Anna-Maria Haas
Encyclopedia
Anna-Maria Haas was a Viennese
woman, who on May 3, 1982, was distinguished by Yad Vashem
as Righteous among the nations
.
Haas helped the Jewish family Josef and Sidonie Rubin-Bittman and supported them over several years during the Second World War. She was married to Benno Haas, who, as a Jew, was persecuted in Nazi Germany
.
Haas lived in the 9th district
in the neighborhood of the family Rubin-Bittman. She
knew them and had contact with them. After the family Rubin-Bittman had left their flat in 1939 and had to live in disguise, Haas decided - as far as it was possible - to help Josef and Sidonie. They often had to change their hiding places. Haas persistently supplied them with free food.
Sidonie was a relative of Martin Buber
's coming from Lemberg. In 1944, Josef and Sidonie hid in a cellar space of a house. Here Sidonie bore her first son Fritz. That year he was the only Jewish child born in Vienna. Anna-Maria visited them often in their hiding place and brought them food, milk and baby food.
Although he was made to live as a disguised under heavy and dangerous conditions, Josef tried to help
Hungarian Jews who had already been selected by the Gestapo
for a transport to an Extermination camp. He also began a relief operation for a Jewish child camp in Ferdinandstrasse in the 2nd district
. Haas supplied him with food and medication for the child camp. Josef and Sidonie survived the war, and Josef became a successful businessman. Sidonie died in 1968 after long suffering. Josef died on April 25, 1972 at the age of 75.
Anna-Maria Haas died in Vienna in 1996.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
woman, who on May 3, 1982, was distinguished by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
as Righteous among the nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
.
Haas helped the Jewish family Josef and Sidonie Rubin-Bittman and supported them over several years during the Second World War. She was married to Benno Haas, who, as a Jew, was persecuted in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Haas lived in the 9th district
Alsergrund
Alsergrund is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria . It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburbs. The area is densely populated, with a lot of government-built housing. According to the census of 2001, there were...
in the neighborhood of the family Rubin-Bittman. She
knew them and had contact with them. After the family Rubin-Bittman had left their flat in 1939 and had to live in disguise, Haas decided - as far as it was possible - to help Josef and Sidonie. They often had to change their hiding places. Haas persistently supplied them with free food.
Sidonie was a relative of Martin Buber
Martin Buber
Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship....
's coming from Lemberg. In 1944, Josef and Sidonie hid in a cellar space of a house. Here Sidonie bore her first son Fritz. That year he was the only Jewish child born in Vienna. Anna-Maria visited them often in their hiding place and brought them food, milk and baby food.
Although he was made to live as a disguised under heavy and dangerous conditions, Josef tried to help
Hungarian Jews who had already been selected by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
for a transport to an Extermination camp. He also began a relief operation for a Jewish child camp in Ferdinandstrasse in the 2nd district
Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt is the 2nd municipal District of Vienna . There are inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau , forms a large island surrounded by the Danube Canal and, to the north, the Danube. It is named after Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor...
. Haas supplied him with food and medication for the child camp. Josef and Sidonie survived the war, and Josef became a successful businessman. Sidonie died in 1968 after long suffering. Josef died on April 25, 1972 at the age of 75.
Anna-Maria Haas died in Vienna in 1996.
External links
- The Encyclopedia of the Righteous Among the Nations
- Virtual wall of honor (Yad VashemYad VashemYad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
).