| Born: | 03-26-1906 |
| Faculty: | Medical School | Medical University Vienna |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Fritz FINALY, born on March 26th, 1906 in Klosterneuburg/Lower Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Samuel Finaly (retired senior railway official, "Oberoffizial der ÖBB [short for Austrian railways], deceased February 27th, 1931, lived in Vienna 19th district, Pantzergasse 21/26.
He was enrolled at the Medical School till spring term 1932 as an ordinary student with a grant of the Vienna municipal administration in the 5th year of his studies, then from spring term 1934 as an extraordinary student till 1937. In 1938 he wasn't enrolled at the Medical School any more, but was preparing for the final exams ('Rigorosen'). He could finally finish his studies and graduated on July 21st, 1938, but only with the discriminating ceremony of a 'Nichtarierpromotion', which included at the same time that he was banned from his profession.
With his wife Anni, nee Schwarz (born on February 18th, 1915 in Gmuend/Lower Austria), daughter of Friedrich Schwarz (textile trader in Gmuend), he emigrated to Czechoslovakia, later to France. Their last known location was 8 Ch. Pont Proullier in La Tronche near Grenoble. Both of them were arrested in February 1944, deported to Drancy and from there on March 7th 1944 to Auschwitz (transport no. 69), where both were murdered.
Annis parents Friedrich and Irma Schwarz lived in Vienna until 1944, then they were deported to Minsk and murdered. Her brother Otto Schwarz emigrated to Shanghai in 1938 - he returned to Gmuend in 1947, where he died in 1972.
Anni and Fritz Finaly's sons Robert and Gerald, born in 1941 and 1942, were hidden by French Catholics and baptized. After the war it was very hard for the surviving sisters of Fritz Finaly to get his sons back. Even after a decision of the supreme Court of France the boys were not handed over to their relatives, but were kidnapped to Switzerland, later to Spain and given false names, to raise them as Catholics. Only two years later there was an arrangement between the Church and the family so that they were able to take them to Israel in 1953 and raise them as Jews by their aunt, Jehudith, nee Finaly, and their uncle Moshe Rosener in Gedera/Israel. The elder son Robert became a physician like his father (he practised as a pediatric surgean in the research-university "Soroka" in Beer-Sheva), the younger one was an officer in the Israelian army. The case is known as the "Finaly Affair".
Lit.: information from Miriam Lava, nee Rosner, Bnei-Dror/Israel, 2009, and Heimo Gruber, Vienna, 2013; POLLEROSS 1996, 18f, 32, 43, 135; KNIEFACZ/POSCH 2017b; for the fate of his children see OE1-Hoerbilder-Feature 2024 and OE1-podcast 2024.
Katharina Kniefacz and Herbert Posch
