Ernst Heppner

Ernst Heppner (born September 4, 1891 in Koschmin ; † December 16, 1973 in Jerusalem ) was a doctor .

Life and work in Germany

Ernst Heppner was the son of a district rabbi with a doctorate. He studied medicine at the universities in Munich , Berlin and Heidelberg . With the beginning of the First World War he interrupted his studies and served as a war volunteer in Berlin, including as a doctor in hospitals . He then completed his studies at the university there in 1915 with a license to practice medicine. In 1918 Heppner became a senior physician. He went through surgical training in several hospitals, including as an assistant doctor at the Jewish Hospital Berlin .

In 1919 Heppner married and went to Hamburg. In the same year he received his doctorate from Hamburg University . In 1921 he got a job as Hermann Kümmell's assistant in the 1st surgical department of the Hamburg-Eppendorf hospital . At Hamburg University he worked as the first assistant at the anatomical institute. He received another job at the Jerusalem Deaconess House, where he worked as a gynecologist until 1923. In 1924, Heppner completed his medical training. In Eppendorf , he founded his own practice as a specialist in surgery and gynecology. The practice was located at Lenhartzstrasse 1. In 1928 he bought a practice from Dr. Ludwig Seeligmann, who was in Esplanade 88. In the same year he was approved as a gynecologist for the general local health insurance fund and received an offer to purchase a building plot in Wandsbek-Marienthal . Heppner accepted the offer and moved there with his wife and three children in 1929. The house was located at Rennbahnstraße 48, today Bovestraße 44. Due to the good development of his practice, Heppner opened another branch. This practice in Wandsbek was at Schloßstraße 32.

Due to the boycott of Jews , members of the SA put a poster in the front garden of Heppner's house on April 1, 1933. “Jewish doctors do not leave German health to you!” Was the title. Heppner asked to be allowed to photograph the poster, which was unusually brave. The resulting photograph, which is now privately owned, can be seen as unique for Hamburg. Since he was considered a “ non-Aryan ”, Heppner's license to register was withdrawn two months later. The private practice operated by Heppner had been frequently visited by the wives of senior civil servants up to this point. Since the offices were required to stop paying Jewish doctors' bills, Heppner lost another important source of income. Since his income was no longer sufficient to cover a living, Heppner had to sell the household effects, which consisted of valuable furniture, carpets and a collection of pictures, for less. The family's home and property were foreclosed two months later. In February 1934, Ernst Heppner had to leave the house in Marienthal with his wife and children. They moved into a small apartment at Hansastrasse 38. The doctor received only a few patients here.

Heppner had already dealt with Zionism in the 1920s and toured Palestine with his wife . Due to the difficult situation, he intensified his efforts to be able to emigrate there. However, he did not have sufficient financial means to be able to receive an entry certificate. Heppner also had to pay taxes. The tax office finally granted Heppner a loan. After the Jewish Agency for Israel had issued a free “honorary certificate” and Heppner's father supported the project financially, the family was able to leave Hamburg in September 1934.

Emigration and meanwhile return to Germany

The family moved to Jerusalem . Ernst Heppner opened a small practice there in a two-room apartment. However, the income was insufficient to support the family. In the meantime, Heppner therefore worked as a doctor on ships that operated between Haifa and Trieste . He also practiced in several hospitals. Heppner's wife took on work in the house and kitchen, while Heppner looked after the children. She made a significant contribution to the family's livelihood.

Ernst Heppner already had psychological problems in Germany due to the persecution of the Jews. Since the family's situation in Jerusalem was permanently tense, Heppner developed a depression. In 1939/40 he went to Belgium . Here he obtained forged papers that were supposed to enable his sister and her family to leave Germany. In 1945/46 Heppner's financial situation improved. However, when he learned that five of his sisters had been killed during World War II and only two had managed to escape from Germany, the depression intensified. For this reason, Heppner was only able to work to a limited extent.

In 1955 Heppner returned to Germany to be treated at the Eppendorf University Hospital. The treatment was successful. At the same time, he tried to get compensation and a pension from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. The rules of the association since 1948 provided that doctors who had given up a practice were only entitled to corresponding payments if they could prove ten years of uninterrupted activity for the fund. Since the rules did not provide for any exception for people who had to temporarily interrupt their medical work due to a departure from Germany, Heppner was not entitled to any retirement benefits. In order to still be able to receive this, he returned to Hamburg with his wife at the age of 65. He opened a practice at Pfenningsbusch 15 in Barmbek-Süd . The couple later lived here.

In 1961 the couple returned to Jerusalem. Ernst Heppner died here in December 1973.

literature

• Astrid Louven: Heppner, Ernst . In: Franklin Kopitzsch, Dirk Brietzke (Hrsg.): Hamburgische Biographie . tape 4 . Wallstein, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8353-0229-7 , pp. 150-151 .