David A. (Dawid) Frenkel

Born:	03-17-1913
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled student

Dawid (later David A.) FRENKEL, born on March 17^th, 1913 in Lwow/Poland (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Lwow/Poland, Citizenship: Poland), son of Oskar Frenkel (civil servant in Lwow), began to study medicine at the University of Vienna in spring term 1933. During his studies he had different residencies, finally from September 1937 in Vienna 9^th district, Mauthnergasse 4, and between April 2nd and June 30^th, 1938 in Vienna 8th district, Moelkergasse 3/10. He was enrolled finally in fall term 1937/38 at the Medical School in the 5th year of his studies ('Absolutorium' was certified on June 27^th, 1938). He succeeded in finishing his studies and graduated on June 28^th, 1938 - because he was a citizen of a foreign country, he couldn't be restricted by the 'Nürnberger Rassengesetze'. But nevertheless he was not allowed to practice as a physician in the territories of the Third Reich. Dawid Frenkel emigrated in 1939 and first sailed to Vera Cruz/Mexico, then to New York/USA, where he arrived in late 1939. In 1943 he entered the U.S. military and served as a Captain in the 50th Field Army Hospital and treated prisoners of war. He did two residencies: in pathology at the Jewish Hospital for Chronic Diseases in Brooklyn and in obstetrics and gynecology at Unity Hospital in Brooklyn, where he was Attending Physician for many years.
Together with his family Dawid Frenkel lived in Forest Hills in Queens, New York, near his former fellow student Menachem Distenfeld.
He practiced at Brooklyn and Forest Hills in New York and was Attending Physician at Brooklyn Women's Hospital, Queens General Hospital, and Kings County Hospital. He was a gynecologist specialized in infertility and was Associate Attending at Kings county’s infertility clinic, and Director of Infertility at Brooklyn Women’s Hospital. He taught at Down State Medical School, where he was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor. As one result of his research he presented a paper on the use of plastic tubing for reconstruction of fallopian tubes at a meeting of the International Society of Sterility Follows in Vienna in summer 1961. In 1970 David A. Frenkel was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor at the new State University of New York in Stonybrook, when he died suddenly at the age of 57 years on December 11th, 1970.

Lit.: POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 386; information from his daughter Karen A. Frenkel, USA, 2014 and 07/2021; Vienna City archive/Historical Central Registration of Viennese inhabitants, July 1st, 2014.

Katharina Kniefacz