Regine Pollak

Regine was born in Bratislava, and is listed in the 1848 census held in Bratislava as Regina Obernbreit, 22 years old and of Hungarian Nationality. Her DOB mentioned there is 1826. She got married in 1847 and moved to Vienna sometime between that year and 1852, the year her first child, Eleonore, was born in Vienna.

One of the belated consequences of the 1848 revolution was the permission granted in 1852 to establish a Jewish Community of Vienna (“Israelitische Kultusgemeinde”). David and Regine where amongst the first members of this community.

Regine lived under the reign of the following Emperors: Franz Ferdinand, Franz Josef and Karl, as well as under the Republic (1918). She died shortly afterwards.

Most of her life in Vienna she resided on Grosse Schiffgasse 6 (Bezirk II).

She died at: Grosse Mohrengasse 23, Wien.

The Schiff Schul

Being extremely wealthy, Regina and David contributed to the building of Khal Adas Yisroel Synagogue (its opening was on 16.9.1864), usually referred to as the Schiff Shul, which was the main Orthodox synagogue in Vienna prior to the Holocaust. It was built on a plot donated by the couple.

The synagogue no longer exists since it was destroyed by the Nazis on Kristallnacht. A small shul currently exists at the former site that is called "Bet Hamidrasch Tora Etz Chayim". There is also a memorial plaque at this site that states "This Jewish place of worship was destroyed by the Nazis in the pogrom of November 1938."

The Synagogue was located on Grosse Schiffgasse 8 in the second district of Vienna known as Leopoldstadt, next to Regine's residence.