| Born: | 01-01-1893 |
| Faculty: | Philosophical School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Melitta POHORILLE (née Kohn), born on January 1st, 1893 in Wolica, Galicia/Austria-Hungary [Wolica/Poland] (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), daughter of Julius Kohn (merchant from Lemberg [Lwów/Lwiw|Львів]). In 1914 she had graduated from the Gymnasium in Radautz, Bukovina/Austria-Hungary [Rădăuți/Romania] and in 1915 she had married the prospective lawyer Dr. Emanuel Pohorille (1890–1982) in Vienna, who in June 1914 had graduated ("Dr. iur.") from the University of Lviv. Shortly before the end of World War I in May her son Eryk Jerzy (1918–1933) was born. Her husband opened his own law office in Vienna in 1927 in Vienna's 1st district, Postgasse 11, later in Vienna's 1st district, Fischhof 3, and they lived in Vienna's 9th district, Rossauerlaende 21/III/10. Melitta Pohorille had studied at the Women's Academy in 1932 and began to study history as an extraordinary student at the School of Philosophy of the University of Vienna in fall term 1934/35 and was last enrolled in the 4th year of her studies in spring term 1938.
In 1938, after the takeover of power of National-Socialism she was forced to quit her studies for racist reason and to leave the University of Vienna.
Her husband received a ban as a lawyer in Austria in May 1938 and was struck off the list of lawyers. He emigrated to Palestine [Israel] still in June 1938 where he lived and worked as a lawyer and died on June 5th, 1982 in Jerusalem.
Melitta Pohorille emigrated with her husband to Palestine [Israel] in June 1938 and they lived in and her husband could prctice as a lawyer. Under the conditions of emigration, she was unable to continue her life and her academic studies under the conditions of emigration, worked as an art embroiderer in the 1940s and taught embroidery and lace-making and from 1952 onwards she became ill and spent several years in psychiatric clinics, before she died at the end of the 1960s, long before her husband, who died in Jerusalem on June 5th, 1982.
She is commemorated at the University of Vienna in the "Memorial Book for the Victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938" (2009) and at the "Memorial to the History Students and Teachers of the University of Vienna Expelled under National Socialism | When Names Shine" (2022).
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1934-1938; Austrian State Archive OeStA/ AdR/E-uReang/ FLD 10182, / FLD 21340, / AHF Pohorille Emanuel 1890, / Hilfsfonds/ Abgeltungsfonds 1245; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 449; SAUER/REITER-ZATLOUKAL 2010, 268; POSCH/FUCHS 2022, 135–136; courtesy of Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna 07/2021.
Herbert Posch
