Chiel Juda Bahrer

Born:	05-13-1903
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Chiel Juda BAHRER, born on May 13^th, 1903 in Grodzisko Miast, Galicia/Austro-Hungarian Empire [Poland] (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Grodzisko Miast, Poland, citizenship: Poland). After completing elementary school in his native city in 1914, he came to Vienna and first took up Bible and Talmud studies there, before then preparing for the school-leaving examination (Matura) from 1926 to 1930, which he successfully passed on October 9^th, 1930, at the Bundesrealgymnasium II in Vienna's 2^nd district, Kleine Sperlgasse 2c. He was then enrolled at the School of Philosophy from the spring term of 1932 to the fall term of 1935/36, studying history and geography, and had been in the examination stage since 1936. During his studies he lived in Vienna's 16^th district, Froebelgasse 44/14, and later in Vienna's 16^th district, Brunnengasse 15/18. He had registered for the final examinations in history on April 10^th, 1937, and submitted his dissertation: "Luebeck und das Unternehmerkonsortium" (supervisors: Alphons Dopsch, Wilhelm Bauer). However, this was reproved and rejected by his main supervisor Dopsch as insufficient on April 21^st/23^rd, 1937, criticizing that Chiel Bahrer had received only one theory (Roerig's city foundation theory), that he had not taken into account recent research literature, and that Bahrers critic was "a most strange skirmish" that he "only dealt with the logical evidential value of the criticized theory, but not its source-related justification" and that he had not done any source research of its own. Whether Chiel Bahrer was informed of the reprobation when he picked up his documents on May 19^th, 1937, or was given the opportunity to submit a revised version, is not clear from the examination file. Ten months later, after the so-called "Anschluss" in March 1938, he apparently tried to complete his studies after all, registered for the Rigorosen (viva voce) and was also admitted. On June 30^th, 1938, he passed the two-hour viva with the historians Prof. Alphons Dopsch (who had given the negative opinion the year before), Prof. Wilhelm Bauer (who had agreed to the negative opinion) and the geographer Prof. Hugo Hassinger with the assessment "Good". On October 28^th, 1938, he also passed the one-hour viva or "Philosophicum" (examiners: Prof. Robert Reininger and Prof. Hans Eibl in place of Prof. Karl Buehler, who had been scheduled but had already been dismissed at that time) with the grade "Good". On the following day, the Dean's application was forwarded to the Rectorate for the planned graduation on October 31^st, 1938 - a so-called "non-Aryan graduation", an official act with numerous symbolic discriminations but with a legally constituent effect, however, combined with a simultaneously imposed professional ban in the entire German Reich. Before the graduation, however, a note in the files of dean Prof. Viktor Christian stated: "Since the examinations were taken without the dissertation having been approved, they are to be considered invalid and to be cancelled". Two weeks later - interspersed with the experiences of the November pogroms - Chiel Bahrer asked to allow him to graduate after all, offering on the one hand to submit a "prize-winning thesis as a dissertation or to revise the first dissertation" and also pointing out that he also had to provide for his wife. In a subsequently submitted supplementary letter, he also explicitly points out: "that I am a foreigner and only want to finish my studies in Vienna and then start my forthcoming emigration, which will only be possible for me, however, when I send in my certificates in order to obtain a teaching position abroad. I ask once again for benevolent concession in a matter of life for my wife and me." - In September 1935, Chiel Bahrer had married Klara Laura Roth at the temple in Vienna-Brigittenau, who had also studied at the School of Philosophy at the University of Vienna from 1931-1935, albeit majoring in German, but then had to take over the care of her parents in 1935 before she could complete her dissertation.
The next day, his wife also addressed a detailed letter to the Dean's Office, requesting permission to complete her own studies, since the question of her husband's doctorate had not yet been decided, since neither she, nor her husband, nor her parents, who were in need of care, could raise the funds for a degree abroad, she was also linguistically incapable of writing her dissertation abroad, and, above all, if she were to emigrate, she would have to go to work for a living and would not be able to find the necessary time. She argues that her father had worked for decades in the civil service (pensioner of Austrian Railroad Company OeBB), now received only a very small pension, and had fought in World War I, for which he had also been awarded the Iron Cross of Merit (criteria that were considered worthy of consideration in the Nazi bureaucracy until the November pogrom and had a prospect of accommodating decisions). In conclusion, she pointed out that her "future depended on it, obtaining a job abroad, our existence depended on it" and noted that her dissertation had been completed down to the details and had already been discussed with Prof. Nadler. Already on November 18^th, 1938, the dean answered both of them in the same way, their applications were rejected due to a decision of the Ministry of Education of October 24^th, 1938.
Both were unable to complete their studies at the University of Vienna. Chiel Juda Bahrer had to flee Vienna and was apparently able to reach Poland where he lived with his cousin, Lea Gottesdiener, in Reichshof, Bahnhofstrassee 1, and worked as a rabbi. He was arrested by the Krakow State Police on September 28^th, 1940, for holding a religious service without permission, and was deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar on April 1^st, 1941, where he died after barely two months in the infirmary on May 26^th, 1941.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1932–1938, final examination file and register ("Rigorosenakt & -protokoll") PHIL 13473, PHIL GZ 1/III ex 1938/39, ONr. 4, 4a, 5 and 5a; The National Archives at College Park, Maryland/National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized, 1675–1958/Lists and Registers of German Concentration Camp Inmates, 1946–1958.

Note: Chiel Juda Bahrer was a victim of the Holocaust. It is probable that in the course of his final examinations he also became a victim of the racism and anti-Semitism that was strongly virulent at the University of Vienna at the time, and that it was not exclusively the formal failure to meet an examination requirement that led to the prevention of his doctorate at the last moment. This cannot be conclusively determined from the sources - the decision was made in favor of his inclusion in the memorial book.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Herbert Posch