Edith was born in Vienna, Austria on 9th June 1936. She lived with her parents Maria and Rudolf, and sister Liselotte in an apartment and office near Schonbrun Castle. Her father had a position as a family doctor. Edith’s parents were in a ‘mixed marriage’ – her mother was a Roman-Catholic and her father Jewish.
In March 1938 Hitler annexed Austria, the Anschluss, Edith’s father’s job was terminated and their home appropriated by the Nazis for use as a local party headquarters. The family had a sponsor and three out of the four visas to get to America but the fourth one was unavailable. Edith’s mother refused to split the family, so they embarked (overland to Paris and then by sea) to Lisbon to join Edith’s maternal aunt and uncle- Otto and Bertl Rixner and her cousin Paul. The family left Vienna in June 1938 and arrived in Portugal by early August. Edith’s paternal grandmother joined them in Portugal by 1939. By 1940 it began to look increasingly likely that Hitler would invade the Iberian Peninsula, so the American Consul started helping immigrants to emigrate to America. In May 1941 the family embarked by sea for the USA.
They went on an American liner converted into dormitory accommodation for refugees. They sailed into New York harbour after an eventful 12-day journey. A family friend from Austria met them and rented the family a one-bedroom apartment off Broadway. Edith’s mother took work in a factory and her father tried to learn English as fast as he could for he had to pass the New York State medical exams to re-qualify as a doctor. Edith and her sister started school in September 1941. She remembers being terrified that she’d need to go to the toilet, but she still spoke virtually no English. However, the teachers were incredibly patient and taught Edith English by doing ten minute naming sessions of objects.
The family received occasional reports through the Red Cross about relatives still in Vienna. Some family members survived, however, others on Edith’s father’s side died in concentration camps.
Later, Edith and her sister attended Hunter College High School. Edith became interested in politics and worked for the Volunteers for Stevenson in the 1952 presidential campaign. She took a degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and a master’s from Teachers College and embarked on a teaching career first in the USA and eventually in England.