Eduard Bloch
Encyclopedia
Dr. Eduard Bloch was a Jewish-Austrian doctor practicing in Linz
(Austria). Until 1907 Bloch was the doctor of Adolf Hitler
's family. Hitler later gave Bloch special protection after the Nazi annexing of Austria
.
(today Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic), studied medicine in Prague
and then served as a medical officer in the Austrian army. In 1899 he was stationed in Linz and opened a private doctor's practice after his discharge in 1901 in the baroque
house at 12 Landstrasse, where he also lived with his family: his wife, Emilie (née Kafka) and their daughter Trude, born in 1903. According to Linz's future mayor Ernst Koref, Bloch was held in high regard, particularly among the lower and indigent social classes. It was generally known that at any time at night he was willing to call on patients. He used to go on visits in his hansom, wearing a conspicuous broad brimmed hat. Like most Jews in Linz at the time, the Bloch family were assimilated Jews.
In 1907 Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler
was diagnosed with breast cancer
. She died on December 21 after intense suffering that required daily medication usually given by Bloch. Because of the poor economic situation of the Hitler family at that time, Bloch had been working for reduced prices, sometimes taking no money at all. The then 18 year old Hitler granted him his "everlasting gratitude" for this ("Ich werde Ihnen ewig dankbar sein"). This showed in 1908 when Hitler wrote Bloch a postcard assuring him of his gratitude. Young Hitler expressed his gratitude and reverence to Bloch with handmade gifts, for example, a large wall painting which according to Bloch's daughter Gertrude (Trude) Kren (*1903 in Austria, +1992 in USA) was lost in the course of time. Even in 1937 Hitler inquired about Bloch's well-being and called him an "Edeljude" (noble Jew).
Bloch also apparently had a special fondness for the Hitler family which was to serve him well in the future.
" with Austria in 1938 life became hard for Austrian Jews. Bloch's medical practise was closed on October 1, 1938. His daughter and son-in-law, Bloch's young colleague Dr.Franz Kren (born 1893 in Austria, died 1976 in the USA), fled overseas.
The sixty-six year old Bloch wrote a letter to Hitler asking for help and was as a consequence put under special protection by the Gestapo
. He was the only Jew in Linz with this status. Bloch stayed in his house with his wife undisturbed until the formalities for his emigration
to the United States were completed.
Without any interference from the authorities, they sold their house for a large sum. However, they were allowed to take only the equivalent of 16 Reichsmark out of Austria; the usual amount allowed to Jews was 10 Reichsmark.
In 1940 Bloch emigrated and lived in the Bronx, 2755 Creston Avenue, New York City but no longer practiced medicine because his medical degree was not recognised. He died of stomach cancer at the age of seventy three in 1945. He is buried in Beth David Cemetery, Section D, Block 3, Elmont, New York.
(a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency
) to get information about Hitler's childhood.
He also published his memories about the encounter with the later "Führer
" in the Collier's Weekly
in which he painted a remarkably positive picture of young Hitler, saying that he was neither a ruffian nor untidy nor fresh: "This simply is not true. As a youth he was quiet, well mannered and neatly dressed. He had patiently waited in the waiting room until it was his turn, then like every fourteen or fifteen year old boy, made a bow, and always thanked the doctor politely. Like the other boys in Linz, he had worn short lederhosen
and a green woolen hat with a feather. He had been tall and pale and looked older than he was. His eyes which were inherited from his mother were large, melancholy and thoughtful. To a very large extent, this boy lived within himself. What dreams he dreamed I do not know."
He also said that Hitler's most striking feature was his love for his mother: "While Hitler was not a mother's boy in the usual sense, I have never witnessed a closer attachment. This love had been mutual. Klara Hitler adored her son. She allowed him his own way whenever possible. For example, she admired his watercolor paintings and drawings and supported his artistic ambitions in opposition to his father at what cost to herself one may guess". However, Bloch expressly denies the claim that Hitler's love for his mother was pathological.
In his memory Hitler was the "saddest man I had ever seen" when he was informed about his mother's imminent death. He remembered Klara Hitler, Hitler's
mother as a very "pious and kind" woman. "Sie würde sich im Grabe herumdrehen, wenn sie wüsste, was aus ihm geworden ist." ("She would turn in her grave if she knew what became of him.") According to Bloch, after Hitler's father's death the family's financial resources were scarce. He mentions that Klara Hitler had not even indulged in the smallest extravagance and lived frugally.
Among the other acquaintances of Bloch was Hedda Wagner, an author and supporter of women's rights, who wrote a book dedicated to him.
Writer Jay Neugeboren set his novel 1940 in the Bronx and focuses on events surrounding Eduard Bloch.
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
(Austria). Until 1907 Bloch was the doctor of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's family. Hitler later gave Bloch special protection after the Nazi annexing of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
.
Early years
Bloch was born in FrauenbergHluboká nad Vltavou
Hluboká nad Vltavou ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, near České Budějovice. This town was a favourite of Charles IV, who often visited when residing in České Budějovice...
(today Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic), studied medicine in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and then served as a medical officer in the Austrian army. In 1899 he was stationed in Linz and opened a private doctor's practice after his discharge in 1901 in the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
house at 12 Landstrasse, where he also lived with his family: his wife, Emilie (née Kafka) and their daughter Trude, born in 1903. According to Linz's future mayor Ernst Koref, Bloch was held in high regard, particularly among the lower and indigent social classes. It was generally known that at any time at night he was willing to call on patients. He used to go on visits in his hansom, wearing a conspicuous broad brimmed hat. Like most Jews in Linz at the time, the Bloch family were assimilated Jews.
