| Born: | 07-04-1918 |
| Faculty: | Law School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Leo HOFMEISTER, born on July 4th, 1918 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), son of Salomon/Leiser Hofmeister (1886-1959, merchant) and Dora Hofmeister, née Kauftheil (1896-?), lived in Vienna's 2nd district, Untere Augartenstrasse 23/60, was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 at the Law School in the 1st year of his studies.
He was forced to discontinue his studies and leave the University of Vienna under National Socialism after the Anschluss for racist reasons.
The family had to flee Austria, and in May 1938 the father applied to the emigration department of the Jewish Community in Vienna for assistance in emigrating the entire family to either Mexico (where his sister and brother-in-law were already living), Brazil, Uruguay or Montevideo (where a cousin of his was living), the plan being that his son Leo should leave there alone for the time being as a vanguard if necessary.
Leo was able to leave the country in time to cross the border illegally at Loerrach into Switzerland at the end of July 1938, where he registered as a refugee. He received a temporary residence permit in the canton of Basel-Stadt, from where he was able to arrange his onward journey. In November 1940 he was able to leave for Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with an official entry visa and the financial support of the Dominican Republic Settlement Association Inc. of the American JOINT. He sailed from Switzerland to Lisboa/Portugal and from there with the SS Serpa Pinto on December 28th, 1940 to New York, NY/USA, and from there on January 9th, 1941 with the SS Orao further to the Dominican Republic where he arrived on January 14th, 1941 in Ciudad Trujillo [Santo Domingo] and became a farmer in the new refugee colony "Sosua", where he lived last in Puerto Plana in the Settlement Sosua. Around 1955 he may have moved to Mexico, where in February 1959 his father died in Ausbruda 155 Colonia Nararte, Mexico.
Leo Hofmeister was married in his first marriage to Ruth Singer from Berlin (died July 17th, 1957), from which marriage he had a son Samuel Hofmeister, and was later married to Eugenia Braun. He remained an Austrian citizen and last lived at Gabriel Nancera 133, Col. del Valle, Mexico.
Leo Hofmeister Kauftheil died on February 25th, 1984 in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") IUR 1937–1938; State Archives Basel-City, PD-REG 3a 30082 (Cantonal Aliens Police dossier on Leo Hofmeister); POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 406; www.ancestry.de; www.genteam.at; www.findbuch.at; www.myheritage.at; information by courtesy of Hermann Wichers, Basel 12/2022.
Herbert Posch
