Malka Michaeli Zelkine (ehem. Mechlis, geb. Balaban)

Malka MICHAELI, later: ZELKINE (former: MECHLIS, née BALABAN), born on December 14^th, 1913 in Odessa/Russia [Ukraine] (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Tel-Aviv/Palestine [Israel], citizenship 1938: Great Britain), daughter of Shlomo/Salomo Balaban (merchant in Tel Aviv), lived in Vienna's 2^nd district, Taborstrasse 1.  She had finished high school (Hebrew Gymnasium "Herzlia" in Tel Aviv, Jaffa) on July 17^th, 1928 and started studying German language and literature studies, Romance language and literature studies and also History at the University of Vienna in spring term 1934. She was enrolled at the Philosophical School in the fall term of 1937/38 in the 4^th and last year of her studies ("Absolutorium" was certified on March 3^rd, 1938).

She started the procedure of the final examination on November 30^th, 1937, and succeeded in the first of the two viva voce ("Rigorosum") on February 19^th/April 20^th, 1938. After the takeover of power of National-Socialism she was forced to interrupt the examination procedure for racist reason and to leave the university. She could never graduate at the University of Vienna.

However, a few days before the "Reich Pogrom Night", the Vice Consul of the British Consulate General in Vienna intervened with the Dean's Office of the School of Philosophy of the University of Vienna on November 4^th, 1938, to enable her to complete her studies after all:

"Mrs. Malka Michaeli, who as a Palestinian citizen is under the protection of the Royal British Government, has stated that she has been refused permission to complete her studies at the University of Vienna, which she began 4 years ago. In view of the long time which Mrs. Michaeli has already studied and the fact that in the course of this time she has paid considerable sums of money to the university, I would be very much obliged to you if she were given the opportunity either to complete her studies there or to receive appropriate compensation for the expenses which she has incurred without purpose."

On November 9^th, 1938, the day of the pogroms, the provisional dean, Viktor Christian, approached the Ministry of the Interior and Cultural Affairs in Vienna regarding a decision as to whether she would be allowed to submit her dissertation and sit for the second viva voce examination after all - but any compensation for the tuition fees was out of the question for him under any circumstances. It was not until January 25^th, 1939, that the Ministry decided to refuse, citing an earlier general ruling of October 24^th, 1938. Thereupon, on February 1^st, 1939, the dean finally informed Malka Michaeli that "her application for admission to final examinations for the purpose of obtaining the philosophical doctoral degree at the University of Vienna was rejected."

Malka Michaeli had to leave Vienna, but was able to return to the British Mandate territory of Palestine. The exact date is not known, but already at the end of April 1939 she advertised in the English-language newspaper The Palestine Post, published in Jerusalem, that she offered to give Hebrew or German lessons in exchange for English lessons, giving a contact address in Tel Aviv.

Little is known about her subsequent life.
Malka Zelkine, née Balaban, w. Michaeli, died presumably in Ashkelon/Israel in 1998.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1937-1938, final examination registry and file ("Rigorosenprotokoll und -akt") PHIL 13991, PHIL GZ 1/III ex 1938/39; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 438; The Palastine Post from April 30^th, 1939, 9; www.geni.com; information by courtesy of Eva Owen, 11/2024.

Herbert Posch