Warum ich Europea verlassen, und was ich in Amerika erreicht habe

Identifier
irn512448
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2003.8
  • RG-10.240
Dates
1 Jan 1941 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folders

2

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Dr. Eduard Bloch (1872-1945) was a Jewish medical doctor who practiced in Linz, Austria in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Eduard was born in Frauenberg (currently Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic) and had three sisters and one brother. He married Emilie Kafka (Emliy, 1875-1961, born Linz) in 1902 and they had a daughter, Gertrude Bloch (Trude, later Kren, 1903-1992, born in Austria). Eduard studied medicine in Prague and served as a medical officer in the Austrian Army. After his discharge in 1901, he opened a private practice in Linz. His patients included Adolf Hitler and his mother, Klara Hitler (1860-1907). Eduard treated Klara for breast cancer that eventually claimed her life and he served as the Hitler family doctor until 1907. Hitler expressed his gratitude for Eduard’s caring and professional treatment of his mother in postcards sent to Eduard prior to becoming Chancellor of Germany. After Germany's annexation of Austria, Eduard's medical practice was closed on October 1, 1938. Gertrude and her husband, Franz Kren (Frank, 1893-1976, born in Austria), immigrated to the United States in October 1938 aboard the SS Conte di Savoia. Their two children, George (1928-2000) and Joanne, were already in England and were soon reunited with their parents in America. After his practice was closed, Eduard wrote to Hitler and received special protection by the Gestapo. Eduard and Emilie were allowed to remain in their home until their immigration paperwork was finalized. In December 1940, they sailed aboard the SS Marqués de Comillas from Lisbon and arrived in the United States on January 8, 1941. They reunited with Gertrude and her family and settled in New York, but Eduard was no longer able to practice medicine because his medical degree was not recognized.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

Margo Kren donated the collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on 2003.

Scope and Content

The collection includes Dr. Eduard Bloch's autobiography titled “Warum ich Europea verlassen, und was ich in Amerika erreicht habe,” written between 1941 and 1945. In his autobiography, Eduard provides a history of his family and details his life in Austria and his family’s immigration to the United States as well as and his career as a physician, including his professional acquaintance with the Hitler family. The collection also includes a translation of the autobiography titled “Why I left Europe and what I have achieved in America.”

System of Arrangement

The collection is arranged as a single series: Folder 1: Autobiography, 1941-1945 Folder 2: Translation, undated

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.