| Born: | 06-17-1913 |
| Faculty: | Philosophical School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Egon KUX (later KADMON), born on June 17, 1913 in Vienna (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') in Zilina/Austro-Hungaria [today: Slovakia]). After he had graduated from high school ("Bundesrealgymnasium") in Vienna 8th district on June 12, 1933, he was enrolled at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna from fall term 1933/34 until spring term 1937 and took courses in history. He had already finished his studies and even handed in his doctoral thesis ('Dissertation') "'Die innere Politik der Regierung Erzherzog Rainer - Schmerling und ihre deutsche Außenpolitik im Spiegel von 'Ost und West'" [The inner politics under reign of Erzherzog Rainer – Schmerling and their foreign policy as it was mentioned in the "Ost und West" newspaper] on December 15th, 1937, which was successfully approbated by both doctoral advisors (Prof. Heinrich von Srbik and Prof. Hans Hirsch, both of them passionate anti-Semites and national socialists) Heinrich Srbik und Hans Hirsch) within two weeks time on December 30th, 1937.
Kux was not enrolled at the Philosophical School any more in 1938, but was preparing for the final exams ('Rigorosen').
Examiners for the two final examinations were fixed: his advisers, historians Srbik and Hirsch and geographer Hugo Hassinger should be the examiner in the 1st Rigorosum (a two hour examination in the field of all of history), and philosopher Robert Reininger and the pedagogue Richard Meister in the 2nd Rigorosum (an one hour examination on philosophical question of science and humanities, called "Philosophicum"), but dates for both exams were no more fixed. The Nazi rise to power ("Anschluss") made it impossible to finish his studies and Egon Kux had to leave the University of Vienna with a approbated dissertation but without an academic degree.
More about the biography of Egon Kux by his grandson Itai Hermelin in 2014:
"Egon Kux was born in Vienna on June 17, 1913. His father Emil Kux was born in Zilina (modern days in north west Slovakia) and his mother Ernestine (Erna) nee Bernstein was born in Braila, Romania. Egon had an older sister named Anny. The Kux family was a wealthy bourgeois family. The father, Emil Kux, and his brothers owned a shoe factory and later owned a bank called “Brüder Kux” located in the noble Ringstrasse (Schottenring 14). The family lived in Albertgasse 3 in the 8th district of Vienna. Egon’s older sister, Anny, was a talented violinist.
In an untypical manner for someone from his socio-economical background Egon joined a Zionist-socialist youth movement called “Brith Bilu” that later merged into a similar youth movement called “Blau-Weiss”. In the youth movement Egon met his future wife Deli (Adele) Sternberg (born in Vienna on Sep. 18, 1917, died in Ein Gev/Israel, April 20, 2014). The main goal of the youth movement was to establish a just society in Palestine. Egon did not join his friends from the youth movement who emigrated to Palestine in 1935 and founded Kibbutz Ein Gev near the Sea of Galilee in 1937. The reason for staying behind was Egon’s desire to complete his Ph.D. studies in history in the University of Vienna.
Unfortunately, even though he completed his dissertation and submitted it, Egon was unable to get his degree after the Anschluss because he was a Jew.
In July 1938 Egon and Deli got married in the Seitenstettengasse synagogue.
At that time they could not get a certificate to Palestine so they decided to go to Denmark for agricultural training before going to Palestine. On the morning of Nov 9, 1938 (without any knowledge of what is going to happen later that day…) Egon took advantage of his Czechoslovak citizenship to leave Vienna with his wife for Prague. A month later, in December 1938, they got the certificate to go to Denmark and went there by a train through Berlin.
In Denmark Egon and Deli worked in a farm and Egon was also active in the Zionist movement. During the stay in Denmark Deli had an accident that left her crippled for life.
In October 1943 (after a leak from the German establishment about the coming deportation of the Jews from Denmark) Egon and Deli were taken by the Danes in a fisherman boat to the safety of neutral Sweden (together with the other Jews of Denmark).
In Sweden they worked in a farm near Norrköping and in March 1945 (7 years after their marriage and 9 months after D-Day) Deli gave birth to their only daughter Naomi. In 1946 Egon became a headmaster of a school for Jewish children who survived the Holocaust and were brought from Bergen Belsen concentration camp to Sweden after the war. Egon taught the children about the geography of Palestine.
In July 1947 Egon, Deli and Naomi left Sweden and went with a ship from Marseille, France to Palestine. In Palestine they joined their friends in Kibbutz Ein Gev near the Sea of Galilee.
Egon, the history student from the wealthy family, fulfilled his dream to become a farmer, and worked for many years with the Kibbutz cows. Later he started working for the Kibbutz sailing company. Working as a tour guide in German, French and the Scandinavian languages, Egon told stories about the miracles performed by Jesus near the Sea of Galilee, the history of Kibbutz Ein Gev and its fulfillment of the socialist ideals.
When he decided to change his surname to a Hebrew name, Egon selected the name “Kadmon” meaning “ancient” in Hebrew, because of his affection to history.
Egon lived the rest of his life in Kibbutz Ein Gev until his death on July 11, 1993.
Egon never got to see his parents after he left Austria in 1938 when he was 25. His parents fled with his sister from Vienna to Bratislava (Anny married a non-Jewish German-Slovak Cellist and they used their ties in the music world). Egon’s father Emil Kux died in Bratislava in 1944 of natural causes. Egon’s mother Ernestine (Erna) died in Bratislava behind the iron curtain in 1962. Many of Egon’s very much assimilated uncles, aunts and cousins were murdered by the Nazis."
Lit: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1933-1938, final examination file and registry ("Rigorosenprotokoll / Rigorosenakt") PHIL 14059, PHIL GZ 8 ex 1937/38 Nr. 28; ALKER 1952, Nr. 1028; information from his grandson Itai Hermelin, Tel Aviv/Israel 2014.
Herbert Posch
