Memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938: Online version available on the internet
01. July 2009Homepage of the memorial book
Since 30 June 2009, the online version of the memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938 is available worldwide. The database comprises approximately 2,200 names of those predominantly Jewish affiliates of the University of Vienna who were dismissed by the university following the advent of National Socialism in 1938 and who were consequently exiled and/or murdered. With this memorial book, the University of Vienna takes a further initiative in order to deal with the complex dimensions of National Socialism with regard to its own history.
Following the advent of the National Socialist regime in the year 1938, more than 2,700 mostly Jewish affiliates of the University of Vienna were dismissed and subsequently exiled and/or murdered due to “racial” and/or “political” reasons – lecturers, students and administration employees. Furthermore, over 200 alumni were stripped of their academic titles. For many years, the University of Vienna has been supporting projects dealing with its own history during the National Socialist regime. With the memorial book, the University of Vienna once more commemorates the injustice that happened during this dark historical period.
Among the victims were the psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim, the writer Stefan Zweig, the psychologist Charlotte Bühler, the composer Egon Wellesz, the art historians Hans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrath and the jurist and later prime minister Bruno Kreisky.
In addition to displaying the names of those dismissed, exiled and disenfranchised men and women, the online memorial book also chronicles the biographies of the victims. This memorial book is not complete; rather, it should be regarded as a work in progress. Therefore, its online publication is regarded as an opportunity for expanding scientific knowledge.
Apart from the online version of the memorial book, there is the handwritten, original memorial book which was reposited at the Marpe Lanefesh Memorial (Hebrew: healing for the soul), the former Jewish Prayer House of the former General Hospital at the Campus of the University of Vienna. The Marpe Lanefesh Memorial and the memorial book are accessible under further announcement at gedenkbuch(at)univie.ac.at.
Access to the online memorial book
Contact
Mag. Dr. Herbert Posch
Forum Contemporary History
University of Vienna
T +43-1-4277-412 36
M +43-664-381 03 42
herbert.posch(at)univie.ac.at