat to the guilty” (52). Prague and Czechoslovakia remain a city and country divided as the Jews seek acceptance.

After the war, housing is scarce, which becomes a major issue. Heda states that there are “a number of empty apartments in Prague, abandoned by the Germans, beautifully decorated with furniture that had once belonged to Jews” (53). Most often, however, available apartments go to those who profited during the war. Butchers and grocers receive upgraded apartments before the homeless receive housing.

Heda receives an apartment after she demands housing from the chairman of the housing authority. She threatens to sleep in the office if an apartment cannot be found for her. She begins to unpack personal items like her nightgown, some bread, and her soap. After she eats her bread, she begins to undress, causing the chairman to blush and exit the room. Her plan works, and when the chairman re-enters the room, he tells Heda she has an apartment.

Heda and Rudolf, now married, move into the sunny apartment, which the couple fills with books.