Hitler Family Doctor
The first member of the Hitler family Bloch was to see was Adolf Hitler. In 1904, Hitler had become seriously ill and was bedridden due to a serious lung ailment. Due to this, he was allowed to abandon his school career and return home. However, after checking Hitler's files Bloch later maintained that he had treated the youth for only minor ailments, cold, or tonsilitis and that Hitler had been neither robust nor sickly. He also stated that Hitler did not have any illness whatsoever, let alone a lung disease.In 1907 Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler
Klara Hitler
Klara Hitler née Pölzl was an Austrian woman, the wife of Alois Hitler and the mother of Adolf Hitler.-Family background and marriage:...
was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. She died on December 21 after intense suffering that required daily medication usually given by Bloch. Because of the poor economic situation of the Hitler family at that time, Bloch had been working for reduced prices, sometimes taking no money at all. The then 18 year old Hitler granted him his "everlasting gratitude" for this ("Ich werde Ihnen ewig dankbar sein"). This showed in 1908 when Hitler wrote Bloch a postcard assuring him of his gratitude. Young Hitler expressed his gratitude and reverence to Bloch with handmade gifts, for example, a large wall painting which according to Bloch's daughter Gertrude (Trude) Kren (*1903 in Austria, +1992 in USA) was lost in the course of time. Even in 1937 Hitler inquired about Bloch's well-being and called him an "Edeljude" (noble Jew).
Bloch also apparently had a special fondness for the Hitler family which was to serve him well in the future.
Emigration
After Hitler's Third Reich had "mergedAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
" with Austria in 1938 life became hard for Austrian Jews. Bloch's medical practise was closed on October 1, 1938. His daughter and son-in-law, Bloch's young colleague Dr.Franz Kren (born 1893 in Austria, died 1976 in the USA), fled overseas.
The sixty-six year old Bloch wrote a letter to Hitler asking for help and was as a consequence put under special protection 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...
. He was the only Jew in Linz with this status. Bloch stayed in his house with his wife undisturbed until the formalities for his emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to the United States were completed.
Without any interference from the authorities, they sold their house for a large sum. However, they were allowed to take only the equivalent of 16 Reichsmark out of Austria; the usual amount allowed to Jews was 10 Reichsmark.
In 1940 Bloch emigrated and lived in the Bronx, 2755 Creston Avenue, New York City but no longer practiced medicine because his medical degree was not recognised. He died of stomach cancer at the age of seventy three in 1945. He is buried in Beth David Cemetery, Section D, Block 3, Elmont, New York.
Interviews and memoirs
In 1941 and 1943 Bloch was interviewed by the Office of Strategic ServicesOffice of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
) to get information about Hitler's childhood.
He also published his memories about the encounter with the later "Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
" in the Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
in which he painted a remarkably positive picture of young Hitler, saying that he was neither a ruffian nor untidy nor fresh: "This simply is not true. As a youth he was quiet, well mannered and neatly dressed. He had patiently waited in the waiting room until it was his turn, then like every fourteen or fifteen year old boy, made a bow, and always thanked the doctor politely. Like the other boys in Linz, he had worn short lederhosen
Lederhosen
Lederhosen are breeches made of leather; they may be either short or knee-length. The longer ones are generally called Bundhosen....
and a green woolen hat with a feather. He had been tall and pale and looked older than he was. His eyes which were inherited from his mother were large, melancholy and thoughtful. To a very large extent, this boy lived within himself. What dreams he dreamed I do not know."
He also said that Hitler's most striking feature was his love for his mother: "While Hitler was not a mother's boy in the usual sense, I have never witnessed a closer attachment. This love had been mutual. Klara Hitler adored her son. She allowed him his own way whenever possible. For example, she admired his watercolor paintings and drawings and supported his artistic ambitions in opposition to his father at what cost to herself one may guess". However, Bloch expressly denies the claim that Hitler's love for his mother was pathological.
In his memory Hitler was the "saddest man I had ever seen" when he was informed about his mother's imminent death. He remembered Klara Hitler, Hitler's
mother as a very "pious and kind" woman. "Sie würde sich im Grabe herumdrehen, wenn sie wüsste, was aus ihm geworden ist." ("She would turn in her grave if she knew what became of him.") According to Bloch, after Hitler's father's death the family's financial resources were scarce. He mentions that Klara Hitler had not even indulged in the smallest extravagance and lived frugally.
Works about Bloch
Despite the obvious affection Hitler showed to Bloch, the historian Rudolph Binion believes that he was one of the contributing factors to Hitler's antisemitism that later resulted in the Holocaust. Historian Brigitte Hamann takes the opposite view, arguing that Hitler's antisemitism coalesced later, during the future dictator's years in Vienna.Among the other acquaintances of Bloch was Hedda Wagner, an author and supporter of women's rights, who wrote a book dedicated to him.
Writer Jay Neugeboren set his novel 1940 in the Bronx and focuses on events surrounding Eduard Bloch.
Sources
- Eduard Bloch: My Patient Hitler. In: Collier’s Weekly, March 15. and 22. 1941.
- Eduard Bloch: The Autobiography of Obermedizinalrat Eduard Bloch. In: J. A. S. Grenville and Raphael Gross (Eds.): The Leo Baeck Institute Year Book, XLVII (2002)
- Office of Strategic Services, Hitler Source Book, Interview With Dr. Eduard Bloch March 5, 1943
- Hamann, BrigitteBrigitte HamannBrigitte Hamann Ph.D., is a German-Austrian author and historian based in Vienna.Born Brigitte Deitert in Essen, Germany, she studied history in Münster and Vienna and for a time worked as a journalist in her native Essen...
Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship . Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0195140532