Samuel Mandl’s family came from Western Hungary and Lower Austria. Samuel, born in Mattersdorf in 1889, moved to Wiener Neustadt in 1919 and established a successful wine business at Deutschgasse 8, where the family also lived. In 1922, he brought his wife Marie and daughters Hedwig, Rosa, Grete and Gertrude over; later, Erwin, Helma and Erika were born. The deeply religious family was closely connected to the Jewish community, in which Samuel also played a leading role. After the Anschluss in 1938, their lives changed drastically: the children were expelled from school, the business was nationalised and Samuel was imprisoned. During the November pogroms, the family was assaulted, driven out and dispossessed. Without money, they tried to leave Austria.
With the help of Jewish organisations, some of the children managed to escape: son Erwin, Grete and Gertrude, and father Samuel were able to emigrate to Palestine, whilst Helma went to Denmark. Marie initially stayed behind to ensure the safety of all her children. Eventually, in 1939, she attempted to escape with Rosa and Erika via the so-called Kladovo transport. However, the journey failed and the refugees had to endure harsh conditions in Serbia. Only a few managed to continue their journey, including Erika. Marie and Rosa were forced to stay behind. Following the occupation of Yugoslavia in 1941, the remaining refugees were taken to the Šabac internment camp and forced into hard labour. Following a partisan attack in early October 1941, most of the refugees were executed at the Šabac camp or at the Zasavica concentration camp. Marie and Rosa Mandl were among the victims. Their eldest daughter, Hedwig, was also murdered during the Holocaust. She had married and moved to Hungary (where she took the name Steiner) and, whilst pregnant, was deported and murdered along with her two children.
