Paula Bergstein (verh. Kampf)
| Born: |
03-13-1915 |
| Faculty: |
Philosophical School |
| Category: |
Expelled student |
Paula BERGSTEIN (married KAMPF), born on March 13
th, 1915 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), daughter of Jacob Josef Bergstein (merchant, 1887-1942) and Dora Dobrisch Bergmann (née Kalenberg, 1890-1942), lived in Vienna's 13
th district, Linzer Strasse 54. In the summer of 1934, she had passed the school-leaving examination (Reifepruefung/Matura) at the Maedchen-Reform-Realgymnasium Wien 13 and enrolled in pharmacy at the University of Vienna in the fall term of 1934/35, but switched to German and English studies from the same term onwards, and was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 at the Philosophical School in the 4
th and last year of her studies and took courses in History, German and English languages and literature Studies.
In 1938, after the takeover of power of National-Socialism she was forced to quit her studies for racist reason and to leave the University of Vienna.
Paula Bergstein had to flee Vienna, but was able to obtain a US visa in Vienna on December 7
th, 1939. She was still able to leave for the Netherlands in time and to emigrate from Rotterdam/Netherlands on July 25
th, 1939 with the
SS Statendam to the USA, where she arrived in New York City, NY/USA on August 1
st, 1939 (together with her sister Lisa "Lizzy", born in 1923).
Paula Bergstein lived at 39 W., 91 str., New York City, was unable to continue or complete her studies, worked as a seamstress, and married Viennese émigré Max Kampf (1912-1987) in Manhattan, New York City on May 17
th, 1941 and lived with him at 373 Central Park West, NYC, NY. On February 5, 1945, Paula Kampf became a U.S. citizen and lived at 544 W. 157th str., New York City, NY.
Her parents were unable to leave Vienna in time - in the Jewish Transmigration Bureau (JDC) deposit cards one can still see that Paula Bergstein has issued an affidavit from New York and already paid for the cost of ship passages for both of them from March 6
th, 1941 to the NYK settlement fund, but before their departure could be orgnized, both were deported from Vienna's 12
th district, Gierstergasse 12/11 to Izbica near Krasnystaw, Lublin/Poland on September 4
th, 1942 and murdered there shortly after arrival.
Paula Kampf, née Bergstein, died on May 15
th, 1996 in Flushing, Queens, NY and is buried there at Mount Hebron Cemetery.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1937-1938; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 361; www.genteam.at; www.ancestry.de; collections.arolsen-archives.org.
Herbert Posch
