Therese Singer (Sheldon)
| Born: |
05-04-1917 |
| Faculty: |
Philosophical School |
| Category: |
Expelled student |
Therese SINGER (m. SCHWARZ, SHELDON), born on May 4
th, 1917 in Zamość/Poland (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), daughter of Abraham Singer (1880–1942, merchant), and Sabina Singer, née Bernfeld (1890–1968), lived in Vienna's 20
th district, Leystraße 23/XI/19 ("Engelsplatzhof"), was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 at the Philosophical School in the 2
nd year of her studies and took courses in Psychology, History and Oriental 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 (Leaving Certificate ("Abgangszeugnis") was issued on September 13
th, 1938).
She had to flee Vienna and was able to emigrate to England/Great Britain in time with a domestic service permit (maid visa) and lived and worked there as a maid in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire/England in 1939. Her father Abraham Singer and her brother Walter Singer were deported to the Drancy collection camp in German-occupied France in 1942 and later on to the German concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz [Oświęcim/Poland] where she was murdered. Her sister Anita was also deported from Belgium to Auschwitz and murdered. Her mother and sister Edith survived.
Therese Singer left for the USA after the end of the war with her mother Sabine Singer as an Austrian citizen on the SS Veendam from Rotterdam/Netherlands on December 5, 1949 and landed in New York City, NY on December 18, 1949 to settle in Bronx, NY.
In 1954 she got married to Hugo Schwarz (1912-1995), also an emigrant from Vienna, in Yonkers, NY/USA. He had left Vienna for Belgium in 1938 where he lived without official papers or work permit until the German occupation in May 1940, when he was deported from Belgium to France. There he was imprisoned in the internment camps of Saint-Cyprien (June-November 1940) and Gurs until January 1941, when he obtained an affidavit for the United States that his sister Edith (1908-1989), who had emigrated there in 1939, arranged for him, and was then transferred to the Les Milles transfer camp for three months. However, after he had received his papers and ship passage to the U.S., the U.S. entry into the war intervened and departure from occupied France had become impossible. His parents had already been deported from Vienna to Minsk in 1941 and murdered. Walter Schwarz was deported to various French labor camps, but was then able to escape to Marseille and from there to Switzerland in November 1942, where he was able to live and work until 1945, before returning to Belgium in November 1945, where he lived until mid-1950 and worked in a handbag factory. He then left for New York City, NY/USA in mid 1950 and again worked in handbag production.
After marriage, Therese und Hugo Schwarz both lived in Yonkers, NY, and became naturalized citizens on June 13
th, 1955, and as U. S. citizens changed their last name from Schwarz to Sheldon, and her husband also changed his first name from Hugo to Harry. They had two daughters: Arlene Prather (Houston, TX) and Bernice Sheldon (Miami, FL).
Later, Therese and Harry Sheldon moved to Long Island, NY, where her husband then worked as a printer.
In retirement, they both moved to West Palm Beach, FL/USA.
Theresa Sheldon, née Therese Singer, died on May 19th, 1988 in Palm Beach, Florida/USA and is buried at the Royal Palm Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home there.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1937-1938; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 476; www.ancestry.de.
Herbert Posch
