Mandel Family

Tina Mandel was born Tony Tabak in 1905 in Galicia. At the age of 10 she moved with her parents to Vienna where she met her future husband Hermann Mandel at school. Hermann (Hesio) Mandel had also come to Vienna from Galicia around 1916. He later qualified as an electrician or electrical engineer (Elektromechaniker) and specialised in the design and installation of lighting systems. After leaving school, Tina Mandel successfully completed an apprenticeship and qualified as a dressmaker. They got married in 1932 and in October 1937 their only child, Georg, was born in Vienna. From 1938 onwards Hermann Mandel’s business became increasingly unviable due to the rising anti-Semitism in Austria. In early February he was imprisoned and sent to a road building labour camp. Tina Mandel managed to escape with their son Georg to England in 1939. With the help of friends in Israel and family in Switzerland – Tina tried to arrange a passage out of Austria for her husband. Tragically, their efforts remained without success and Hermann was deported to Minsk in October 1942.

For more information on the Mandel Family Collection see the Keep catalog and browse by hierarchy.