Konrad Siegel

Konrad SIEGEL, born on December 31^st, 1901 in Vienna/Austro-Hungarian Empire (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), son of Kommerzialrat Emil Siegel (1861–1934, book printing shop owner and functionary) and Gisela Siegel, née Fröhlich (1878–1952), lived in 1937 in Vienna's 2^nd district, Hammer-Purgstall-Gasse 2/11, in 1938 in Vienna's 2^nd district, Hollandstraße 4. He had successfully completed the Gymnasium and the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna and also worked in his father's book printing shop. Furthermore, parallel to his university studies, he trained to become a teacher of Israelite religion and in 1936 had passed the teacher's examination at the Jewish Community Vienna (IKG). He was last enrolled in the spring term of 1938 at the Philosophical School in the 4^th and last year of his studies and took courses in philosophy, psychology, Hebrew and Oriental studies. In addition to his studies, he worked as a Jewish religion teacher, among others in the vocational schools in Vienna's 6^th district, Mollardgasse 87, and a board member for vocational schools in Vienna.

In 1938, after the Anschluss, he was forced by National Socialists to abandon his studies and leave the University of Vienna for racist reasons.

He had married Erna Goldberger (1900–1984) in the Vienna City Temple on September 7^th, 1930, and they already had two children – Rita Kenn, née Siegel (1931–2007) and Elly Herman, née Siegel (1933–2019) – when they were forced to leave Vienna in 1938.
In May 1938 Konrad Siegel applied for support from the IKG Vienna for the emigration of the family to Palestine. But he was arrested by the Gestapo in Vienna on June 2^nd, 1938 and deported to the concentration camp (KZ) Dachau and from there on to the concentration camp Buchenwald, where he was registered with the prisoner number 9669 on September 24^th, 1938. The family in Vienna lost the apartment and his wife moved to her parents and her sister in the apartment in Vienna 2^nd district, Zirkusgasse 20/5. The parental business, which his brother Georg had run with his mother since the death of his father in 1935, was expropriated ("Aryanized") in July 1938 and Georg managed to escape to La Paz/Bolivia in October 1938, where he found work and residence as a book printer and his mother Gisela also tried to emigrate there in February 1939.
During his imprisonment in a concentration camp at the end of December 1938, Konrad Siegel again urgently applied to the Vienna Jewish Community for emigration assistance, since his release from the Buchenwald concentration camp was tied to the condition that he leave the German Reich permanently within one month. The emigration destination of this application was now the U.S., since Wilma Schwabacher, a cousin of his wife from New York, had sent affidavits for all four persons f the family. With the support of the IKG, he and his wife succeeded in preparing for emigration and he was released from Buchenwald concentration camp on February 16^th, 1939. He returned briefly to Vienna and succeeded, via the Netherlands, on March 4, 1939, with the from Flushing [Vlissingen]/Niederl

He returned briefly to Vienna and managed to emigrate via the Netherlands on March 4^th, 1939 with the SS Ilsenstein from Flushing [Vlissingen]/Netherlands to the USA, together with his wife and their two children. They arrived in New York City, NY, on March 17^th, 1939. The family lived at the 1940 census in Manhattan, 718 178^th str. #20, and later after several moves in Brooklyn, in the 1950 census at 252 Wadsworth Ave #3a, Manhattan, New York City, NY.
As early as August 4^th, 1939, he applied for U.S. citizenship, since a return was out of the question, and was granted it on June 5^th, 1944, changing his first name to "Fred Conrad" (then job title: "watchcaser"). Despite his very good knowledge of English, he was not allowed to teach in New York because of his strong Viennese accent and had to reorient himself. He studied again and earned an "M.A." at City College New York. His wife Erna secured the family income for the first few years, working as a cleaning lady and renting out part of the apartment. It was not until about ten years later that the family was able to regain its footing. In the 1950 census, his occupation was "Secretary at the Welfare Department," and his wife's was "houskeeper, private home."
When his mother died in Vienna in 1949, having applied for restitution for the expropriated printing plant in Vienna after the end of the war, he was sought as heir in the course of probate proceedings concerning the Wiener Zeitung in 1950.

Fred C. Siegel, nee Konrad Siegel, died on April 9^th, 1981 in Bronx, New York City, NY/USA.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1937–1938; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 475; www.genteam.at; www.ancestry.de; www.myheritage.com; collections.arolsen-archives.org; Interview der Tochter Elly Herman (geb. Siegel) am 6. März 1997 in Sharon, MA/USA (VHA Stiftung USC Shoah 26445).

Herbert Posch