For days, we’ve been haunted by the touching story of the homeless Holocaust survivor who donated $100,000 to Hebrew University upon her death. Why would someone tough it out on the unforgiving streets of New York when they could easily afford an apartment? What are we missing? What mysterious secrets of life aren’t you telling us!?! Well, none, it turns out. The “homeless” woman in question, Ida Fischer, actually had a one-bedroom apartment in Turtle Bay, with walls and a door and everything. She was an “eccentric hippie” who loved New York and seducing men. Perhaps the confusion over her dwelling status came from the fact that she “was just not fashion conscious,” as one friend says. Maybe Hebrew University just wanted to sex up this story to attract media attention. We don’t know. Regardless — what a letdown.
Eccentric hippie’ who donated fortune, Ida Fischer, had megabucks to match a huge heart [NYDN]
