Anna-Maria Haas

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.

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