Alfred Fleischer

Alfred Fleischer was born in Korbeuburg near Vienna, the legitimate son of Sigmund Fleischer and Rosa, née Handl. The childhood and youth of Alfred Fleischer, who grew up in a Jewish family, is not known. He later became the owner of the 'Bank- und Wechselstube A. Fleischer & CO' based in Vienna.

In 1923, he married the Catholic Barbara 'Betty' Gruber and subsequently became the father of a daughter. His wife worked in his company. The family lived in an apartment at 57 Döblinger Hauptstraße in Vienna's 19th district.

On March 12, 1938, he 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 Racial Laws', according to which Alfred Fleischer was considered a 'full Jew' and his daughter a 'Mischling I. degree'. In order to protect his family, he divorced his wife on June 30, 1938 and moved into an apartment at Dorotheergasse 6 in Vienna's 1st district. However, he remained close to his family and supported them financially. He also tries to open the 'Bank- und Wechselstube A. Fleischer & CO' to his divorced wife so that it would remain in the family. However, the National Socialist authorities prohibit this process and 'aryanize' the company.

Alfred Fleischer applies for a visa for the United States of America. The Consulate General of America in Vienna informs him that he is on the waiting list under the reservation number G 76271. After the German invasion of Poland and the resulting outbreak of war, emigration is no longer possible. Alfred Fleischer was deported to the Maly Trostinez concentration camp near Minsk [today: Belarus] on June 2, 1942. After that, all trace of him is lost. He must have been murdered after June 2, 1942.

His wife Betty Fleischer and his daughter witness the liberation of Austria and the re-establishment of the Republic. Betty Fleischer remains in Vienna and joins the newly founded Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the ÖVP Comradeship of the Politically Persecuted and Confessors for Austria. His daughter marries and emigrates to France.