Louise and Egon: Love Letters of a Jewish Woman during World War I

In 1917, Louise Zweig (1885-1962) wrote more than fifty letters to her husband, the lawyer and Zionist activist, Egon Zweig (1877-1949). This was the first year that the couple was separated since their marriage. Louise was living with her kids in Vienna and Egon Zweig served as military court clerk in different places of the Habsburg Monarchy. The letters of Louise are a unique historical source, shading light on the thoughts and sorrows of women of Jewish soldiers. In most cases, only the letters of the soldiers survived, because they were sent to the wives and families at home. The letters of women were scattered in the war zone and military barracks. Only on rare occasions, the letters of women were considered as important enough to be preserved and to enter the discourse about wartime events. Starting from the letters of Louise Zweig, my paper will ask questions about the constitutive connections of war, daily life and the gender relationship of the couple. Additionally, the material challenges traditional gender positions during wartime.