by Veronika Schallhart and Thiemo Kronlechner [University of Vienna]
Biographies of academics and students expelled from the University
Following a first workshop and an introduction to the University of Vienna’s Archive and various sources (see our previous blog post), the first pilot to establish a MemoriaLink with secondary school students at the University of Vienna became more practical in the second workshop. After explaining the expected task, we divided the students into groups and gave them folders containing materials on ten persons who were expelled. In addition to a short biography, references to publications and articles as well as copies of photos and original documents, the folders also contained the contact details of descendants or of a person who has researched the expelled persons. We have carefully selected the biographies to ensure that they cover as broad a range of individual fates as possible. What they all have in common is a sudden, life-changing turning point in 1938. Where available, we had retrieved books containing references to the life and family histories of the selected individuals from the University Library in advance, so the participants were able to access this literature at the workshop as well.
Ten persons expelled from the University and their fates
- Rosa Ebner, studied medicine, emigrated to Great Britain, returned to Austria in 1945
- Katharina Gallia, studied chemistry, doctoral degree revoked, emigrated to Australia
- Josef Hupka, professor at the Faculty of Law, emigrated to the Netherlands, deported to Theresienstadt, where he died.
- Erna Mandel-Wodak, studied chemistry, emigrated to Great Britain, returned to Vienna
- Ida Piepes-Margulies, studied history, member of the resistance movement in Austria, fled to Switzerland, then to Belgium and France, returned to Austria in 1945
- Oskar Morgenstern, professor of mathematics, visited the USA for a lecture tour where he stayed after Hitler had seized power in Austria in 1938.
- Elfriede Pichler-Dubois, studied French and Latin, emigrated to Great Britain
- Heinz Pollak, studied medicine, completed his studies with a ‘non-Aryan doctorate’ (Nichtarierpromotion), emigrated to Belgium, internment camp in France, returned to Austria in 1945
- Otto Michael Popper, studied law, emigrated to Italy, interned in Italy, deported to Mauthausen where he died.
- Leopold Ungar, studied law and theology, emigrated to France and Great Britain, returned to Austria in 1947
Understanding these life stories through written biographies was just the beginning. The real depth of experience would come through direct conversation. But first, we needed to prepare carefully for these sensitive and meaningful interviews. Read more about this in our next blog post…
All images by © Veronika Schallhart