| Born: | 08-03-1915 |
| Faculty: | Philosophical School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Jakob MÖRSEL (Jacob MOERSEL), born on August 3rd, 1915 in Buczacz, Galicia/Austro-Hungarian Empire [later: Poland, today: Butschatsch|Бучач/Ukraine] (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Lomna/Poland, citizenship 1938: Poland), son of Chaim Mörsel (white-collar worker, 1891–?) and Chane Mörsel (1890–?), lived in Vienna's 20th district, Wallensteinstrasse 42/17. He had graduated from highschool ("Matura"/"Reifepruefung") on June 11th, 1934 at Bundesrealgymnasium XX (Vienna's 20th district, Unterberggasse 1) and was enrolled from fall term 1934/35 to spring term 1938 at the Philosophical School – most recently in the 4th and last year of his studies – and took courses in History and Romance languages and literature Studies.
He had already registered for the final examinations/viva voce ("Rigorosen") on January 10, 1938 and passed the one-hour viva on January 31, 1938.
But after the takeover of power of National-Socialism in March 1938 ("Anschluss") in March 1938, he was forced to abandon the examination procedure for racist reasons and leave the University of Vienna.
Only after months of waiting was his dissertation "Die Staatsauffassung Friedrich Julius Stahls" in the subject of history approved by the two reviewing historians Prof. Wilhelm Bauer (1877–1953) and Prof. Hans Hirsch (1878–1940) on October 29th, 1938. Two days later, he passed the final two-hour viva voce examination and was able to obtain his doctorate on the same day, October 31st, 1938 – albeit only under numerous symbolic discriminations – as part of a "non-Aryan graduation", while at the same time being banned from practising his profession in the entire German Reich.
In the meantime, Dr. Jakob Mörsel had completed a course in chocolate and candy production in order to have better chances of earning money in emigration, as he had to flee Vienna. He managed to obtain U. S. visas and stateless passports for his younger brother Rudolf (1923–2003) and his destitute parents Chaim and Chane Mörsel with the help of the emigration office of the Jewish Community in Vienna on February 6th, 1939. Thus, on March 3rd, 1939, they were able to emigrate on the SS Ilsenstein from Flushing/Netherlands to the USA, where they arrived in New York City, NY, on March 17th, 1939. His mother died soon afterwards; he lived with his father and brother at 519 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY, and stated in the 1940 census that his occupation was "unemployed/'college teacher'" (his father: "unemployed/'rabbi'").
On January 29th, 1945, he became a U.S. citizen as "Jacob Moersel". On August 12th, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY, he married Julia Jagermann (1920–1995), the sister of his fellow student Max Moses Jägermann (1915–2012), who had also been expelled and who had first fled from Austria to London, England/Great Britain and emigrated from Liverpool to New York City, NY, in the USA in 1940, becoming a U.S. citizen on August 28th.
Little is known about his further life.
He is commemorated at the University of Vienna in the "Memorial Book for the Victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938" (2009) and at the "Memorial to the History Students and Teachers of the University of Vienna Expelled under National Socialism | When Names Shine" (2022).
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1937–1938, final examination registry ("Rigorosenprotokoll und-akt") PHIL 14100; graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") 1931-1941 Nr. 2871, PHIL GZ 8 ex 1937/38 ONr. 98; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 440; POSCH 2009, 367; POSCH/FUCHS 2022, 131–132; www.ancestry.de; myheritage.at.
Herbert Posch
