Schauer Maria

Pollreiss, Lucia Schauer, Maria Max Arnold was a Jewish tailor who lived in Pressbaum, outside of Vienna. In 1942 he received a notice from the authorities that he was to move to Vienna and to register himself with the Jewish community. He did move to Vienna, but never registered. While in Vienna he married his wife, Johanna. When the Jews of Vienna were being expelled to the camps, Arnold, his wife, and his sister, Leopoldine Stern decided to hide in the city. Looking for a place of refuge, they contacted Lucia Pollreiss, a businesswoman, who agreed to employ Arnold as a tailor and to help them find a place to hide. The three Jews hid in the city from 1942 until the end of the war. From September to April, they hid in the home of Maria Schauer, but in the summers, Schauer had a regular houseguest, a prominent Nazi woman, so in that season they stayed with Pollreiss, who not only gave them a place to stay, but also supported them financially. Pollreiss’ husband, who served in the German army and only arrived home for vacations, demanded that she stop helping Jews. Despite his threats, however, Pollreiss continued her activities. At one time, when the three Jews were hiding in Schauer’s home, the police arrived at the door, and asked if anyone else lived in the house besides her. She answered in the negative, and her denial, spoken with confidence, convinced them not to check. Pollreiss and Schauer endangered themselves by hiding Jews, a crime that could have led to deportation to a concentration camp, and eventually to death. They received no compensation for their activities – on the contrary, they shared their own food and clothing with the Jews, during a period of scarcity. After the war, all three Jews continued to live in Vienna. On July 8, 1982, Yad Vashem recognized Lucia Pollreiss and Maria Schauer as Righteous Among the Nations.