| Born: | 05-26-1914 |
| Faculty: | Medical School | Medical University Vienna |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Klara (Claire D.) SELZER, born on May 26th, 1914 in Trembowla, Galicia/Austro-Hungarian Empire [later: Poland, today: Terebowlja|Теребовля/Ukraine] (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), daughter of Karl Selzer (civil servant) and Bettina Selzer, née. Jorysch, lived in Vienna's 6th district, Wallgasse 26/14, was enrolled finally in the fall term of 1937/38 at the Medical School in the 5th and last year of her studies and got an "Arbeitsstipendium" (grant) from the "studentische Fuersorge".
After the Anschluss in 1938, she was forced to abandon her studies and leave the University of Vienna for racist reasons, but after a long period of uncertainty ("Absolutorium" was certified on September 27th, 1938), she was still able to graduate on October 31st, 1938 under numerous symbolic discriminations in the context of a "non-Aryan doctorate", while at the same time being banned from working in the entire German Reich.
She had to flee Austria and was able to escape to London/UK in time in 1938, and soon worked at the City General Hospital Leicester as a nurse. On March 18th, 1940 she obtained a visa for the USA and emigrated with the SS Antonia on May 30th, 1940 from Liverpool via Halifax, Nova Scotia and Québec/Canada to St. Albans, Vermont/USA from where she continued to New York City, NY. She became a US citizen on July 30th, 1946, and continued to live and work as a psychotherapist in New York City, NY, and later in Syracuse, NY, respectively.
She worked at Mount Sinai Hospital and taught at Cornell Medical Center and Downstate Medical Center. She lectured and consulted throughout Europe. She was a member of the American Medical Association. In 2000, she retired as a psychotherapist.
Dr. Claire D. Selzer died on April 11th, 2001 in Syracuse, NY/USA and is buried in Frumah Packard Cemetery there.
Lit: Archives of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1937-1938, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") MED 1938 No. 4165; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 474; POSCH 2009, 371; obituary Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), April 13th, 2001; www.ancestry.de; www.myheritage.at.
Herbert Posch
