Julius Kühl: Personal and official papers and correspondence

Identifier
WL615
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 70562
Dates
1 Jan 1935 - 31 Jan 1982
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Through his position as consular officer at the Polish legation in Bern, Switzerland, Julius Kühl played an important role as a conduit for news about the persecution and murder of Jews in Nazi- occupied Europe and assisted Jewish relief organisations in their efforts to effect the rescue of Europe's Jews. The papers in this collection document the activities of Jewish relief organisations during the war; shed light on foreign governments' policies with respect to the reception of Jewish refugees and provide evidence for the spread of Nazi persecution throughout many European countries both through reports and articles and by the testimony of individuals. Julius Kühl is described as having come from a very good Chassidic family in (Sanok?) Poland (615/1/5) from where he moved to Switzerland in early childhood (615/1/6). He completed his doctorate on Polish-Swiss trade relations in the summer of 1939 at the University of Bern. From 1938 until the end of the war he was employed by the Polish Consular service, Bern. Thanks to a sympathetic head of Consular service, Alexander Lados, a non-Jew, and with the use of the diplomatic pouch, Kühl was able to circumvent state censorship enabling news about the murder of Jews to reach America and to facilitate communication between Jewish relief organisations in their attempts to rescue Jews.

In 1949 he moved to America with his Swiss-born wife and 2 children where he eventually became a property developer

During the course of his war-time activities he formed close ties with a number of individuals and organisations intent on rescuing Europe's Jews. There follows a brief description of two of those organisations which feature most prominently in this collection

The Hilfsverein für jüdische Flüchtlinge im Shanghai (HIJEFS) was founded by Recha Sternbuch and her husband, Isaac, in 1941, with the objective of assisting rabbinical students who had fled to the Far East. It soon expanded its activities to include the provision of passports to non-religious Jews from many European countries and changed its name to Hilfsverein für jüdische Flüchtlinge im Ausland. Va'ad Hahatsala was established in 1939 and was based in the USA at the offices of its parent body, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States. It was an emergency committee formed initially to provide financial support to more than 20 Talmudic academies which had left Poland for Lithuania. It continued to provide relief throughout the war to Jews all over Europe. It had offices in Montreux, Switzerland. Both Julius Kühl and Isaac Sternbuch were on the committee.

Archival History

The papers were deposited by Julius Kühl via Walter Laqueur some time in 1982. They are all photocopies of originals.

Acquisition

Donated 1982

Donor: Julius Kühl

System of Arrangement

For correspondence from and to HIJEFS see 615/2/ and 615/3/. For reports and other documentation produced by HIJEFS see 615/4/. For correspondence from and to Va'ad Hahatsala see 615/2/- and 615/3/-. The Julius Kuhl papers have now been arranged chronologically into the following classes: -/1 Personal papers; -/2 Correspondence; -/3 Telegrams; -/4 Miscellaneous material from Jewish relief organisations; -/5 Unpublished reports; -/6 Personal accounts; -7 Essays; -/8 Miscellaneous documents; -/9 Unidentifiable and incomplete documents.

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Related Units of Description

  • There were a number of copy newspapers, newspaper extracts and pamphlets which have also been listed and placed in the appropriate series with a note of their bibliographical reference.


    In addition the following copy journal articles and pamphlets were also part of the deposit. These have been catalogued in the periodicals and journals series respectively; the catalogue entries follow the bibliographical details.


    Series of bulletins reporting on the trial of 'The Protocols of Zion', 1935, Nos. 1-23 (13 and 19 missing) there are also other papers connected to the trial which are best kept together.

    Britische Legation, Bern- Presse Abteilung. Britische Presse- Kommentare Victory Ausgabe Nr. 309 17.5.2000
    Misc B Bri WLA 894

    Jewish Observer and Middle East Review 22.7.1955 Vol IV No.29
    Misc B Jew WLA 916

    Jüdische Presszentrale 13.8.1937 S3 Nr 954 'Die Ansiedlung deutscher Juden in Palästina durch die Jewish Agency'
    Misc B Jue WLA 897

    OMANUT Blätter für jüdische Kunst und Literatur Nr. 10/11 July- Aug 1942
    Misc B OMA WLA 896

    Israelitisches Wochenblatt für die Schweiz Nr 35 28.8.1942
    Misc B Isr WLA 895

    Jüdisk Krönika Nr 1 1981
    added to other issues

    La Verite sur les Juifs- La persecution des juifs en Belgique sous l'occupation allemande de 1940 a 1944 by H Singer
    OSP1172 82962 also on film: 174/K482

    Palästina 1941- Dr Fritz Ullmann- Ein konstruktiven Programm, published by Genfer Buro der Jewish Agency for Palastine
    OSP1173 82978

    From: 'Nachalath Z'wi' V Heft 4/5/6 'Rabbiner Hirsch als Wegweiser in die Jüdische Geschichte'
    Misc B Nac WLA 893

    From 'Nachalath Z'wi' V Heft 7/8 'Nochmals Kenesseth Jissrael'
    Misc B Nac WLA 892

    Jüdisches Nachrictenblatt, Wien, Nos 47, 49-53, 20.11.1942- 31 12.1942
    on film

    Jüdisches Nachricthenblatt, Prague, Nos 51-52, 18-31.12.1942
    on film

    Der Bund, No. 337 23.7.1939
    Press cuttings

    Resistance- Organe du Mouvement de Liberation Nationale- 'Le Terrorisme d'Etat'
    Misc B Res

    Medina Iwrit 19.6.1945- The Jewish State
    Misc B Med WLA 898

    Voor de Joodse Jeugd een Vrije Toekomst!, 20 Jhg. No. 2

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok I Nr 24, 11 Oct 1940, first page only

