Chaje Ruchel Windler (Holmes)
| Born: |
05-02-1914 |
| Faculty: |
Philosophical School |
| Category: |
Expelled student |
Chaje Ruchel (called "Rosl") WINDLER (married HOMES), born on May 2nd, 1914 in Ciescanòv in Galicia/Austro-Hungaria [Cieszanów, in Lubaczów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship/Poland] (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), daughter of Abraham (sales agent, deceased) and Anna Windler (sales agent), lived in Wien 7, Breitegasse 16. After she had graduated from high school (Mädchen-Realgymnasium der Gesellschaft der Schwarzwald‘schen Schulanstalten in Wien 1, Wallnerstrasze 9) she began to study at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna and took courses especially in Psychology, Philosophy, History and Romance languages and literature Studies. She was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 in the 4th year of her studies, the 'Absolutorium' was certified on November 4th, 1938, but she was no more allowed to take the final examination ('Rigorosen').
She was active in the Socialist Youth movement, along with her friend Gertrude Falk. She was forced to leave Vienna in 1938, along with her mother and emigrated to Great Britain.
She found work as a domestic servant but soon left to live in London, where she became the secretary to Teddy Kollek, later mayor of Jerusalem/Israel, then running the "Youth Aliyah" office in London. Placing a newspaper ad "English lessons in exchange for German" she got in contact with Geoffrey Holmes (1918-2008), who was working in a metallurgical company mainly staffed by Jewish and anti-Fascist refugees and later became her husband.
She later qualified as a Psychiatric Social Worker in Manchester after the war. In 1949 she gave birth to a son, Peter Holmes. Her professional career was with the Child Guidance Service of the City of Sheffield where she worked until she retired. She had been traumatised by her experiences in the 1930s, and suffered from poor health for much of her life and in 1972 had to go into hospital with serious depression and died of heart attack on November 3rd 1974.
Lit.: POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 500; information of her son, Peter Holmes, Brighton/UK 2012.
Herbert Posch
