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TwitterA Life Between Worlds: In Memory of Elfriede “Elfi” Hendell (1932-2026)
On 19 February 2026, Elfriede Hendell, née Strauber, passed away in New York at the age of 93. Her life story is exemplary of the fate of many Austrian Jews who were expelled after 1938 and of a generation-spanning rapprochement with Austria.
Childhood and flight
Born on 24 November 1932 in Vienna, Elfriede was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. Her carefree childhood came to an abrupt end with the “Anschluss” in 1938. At the age of seven, she experienced the traumatic flight to Italy; on the train, she was responsible for keeping her two-year-old sister Marian quiet so as not to attract the attention of their persecutors.
After years of uncertainty in fascist Italy – first in the Ferramonti di Tarsia internment camp, then in hiding at various locations – an unexpected chance of salvation materialised in 1944: Elfriede and her family were among the approximately 1,000 “guests” of President Roosevelt who boarded the USNS Henry Gibbins for passage to the United States. The crossing was perilous. During a submarine alert on the open sea, eleven-year-old Elfi was briefly separated from her mother and refused to board a lifeboat without her.
Arrival and "Safe Haven"
Elfi Hendell later spoke of her relief on seeing the lights of Manhattan, but also recalled how the arrivals were not allowed to enter New York City, but were taken directly to Fort Ontario, to the “Safe Haven” refugee camp in Oswego. For those among the refugees who had experienced concentration camps, the sight of the camp fences triggered fear and alarm. For Elfi, however, the camp also became the site of a fateful encounter: she saw David Hendell again there, whom she had met in Rome – at the age of 18, Elfi married her childhood sweetheart and they moved to Manhattan.
The marriage produced two children, but Elfie and David later separated. After the divorce, a new chapter in Elfi’s life began: as a single mother, she embarked on an impressive academic career, completing graduate studies and devoting most of her adult life to her work as a psychotherapist.
However, Elfi always remained connected to her former homeland Austria, spoke fluent German with friends from the “old world” and even retained her Viennese accent. Although the memories of the Holocaust accompanied her like a constant shadow and train journeys caused her panic throughout her life, she returned to Austria several times to show her children her former homeland.
Coming full circle: Avital and Team Austria
Elfriede was particularly proud of her granddaughter Avital Carroll, who, in the 21st century, has brought the family full circle: as a descendant of a survivor, Avital took on the Austrian citizenship of her ancestors who were persecuted in the Holocaust.
Today, Avital represents the country her grandmother had to flee as a top-flight athlete in the national mogul skiing team. The fact that she won Austria’s first World Championship medals in this discipline in Bakuriani in 2023 was “a miracle” for the family. Avital often maintains: “Grandma is the reason we all ski.”
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Intergenerational dialogue: “From repression to remembrance”
A few years ago, the National Fund was honoured to pay tribute to Elfriede Hendell’s eventful life at a panel discussion in New York, where her daughter Deborah and granddaughter Avital spoke about the burden and opportunities occasioned by their family history. It became clear that Elfriede Hendell’s story did not end with her flight, but found a new, hope-filled dimension in the return of subsequent generations.
Our deepest sympathies go out to her family in New York and Israel. Elfriede Hendell will always have an esteemed place in Austria’s collective memory.