Hedwig Fritz (geb. Weiß)

Hedwig Weiß was born in Vienna as the daughter of Abraham Weiß and Emilie, née Mahler. Her parents had converted from the Jewish to the Catholic faith. Hedwig Weiß was baptized and educated as a Catholic. After elementary and secondary school, she became a tailor.

In 1923, she married Karl Fritz, an official of the Vienna Municipal Tramway, and subsequently had two sons with him. In the 1930s, Karl Fritz became involved in the Vaterländische Front and the Vienna Heimatschutz.

On March 12, 1938, Hedwig Fritz witnessed the demise of a free and independent Austria with the invasion of the German Wehrmacht. With the occupation of Austria, German legislation was adopted and with it the 'Nuremberg Race Laws', according to which Hedwig Fritz was considered a 'full Jew'. On May 1, 1938, Karl Fritz was forced to retire.