| Born: | 08-17-1906 |
| Faculty: | Medical School | Medical University Vienna |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Dr.phil. Egon FELDMANN, born on August 17th, 1906 in Vienna (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), son of Rudolf Feldmann (1880-1942) and Sophie Feldmann, née Fleischner (1882-1942, divorced as of 1914), and lived with his mother in Vienna's 2nd district, Grosse Sperlgasse 40. He had graduated from the commercial academy in 1925 with the school-leaving examination (Matura), then completed the preparatory year for the Ergänzungsreifeprüfung and, from the fall term of 1926/27 he enrolled for German and English language and literature studies at the Philosophical School (dissertation: "Das Bürgertum im deutschen Roman von Schnabel bis Jung-Stilling", 1931, supervisor Nadler, Kralik) and received his "Dr.phil." on July 20th, 1932. He had begun to study medicine in 1933 and was last enrolled in the 5th and final year at the Medical School in the spring term of 1938.
After the Anschluss in March 1938, he was allowed to continue his studies for at least two months in the spring term of 1938 within the framework of the 2% numerus clausus for Jewish students, but was then forced to abandon his studies for good for racist reasons and had to leave the University of Vienna (leaving certificate ("Abgangszeugnis") dated January 5th, 1939).
In addition to his studies, he had worked as a teacher of German, English, and French language and commercial correspondence at a Viennese private school for Matura preparation and was dismissed after the Anschluss. He had to flee Vienna, and he cited as additional qualifications that he had been taking photographs professionally for 10 years and had been represented in numerous exhibitions, and that he had been learning dental technology for one and a half years. He did not mention his almost completed medical studies in his application for emigration.
The father of his girlfriend - Dr. Esther Stryzower (1910-2002) who had graduated in medicine already in 1935 - agreed to get him forged papers on the condition that he marry his daughter, which he agreed to do. Egon went to Switzerland in 1939 and completed his last year of medical studies, wrote a German dissertation entitled "Beitrag zur Klinik und Aetiologie der Stieldrehung bei Ovarialtumoren" at the University of Basel and gained the degree "Dr.med.univ.". Although he had identified Esther in the Vienna application for emigration in May 1938 as already married to him and with the name "Dr. Ester Feldmann," when they enter the USA in 1939 they both state that they were married in Basel on January 17th, 1939.
In August 1939, they departed for the U.S. on the SS Ile de France via Southampton, England, arriving in New York City, NY on August 7th, 1939. Egon's mother Sophie, who was able to leave for London, England, also emigrated from there to the U.S., arriving in New York a few months later on December 30th, 1939. In the April 1940 census, the three were living with six others as lodgers in Manhattan at 196 West End Avenue, and were still without jobs. Egon and Else/Esther soon moved to Illinois and both worked at Oak Park Hospital, IL and divorced in Chicago, IL in August 1941.
Egon moved with his mother to Texarkana, Bowie, TX where his mother died of breast cancer shortly thereafter on in May 1942, and was buried in New York. Soon after, he joined the Coast Guard as a physician.
Egon Fleischmann became a U.S. citizen in Ohio in February 1945, lived at 270 Empire Blvd, Brooklyn, New York in 1949, and married Harriet Cohen (1930-?) in Brooklyn in 1954 and they lived at 27 School House Ln, Great Neck, Nassau, NY, USA.
DDr. Egon Feldmann died on October 19th, 1984 in Nassau, NY/USA.
His widow Harriet Feldmann donated his collection of documents, biographical notes and photographs to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1931-1941, final examination records ("Rigorosenakt & -protokoll") PHIL 11239, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") PHIL 1931-1941, Nr. 377, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") MED 1929-1941, Nr. 2675; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 381; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2023; www.genteam.at; www.ancestry.de; www.myheritage.at; www.geni.com; www.findbuch.at; Egon Feldmann Collection/USHMM; information by courtesy of Dr. Konstanze Kropatschek, Vienna 07/2022.
Herbert Posch
