Dr. Dr. Gerda von Mach
Who was Dr. Gerda von Mach, in whose memory the foundation was established?
Gerda von Mach was born on June 3, 1908 and died on November 3, 1991, was never married and had no children. She was exceptionally intelligent: As the child of a veterinarian and a well-to-do mother, she studied medicine and dentistry and earned doctorates in both fields. She attached great importance to the double doctorate. Her far-ranging interests led her to study the Greek and English languages and in particular the Christian religion.
Special circumstances led her to live in Cairo for some time, where she worked as a physician. There she got to know and love the Arab world and its culture. Her uncle, Dr. Karl Schmidt, was an advisor to her as an Egyptologist and author of numerous publications. She was very taken with Coptology and Egyptology, but also archeology.
For many years, she worked with the members and staff of the Jerusalemsverein – a Berlin-based Christian charity active in the Middle East and Palestine in particular – to find a way to support young people in or from the Middle East after her passing. Her connection to the Jerusalemsverein was further strengthened by two children whom she supported financially within the framework of the sponsorship program.
With her wealth she wanted to help members of the Christian minority in the Middle East receive a good education and gain the confidence to contribute to the development of their respective countries.
Unfortunately, Dr. von Mach did not live to see the foundation established. However, she bequeathed significant assets to the foundation, including a housing project she had initiated in the 1960s and on whose façade her coat of arms now hangs. These assets make it possible today to support a large number of young Arab Christians.
About me
“I was born on June 3, 1908 as the daughter of Dr. med. vet. Adolf Schmidt and his wife Anna Elise, née Grunack, in Berlin-Tempelhof.
I attended the Luise Henriette Lyceum in Tempelhof from April 1915 to April 1922, then the Humanistische Staatliche Augusta Gymnasium in Berlin-Schöneberg, from which I received my certificate of maturity with the mark “Auszeichnung” (Distinction) on March 3, 1928.
I then studied medicine and dentistry at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. After three semesters, I passed the dental examination, and after five semesters, the medical examination. I completed the dental state examination on December 17, 1931 and the medical state examination on February 28, 1934.
I received my doctorate on May 25, 1932 as Dr. med. dent. (Work: “On rhabdomyomas of the tongue” – with Dr. Sauerbruch at the Charité) and on March 15, 1935 – the day I was licensed to practice medicine – to Dr. med. (Work: “The surgical results in Dupuytren’s finger contracture” – Clinic Prof. Bier).
During my internship, I was already working as an assistant at the University Dental Clinic and Maxillofacial Clinic of the Charité with the approval of the Ministry of the Interior. From March 15, 1935 to December 15, 1937, I was employed as an assistant at the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic (head physician: Prof. von Eicken).
This was followed by one year of surgical work at the Achenbach Hospital in Berlin-Wilmersdorf and work in the clinic and practice of the university professor Dr. Adrion. I took over his specialist practice at Meinekestrasse 10 in Berlin-Charlottenburg in April 1943, as he himself had received an appointment as chief physician at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery in Tübingen.
In 1945, I lost my livelihood and apartment as a result of the war, and from 1945 to 1948 I worked as a specialist doctor for French agencies and troops in Lindau, Lake Constance.
In 1948 I went to Hamburg, where I received my Diplom degree as a physician specialized in tropical medicine (Tropeninstitut, Prof. Nauck). I then worked for two years in various governorates and private hospitals in Cairo and Alexandria at the request of the Egyptian Ministry of Hygiene and Health. The death of Dr. Marx, a specialist in dental, oral and maxillofacial diseases, made it possible for me to work in Berlin, so I returned to Berlin in 1952 and have my own specialist practice.”