Blanka Satz (verh. Moscisker)

Born:	11-11-1914
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Blanka Liese SATZ (married MOSCISKER), born on November 11^th, 1917 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), daughter of Josef Satz (1883-1967, merchant) and Dora Satz (née Katz, 1893-1964), lived in Vienna's 20^th district, Karl-Meissl-Strasse 4/64. She had graduated with honors from the Bundesrealgymnasium Wien 20 (Unterbergergasse 1), in 1936 and began studying at the University of Vienna in the fall term of 1936/37. She was last enrolled in the fall term 1937/38 at the Philosophical School in the 2^nd year of her studies and took courses in History and Romance languages and literature Studies.
She recounts in 1998 that she wanted to pursue an academic career, although she remembered her time at the university as being strongly marked by anti-Semitism, (latent) violence, and beating fraternity members. She was forced to abandon her studies and leave the University of Vienna for racist reasons under National Socialism after the Anschluss. Her younger brother Jakob Satz (1919-1996), who studied at the Medical School, was also expelled from the University of Vienna, but was able to emigrate to Palestine [Israel] via Switzerland with a student certificate. She tried to emigrate to England with her parents - with no acquaintances there, the most promising chance to get to Britain was to obtain a domestic service permit (Dienstmädchenvi-sum). Therefore, she intensively studied English and her mother cooking to improve their chances of leaving the country together and she gave private lessons to earn money, since her father had given up his business. They placed an ad in England, and tried to obtain all the necessary papers in Vienna to leave the country, and at the end of March 1939 she and her mother were able to emigrate to Great Britain with a domestic service permit. She worked for the first six months as a parlor maid and her mother as a cook for a family on the Isle of Wright, but this did not turn out to be a sustainable solution. They later found a job together on the south coast for a few months and also managed to bring her father to England shortly before the start of World War II. They later lived at 24, St. Andrew Grove, London N 16 and, due to positive recommendations, were classified as friendly aliens at the end of 1939 and exempted from internment and were able to continue living in London. She married Theodor Moscisker (1915-2009), who came from Austria-Hungarian Empire [Moravská Ostrava/Czech Republic], had to emigrate and had served in the British Army, in Hackney, London, in January 1950. The veterinarian, who had a doctorate, was unable to work in his skilled profession and together they built up a children's toy and clothing business. They had two sons, Arnold (1952) and Simon (1955) and in March 1950 Blanka Moscisker also became a British citizen (at that time she lived at 63, Heathland Road, London N 16). Later she moved with her husband to 36 Warwick Grove, Hackney, Greater London. In retirement she became involved in charity work and in an interview in 1998 she described the disadvantages that dropping out of education had meant in her life, but nevertheless gave a positive summary when asked how much she regretted it:

"I did at first very much so. But then I found that living, and learning from life, is also a lesson! And it is something that is available."

She died on January 15^th, 2009 in London, England and is buried at Rainham Jewish Cemetery, Havering, Greater London, England/UK.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1936-1938; Archive of the Jewish Community of Vienna/birth registry; The National Archives/Kew, London, England/HO 396/78 WW2 Internees (Aliens) Index Cards 1939-1947; General Register Office/United Kingdom/Civil Registration Marriage Index/Vol. 5c p. 1531; London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Electoral Registers 1959, 2003-2010; The London Gazette, April 21, 1950, p. 1955; www.ancestry.de; www.findagrave.com; USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, University of Southern California, Interview 44606 May 20, 1998; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 463.

Herbert Posch