us-005578-irn512846
type: RecordSet
archival history: Unknown
biographical history: Dr. Julius Kühl (Juliusz, Yehiel, 1913-1985) was born in Sanok, Poland (Galicia at the time). He moved to Switzerland and studied economics and the University of Zurich. At the outbreak of World War II he received a position at the Polish legation, which remained loyal to the Polish government-in-exile and was supervised by Aleksander Ładoś. Kühl was charged with aiding Polish soldiers in Swiss internment camps and Polish refugees from German-occupied countries, most of whom were Jewish or of Jewish descent. Kühl, Stefan Ryniewicz, and Konstanty Rokicki supervised an illegal market of Latin American passports used by Jewish refugees to claim neutrality and exemption from deportations. The group became known as the “Bernese Group” or “Ładoś Group.” Kühl saved hundreds of Jews by aiding them in obtaining passports and visas, aiding their passage into Switzerland, and working with Jewish organizations and prominent rescuers, including Isaak and Recha Sternburch. After the war, he received letters of praise from Jewish organizations, the British embassy, and the American military. He left the foreign service following the communist takeover in Poland, moved to the United States in the late 1940s, and then relocated to Canada where he ran a successful construction company. In 1980 he moved to Miami. He and his wife Yvonne Weill had four children.
has beginning date: 1929-01-01
has end date: 1982-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 2
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: ita
has or had some members with language: fra
has or had some members with language: dan
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had some members with language: heb
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had some members with language: nld
has or had some members with language: yid
has or had some members with language: pol
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn512846
record resource extent: boxes 6
record resource structure: The Julius Kühl collection is arranged in eight series: Series 1: General correspondence, 1937-1982 Series 2: Telegrams, 1941-1962 Series 3: Articles and clippings, 1933-1982 Series 4: Reports and pamphlets, 1931-1979 Series 5: Miscellaneous reports, 1929-1979 Series 6: Interview with Dr. Reuben Hecht by Professor Penkower, 1982 Series 7: Treblinka report, undated Series 8: Dr. Kühl’s autobiographical report, undated
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The Julius Kühl collection consists of photocopies of documents relating to the life and career of Dr. Julius Kühl, a diplomat employed at the Polish embassy in Bern during the War and, his assistance to hundreds of Jews fleeing Nazi tyranny. Records include general correspondence, telegrams, articles and clippings, reports and pamphlets, miscellaneous reports, Professor Penkower’s interview with Dr. Reuben Hecht, a Treblinka report, and Dr. Kühl’s autobiographical report. General correspondence relates principally to Julius Kühl's wartime service at the Polish embassy in Bern, and his efforts in cooperation with Jewish and other refugee organizations on behalf of refugees and internees in wartime Europe. A small amount of correspondence is from the postwar era. The material includes, but is not limited to, information about efforts to rescue Jews from Poland, Hungary, and Romania; attempts to send medical equipment and clothing to occupied Poland; work aimed at locating the whereabouts of refugee relatives in occupied France; and assistance to Jewish internees in Switzerland. The collection contains correspondence with or about prominent rescuers such as Saly Mayer, the Sternbuch family, and Raoul Wallenberg. Telegrams from Kühl's work at the Polish embassy in Bern relate to his role in assisting refugees and internees. The wartime cables document his work with Jewish and other organizations concerned with refugee affairs. The subjects of the cables include, but are not limited to, urgent pleas for immigration permits and passports, decisions of governments on entry permits for Jews, information about the deportation of notable citizens, attempts to finance the education of refugee children, and the hiding of children in gentile homes. Most of the postwar cables concern the whereabouts of Jews who were released from liberated camps. Articles and clippings from Swiss, Jewish, and international newspapers and magazines relate to Jewish affairs in Europe and Palestine…
title: Julius Kühl collection