| Born: | 07-29-1916 |
| Faculty: | Medical School | Medical University Vienna |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Cecilie ROSENZWEIG (Married: BERGSMANN), born on July 29th, 1916 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), daughter of Markus/Mordko David Rosenzweig (1891-1961, textile merchant, owner of Fa. Rosenzweig & Finkler in Vienna's 1st district, Wiesingerstrasse 1) and Fani Rosenzweig, née Winkler (1893-1970, master tailor), lived in Vienna's 9th district, Liechtensteinstrasse 13/19, was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 4th year of her studies.
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 younger sister Ella Reitler, née Rosenzweig (1917-1998), who studied at the Law School, was also expelled from the University of Vienna.
Cecilie Rosenzweig had to flee Vienna, and she attempted to emigrate to England, the USA or Palestine by applying for support from the emigration department of the Jewish Community Vienna at the end of May 1938. In order to increase her chances of emigration, she had begun to take courses as a beautician and milliner in addition to her medical studies. In 1938 she succeeded in emigrating to Great Britain and then from Southampton/England with the SS Washington on July 29th, 1939 to the USA (as her job title she gave: "nurse"), where she arrived on August 3rd, 1939 in New York City, NY. Her parents and her sister Josefine Rosenzweig (from 1942 married Jacob, 1923-1988) had first left for Paris and later emigrated to the U.S. via LeHavre/France, arriving in New York City four days later and then living at 621 W. 179th street.
Cecilie Rosenzweig could not continue her medical studies under the conditions of emigration, gave as her job title in 1940: Factory worker or operator - later household.
On August 30th, 1941, she married Fritz/Fred Bergsmann (1905-1996), a Viennese who had already emigrated to New York in December 1938 via Rotterdam/Netherlands, and they lived in Manhattan, 725 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, until the early 1950s. On June 19th, 1944, Cecilie Bergsmann became a U.S. citizen. They had relocated several times, living at 525 West End Avenue, NY in the 1960s, and living and working in various U.S. states over the next few decades, such as 217 Booth street in Gaithersburg, MD, 3180 S Ocean Drive Apt. 1415 in Hallandale Beach, FL in the mid-1980s.
Her husband Fred worked initially as an electrician, later as an bookkeeper, and retired in 1970 and died April 2nd, 1996 in Dade, FL/USA.
Cecilie R. Bergsmann, née Rosenzweig, died at age 103 on October 18th, 2019, in Gaithersburg, Montgomery, MD/USA.
Lit.: Archives of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1937–1938, Austrian State Archives OeStA/AdR/E-uReang/VVSt/VA 43917 u. 10769; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 460; www.ancestry.de; www.genteam.at; www.findbuch.at; www.myheritage.at; information by courtesy of Dr. Konstanze Kropatschek, Vienna 07/2022.
