| Born: | 05-14-1918 |
| Faculty: | Law School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Erich HASSBERG, born on May 14th, 1918 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship 1938: Austria), son of Dr. iur. Ernst Hassberg (1879-1968, lawyer) and Johanna Gertrud Hassberg, née Zuckermann (1893-1986), lived in Vienna's 18th district, Sternwartestrasse 82, was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Law School in the 2nd year of his studies
After the takeover of power of National-Socialism in 1938 he was forced to quit his studies for racist reason without a chance to graduate. He requested to continue his studies at least in the context of the 2%-numerus clausus of Jewish Students, but was rejected and had to leave the University of Vienna.
His father Ernst Hassberg had been a lawyer in Vienna since 1911 and was forced to close his law office in Vienna's 1st district, Bauernmarkt 11, in 1938 for racist reasons and was struck off the Vienna roll of lawyers. In the course of the November pogrom, he was arrested and sent to the collection camp in Vienna's 7th district, Kenyongasse, to "protective custody" and was mistreated several times.
Against this background, it was clear that Erich Manfred Hassberg had to flee from Vienna and he was able to emigrate to England/Great Britain, where, however, he was interned in 1939 as an enemy alien in Kitchener Camp, Richborough, Sandwich, Kent. After his release he lived at 140 Abbey Road, London N.W.6 and was able to emigrate on April 7th, 1940 with the SS Volendam from Southampton/England to the USA to New York City, NY. At about the same time, his parents also managed to escape from Vienna and emigrate via Genoa/Italy to the USA in New York, where he first lived in Manhattan, New York City, NY, until 1941, from 1942 in Jackson Heights, Long Island, NY, and in July 1945 his father became an American citizen as Dr. Ernest Franklin Hassberg.
Eric Manfred Hassberg enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 1940 (at that time he was working as a factory worker for the Stenola Cabinet Corporation in Brooklyn) and in December applied for U.S. citizenship, which he received on June 26th, 1945. In the meantime, he had married Hilde Altmann (1921-1965) on June 1th, 1943, in Brooklyn, NY, and they lived at 757 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, New York, NY. This marriage was annulled and he married Trude Fisch in 1953 and had 2 children with her - Linda (b. 1955) and Leslie (b. 1957). They divorced in 1978 an he married Doris Whitfield (née Brun) in 1980.
Eric M. Hassberg, died on January 8th, 1987 in Derby, Derbyshire, England/UK.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") IUR 1937-1938; WrStLA 1.3.2.119.A41 624 N Bezirk 1; OeStA/ AdR/ E-uReang/ FLD/ 16910; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 401; SAUER/REITER-ZATLOUKAL 2010, 173; www.ancestry.de, information by courtesy of Leslie Hassberg, 11/2022.
Herbert Posch
