Erwin Hahn

Born:	11-09-1917
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled student

Erwin HAHN, born on November 9^th, 1917 in Stockerau/Lower Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Stockerau/Lower Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Hermann Hahn (merchant in Stockerau), lived in Stockerau, Prager Strasse 21, was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 3^rd year of his studies. But this term was not validated for the euphemistic reason "lack of attendance" ("wegen mangelnder Frequenz"). He was forced to quit his studies and to leave the university for racist reason (leaving certificate ("Abgangszeugnis") was issued on July 15^th, 1938). At the beginning of December 1938, Erwin Hahn was able to emigrate illegally by  ship on the river Danube to the Black Sea and via Constantinople to Tel Aviv in Palestine [Israel], where he arrived at the end of December 1938. In Vienna's registration register he was deregistered from Vienna's 2^nd district, Kleine Sperlgasse 1/37 to Palestine on December 2^nd, 1938.
The business of his parents - Adeline (Lina) Hahn, née Scheuer (1881-1941) and Hermann Hahn (1882-1941) - in Stockerau had been expropriated ("Aryanized"), their apartment had been seized, they had been forced to relocate to Vienna and were deported from Vienna's 2^nd district, Weintraubengasse 19/16 to Lódż/Litzmannstadt [Poland] on October 19^th, 1941 and were murdered there. His sister Erna Hahn was able to emigrate to Great Britain with a domestic-permit as a maid, married Richard Burnett in England and lived in London until she died. Erwin Hahn married Margarethe [Margalit] Pardo (b. November 26^th, 1920) on September 15^th, 1942. As he could not continue with his medical studies in Palestine, he returned to Vienna in April 1947 to finish his medical studies. The spring term 1938 was validated. He lived then in Gumpendorferstrasse 80/1 with Arabella Meisel. As soon as he had finished his studies, he graduated on March 23^rd, 1950, became "Dr.med.univ." (M.D.) and left Vienna to return to Israel. In Tel Aviv Erwin Hahn learned Hebrew and started to work in an orange plantations, later as a road construction worker - a continuation of his medical studies was not possible, but from 1939 he was able to work as a paramedic in a hospital and finally enlisted in the British Army in Palestine and was able to work in the Army Medical Corps. Due to a tuberculosis disease he was soon discharged and after his recovery he worked in a medical laboratory where he also met his future wife Margarethe [Margalit] Pardo (b. November 26^th, 1920), whom he married on September 15^th, 1942. After the end of the war he went with her to Vienna via Czechoslovakia at the end of April 1947, but only to resume his  interrupted medical studies. In Israel there was not yet a separate medical-university education, to start studies at another university abroad from the beginning he neither had time nor the finances. The first five regular terms - and subsequently also the summer term, which had been refused in 1938 - were credited to him. In Stockerau all traces of his family were erased, an application for restitution remained unsuccessful, Erwin Hahn and his wife lived at that time in Vienna's 6^th district, Gumpendorferstrasse 80/1. Immediately after completing his studies and receiving his medical doctorate ("Dr. med. univ.") on March 23^rd, 1950, he and his wife finally returned to Israel. Erwin Hahn worked in Israel for most of his life as a doctor at the Afula Hospital and lived with his family in Haifa. Together with his wife Margalit he had two children. His daughter Shlomit also studied medicine and became a doctor in Israel as did their daughter Goni. His son emigrated from Israel to Australia, but his children returned to Israel. He passed away, aged 74, on March 21st,1991 in Israel.

Lit.: Archive University of Vienna/Medical School: Nationale 1936-1938, 1947-1949; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 399; KNIGHT 2017, 84; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2022; DÖW-NS-Victims-Database; information from from Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna 03/2019, from his daughter Dr. Shlomit Katz, Israel 01/2021, and from his granddaughter Ruth Hahn, Israel, 01/2021.

Herbert Posch