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok I Nr 27, 21 Oct 1940, first page only

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok I Nr 38, 29 Nov 1940

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok Nr 46, 27 Dec 1940

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok II Nr 4, 14 Jan 1941

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok II Nr 15, 21 Lutego 1941

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok II Nr 28, 8 Apr 1941, first page only

    Wladomosci Polskie, Rok IV Nr 45, 7 Nov 1943

    The Congress Bulletin: A weekly review of Jewish interests, isued by the American Jewish Congress, 22 Nov 1940

    Resistance: organe du mouvement de la libération nationale, nd

    Schweizer Illustrierte- dossier Holocaust, Nr 19, 7.5.1979

    Der Eiserne Besen, Zürich, 2 Jahrgang Nr 34, 26 May 1933

    Cahiers de la France Nouvelle, Numero 1, Les Juifs en France, nd

    Jüdische Rundschau, Jerusalem, Jahrgang II Nr 7, 19 Feb 1940

    Das Neue Israel: Zeitschrift fürPolitik, Kultur und Wirtschaft, Zurich, Jahrgang I Heft 6, 25 Aug 1948

    Informations de Palestine, No. 68/ 71, 15 Dec 1938

    Notre Voix, No. 76, Sep 1944


    World Jewish Congress: News and Views, Vol VI No. 3, Feb 1982

    La Delivrance, No. 10, Lausanne, Oct 1941

    Berlin Börsen Zeitung, 89 Jahrgang No. 328, 15 Jul 1943

    Jerusalem, Vol XXII No. 18, 21 Jan 1943

    Die Weltwoche, Jahrgang 6 No. 222, 11 Feb 1938- page 2 only

    Kauener Zeitung, Jahrgang 2 No. 149, 27 Jun 1942

    Aufbau, Vol 5 No. 21, New York, 15 Nov 1939

    Journal de Montreux, No. 136, 14 Jun 1945- page 1 only

    W Drodze, Rok II No. 8, 16 Apr 1944

    Free Europe, May 3 1940, pp257-258

    Dziennik Polski, 28 Feb 1941- front page

    La Tribune de Geneve, 29 Jul 1948, p. 7

    Die Nation, vol?, No.?, p.3

    Minsker Zeitung, 25 Nov 1942, p.3

    Frontabschnitt Saar, No.4, 1 Jahrgang, 23 Dec 1934, 2 pages

    Berliner Tageblatt, Nr. 55/56, 67 Jahrgang, 3 Feb 1938, pp1-2

    Deutsche Freiheit, Nr. 285, Jahrgang 2, 21 Dec 1934 front page

    Freies Volk, Nr. 40, Jahrgang 20, 2 oct 1942, front page

    Jüdische Presszentrale, Nr. 950, 16 Jul 1937, p. 2

    Die Front, Nr. 193, 5 Jahrgang, 19 Aug 1937, front page

    Berner Tagblatt, Nr. 269, 50 Jahrgang, 15 Nov 1936

    Länder und Völker, ?, front page

    'Das unsterbliche Polen' from ?, pp15-16

    New York Mirror, 6 articles Dec 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 1945

    Die Nation, ?, p.3

    Die Nation, Nr. 31, 10 Jahrgang, date ?

    Die Nation, Nr 32, 10 Jahrgang, 13 Aug 1942

    Wille und macht, Jahrgang 9, Heft 13, 1 Jul 1941

    The Polish news, 7 Nov 1943, Rok IV, Nr. 45

    Jewish Life, Vol XXXII, No. 1, Sep- Oct 1964

    'Bevin hat sich in den Kopf gesetzt, das Palästina Problem zu lösen' from ?

    Servir, No. 7, 16 Feb 1945

    Sie und er, Nr. 48, 21 Jahrgang, 30 Nov 1945

    Notre Voix, No. 7, 8 Oct 1944

    Dowodca Dywizji Mowi, ?

    Renaissance, premiere annee, No. 1, 15 Sep 1944

    Renaissance, premiere annee, No. 5, 27 Oct 1944

    Unser Wort, 14 Oct 1944

    Unser Wort, 24 Oct 1944

    Aufbau, Jan 23 1942, p. 12

    Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 21 Feb 1938, front page

    Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 21 Sep 1942, front page

    Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 20 Jun 1943

    Israelitisches Wochenblatt, Nr. 6, Jahrgang 38, 11 Feb 1938

    Israelitisches Wochenblatt, Nr. 7, Jahrgang 38, 18 Feb 1938

    Israelitisches Wochenblatt, Nr. 8, Jahrgang 38, 25 Feb 1938

    Israelitisches Wochenblatt, Nr. 2, Jahrgang 39, 13 Jan 1939

    Israelitisches Wochenblatt, Nr. 41, Jahrgang 41, 10 Oct 1941

    Die Weltwoche, Nr.498, Jahrgang 11, 28 May 1943, p. 7

    Polska Walczaca, Nr. 23, p. 3, date?

    Wladomosci Polskie, Nr. 30 (176), date?, p4.

    10 x Heberew newspapers/ articles

    Gazeta Zydowska, Rok II, Nr. 5, 17 Stycznia 1941

    Der Berner Prozess um die 'Protokolle der Reisen von Zion' bulletins 1-23 (13, 19 missing) + sundry related papers

    Pamphlets

    The Camp of Death, a translation of a pamphlet published in Poland's underground by the 'Movement of the Working Masses of Poland', July 1944

    The Warsaw Ghetto, date?

    Je vous hais!, 15 Apr 1944

People

Subjects

Places

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.