Violette Wolfsohn (verh. Brandon)

Born:	07-26-1913
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Violette WOLFSOHN (married BRANDON), born on July 26^th, 1913 in Bad Kissingen, Bavaria/Germany (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), daughter of Julius(z) Wolfsohn (1880-1944, musician, composer, concert pianist, music teacher) and Sophie Wolfsohn (née Plotzki, 1889-1952), lived in Vienna's 3^rd district, Pfarrhofgasse 16 and had graduated from high school (Maedchenrealgymnasium Vienna 2) in 1932. She enrolled at the University of Vienna, Philosophical School (humanities and natural sciences) in fall term 1932/33 initially taking courses in English language and literature studies. After an interruption of half a year she continued studying in fall term 1933/34, but from now on took only courses in musicology. After another break (February 1935 to September 1936, and moving with her family to Vienna's 1^st district, Goldschmiedgasse 10, near St. Stephen's Cathedral) she continued her studies in musicology and was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 at the Philosophical School in the 4^th and last year of her studies. In 1938, after the Anschluss, she was forced to abandon her studies and leave the University of Vienna for racist reasons. Her father was Julius(z) Wolfsohn, famous Chopin interpreter, composer of Jewish music ("Jewish Rhapsody" for piano 1912, "12 Paraphrases on Old Jewish Folk Tunes" 1920, "Hebrew Suite", 1926), one of the protagonists of the Viennese Society for the Promotion of Jewish Music ("Verein zur Foerderung juedischer Musik") and music critic e.g. of "Die Stimme" and "Die neue Welt". He had to flee from Vienna after the so-called Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich and was able to escape to Great Britain with his wife in 1939. They were able to obtain U.S. visas in London/England on May 14th, 1940 and emigrated to the U.S. (New York, NY) via Liverpool/England on June 21st, 1940 and initially lived with their daughter Violette in New York. Julius Wolfsohn died on February 12th, 1944 in New York/USA, his wife Sophie was naturalized in the USA in 1946 and died on August 8th, 1952 in San Francisco/USA. Violette Glika Wolfsohn had already obtained a visa for the USA on September 9^th, 1938 in Vienna and left for the USA on September 30^th, 1938 from Le Havre/France, arriving in New York with the SS Washington on October 8^th, 1938. On December 6, she applied for U.S. citizenship - living at the time with a friend, David Pinky, at 222 W 77^th St. in Manhattan, New York City, NY and married Hans Hermann Bogyansky (1911-1988), a Viennese jeweler, on September 29^th, 1939 in Manhattan.
He was born in Tullnerbach-Pressbaum near Vienna on July 16^th, 1911, then lived in Vienna 6th, Schmalzhofgasse 8/11, before being deported to Dachau concentration camp on June 3^rd, 1938, from where he was transferred to Belgium on September 22. He managed to escape the Third Reich to the United States via Italy and was able to enter New York City, NY on the SS Conti Savoia on September 23^rd, 1939 - a week before his marriage to Violette Wolfsohn. The couple officially anglicized their names to John H. Brandon and Violet G. Brandon shortly after their marriage. John H. Brandon enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 16^th, 1940. On April 10^th, 1941, the German Reich stripped him of his German citizenship due to his successful emigration, and he became stateless (a U.S. citizen as of December 18^th, 1943). Violet G. Brandon became a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 11^th, 1945, and lived with her husband and children in California, most of her life in Los Angeles. Violet G. Brandon, née Violette Glika Wolfsohn, died on September 6^th, 1993, at 91316, Encino, Los Angeles, California/USA, and is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Los Angeles.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1932-1938; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 502; Jascha Nemtsov in: LexM; Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation; www.ancestry.de; www.genteam.at.

Herbert Posch