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Josef Martin (Joseph M.) Breuer

Born: 11-01-1918
Faculty: Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category: Expelled student
Josef Martin (Joseph M.) BREUER, born on November 1st, 1918 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Arnold Breuer (senior railway official, 1876-1944) and Stella Breuer, née Spitzer (1896-1944), lived in Vienna's 5th district, Laurenzgasse 4. He was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 2nd year of his studies. In 1938, after the takeover of power of National-Socialism he was forced to quit his studies for racist reason and to leave the University of Vienna (Leaving Certificate ('Abgangszeugnis') was issued on July 13th, 1938). Josef Breuer had to flee Vienna and was able to emigrate in time to England/Great Britain, where his aunt Valerie Spitzer lived in Watford, Herfordshire. He was able to work as a farm trainee in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and at Ridley House Farm, Tarporley, Cheshire. He lived in London in 1940 and after the outbreak of world war II was able to emigrate further from Liverpool to the USA on the SS Boltrover, arriving in Boston/MA on June 1st, 1940 with the aim of traveling on to New York, where his cousin Wilhelm Schwabacher and his aunt Eleanor Siegal lived. His parents could not escape in time, they were deported on August 20th, 1942 from Vienna's 2nd district, Rembrandstrasse 30/31 to Theresienstadt and from there on October 28th, 1944 to the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered. Joseph M. Breuer remained in Lynn/MA where he was mustered into the U.S. Army a few months after his arrival in the U.S. on October 16th, 1940 and joined the U.S. Army on January 23rd, 1942 at Camp Upton Yaphank/NY. He had by then worked in "semiskilled machine store and related occupations." He had applied for U.S. citizenship in New York in July 1941 and married Susan Brock (1922-?), also a New York resident, in Oklahoma City on October 19th, 1942. He was discharged from the Army again on January 29th, 1946, as a technical sergeant. He died on February 26th, 1990 in the USA and is buried at the Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton/NY.


Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1937-1938; Austrian State Archives OeStA/ AdR/ E-uReang/ Hilfsfonds/ Sammelstellen A und B SSt 5043 u. 11086, OeStA/ AdR/ E-uReang/ VVSt/ VA/ 37640, OeStA/ AdR/ E-uReang/ Hilfsfonds/ Abgeltungsfonds 619; Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna WStLA/ 1.3.2.119.A41 1402, Bezirk: 1; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 369; www.genteam.at, www.ancestry.de, collections.arolsen-archives.org; courtsey of Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna 04/2022 and of Carole Vogel, 04/2022.


Herbert Posch


Nationale of Josef Breuer, spring termn 1938 (1st form front), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien

Nationale of Josef Breuer, spring termn 1938 (1st form front), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien

Nationale of Josef Breuer, fall term 1937/38 (1st form front), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien

Nationale of Josef Breuer, fall term 1937/38 (1st form back), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien
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