| Born: | 03-09-1916 |
| Faculty: | Medical School | Medical University Vienna |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Heinz Herbert FÄRBER (later: Harry H. FARBER), born on March 9th, 1916 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), son of Dr. Oskar Färber (physician) and Elsa Färber, née Schreiber, lived in Vienna's 9th district, Servitengasse 5. He had passed his school-leaving examination (Matura) at the Bundesgymnasium in Vienna's 9th district on June 14th, 1934, had begun to study medicine at the University of Vienna in the fall term of 1934/35 and was last enrolled in the 4th year of his studies at the School of Medicine in the spring term of 1938.
He was forced to discontinue his studies and leave the University of Vienna under National Socialism after the "Anschluss" for racist reasons - the Leaving Certificate ("Abgangszeugnis") was issued on July 13th, 1938.
He had to flee Austria and managed to emigrate to England in time on July 16th, 1939, where he had to wait for his immigration documents to the USA. After receiving his immigration papers, he was able to depart from Liverpool on May 3rd, 1940 on the SS Britannic to the U.S., arriving in New York City, NY on May 11th, 1940 and settling in Chicago, IL. His parents Oskar and Elsa did not manage to escape in time and were deported and murdered.
Heinz Färbert, later Harry H. Farber was unable to continue his advanced medical studies under the conditions of emigration, either in England or in the USA. He had married Germany born Gerda Meyer (born 1923 in Haspe, Hagen) in Chicago on February 9th, 1941, with whom he emigrated together from England to the USA, and worked in Chicago for over two years from 1940 as a factory worker (assembler) at Revere Camera. In October 1940 he was mustered into the U.S. Army, but was not called up. In 1943 he began working as a medical orderly in an industrial medical clinic until 1946, when he became a U.S. citizen on November 25th, 1945.
After the end of the war, he returned from the USA to Europe in order to complete his medical studies at the University of Basel in Switzerland from the fall term of 1946/47 until the end of the sprng term of 1948. He received his doctorate on July 9th, 1948 and then returned to the USA as a physician. In Chicago, he completed his internship and residency at Michael Reese Hospital and passed the Medical State Board Examination in Chicago in 1952 and then practiced medicine in Chicago, IL.
He applied to the Austrian Relief Fund in Vienna ("Fonds zur Hilfsleitung für politisch Verfolgte, die ihren Wohnsitz uns ständigen Aufenthalt im Ausland haben") in 1963 for compensation for his interrupted education and was awarded one-time compensation in January 1966.
From the mid-1980s he lived and worked in Laguna Hills, CA.
Dr. Harry H. Farber, née Heinz Färber, died on February 6th, 1997 in Orange, CA/USA.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1937–1938; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 380; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2023; information courtesy by Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna 08/2017 and 06/2023.
Herbert Posch
