Berlin, Germany – An 88-year-old Berliner, who was expelled from university by the Nazis because of his Jewish ancestry just before his final examination in 1943, has just now received his diploma with a 65-year delay.
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The president of Berlin’s Technical University, Kurt Kutzler, personally awarded Dimitri Stein with his Ph.D. in electrical engineering after he passed the final oral exam earlier this month — 65 years after the Nazis threw him out.
“After the war, Mr. Stein asked the Technical University whether he could re-enrol for his examination but he was turned down,” a university spokesman said in a statement, referring to Stein’s attempts in the early 1950s to finish his degree.
“In August, after hearing about this shameful incident, the faculty’s administration decided that the only way to make up for this injustice was to allow him to take the exam now.”
In front of a panel of examiners, Stein week answered probing questions — adapted to academic standards of the 1940s — about his 1943 thesis.
“Although much of his dissertation was lost during the war, some of it was preserved in an academic journal,” the university said. “Instead of basing our questions on the original manuscript, we therefore based them on this article.”
Stein survived the Holocaust in hiding with the help of his professor and in 1947 emigrated to the United States, where he worked as an engineer and academic. He was also a businessman.
B”H!
Better late than never! Mazel tov on the degree! If only all would admit that evil things perpetrated against Jews were “shameful incidents,” as this university’s faculty has done. They should be applauded for this gesture while the person is still alive.
Mazel Tov Mr. Stein! My relatives left Germany in the 1920’s as they saw what was coming. Be vigilant as the former East Germany has many anti semites. I was there and saw the grafitti near Leipzig. Nazis are not dead…just in hibernation waiting for another chance to blame Jews for their self inflicted misery.
I don’t understand….what was a Jew doing attending a German university in 1943 in the middle of the war? Weren’t everyone sent to camps long before then?!
I am confused, whats the big deal, if you tell me he became a Godol Hdor Its a big deal, but his, whats he going to do with the diploma at age 88
You are incorrect. According to the standard description of events, the expulsions included anyone who fit the category of Jew, remember? Of course the truth be known, this did not include 200,000 soldiers who had Jewish blood. See Bryan Mark Rigg’s book, Hitler’s Jewish Soldiers. He also wrote a book describing how the Maharitz of Lubavitch was able to leave Europe because of cooperation of German officials. Amazing stuff.
can they please give him a job as well