Jacob Wuehl: Family correspondence

This collection consists of letters received by Jakob Wühl in London from members of his family, German speaking Jews of Polish nationality, who lived in Leipzig. Also included is correspondence between other family members. The family became victims of the 'Polen-Aktion', a series of expulsions and deportations in the earlier stages of the Holocaust. These events precede the November pogroms and never attracted much international attention despite the brutality involved. The collection thus highlights an early phase of the persecution of Jews which seems largely forgotten and overshadowed by later events.

A poignant aspect of the 'Polen-Aktion' was that among the deported were the parents of Herschel Grynspan, who in revenge shot the embassy secretary Ernst von Rath, which triggered the 'Kristallnacht'. Whilst the 'Polen-Aktion' hit all parts of the country, it was especially dramatic in Leipzig where a large number of Polish Jews lived.

The collection reflects the confusion and hurt experienced by the family's sudden expulsion, their hasty preparations for emigration, and the miseries and uncertainties of their lives in their new respective countries.