Julius (1902-1989) and Helen Kahn (1902-1992) Weil left Germany for the United States in the late 1930s to escape mounting Nazi persecution of Jews. Julius emigrated in 1937 and his wife, Helen, with their two young children followed the next year. After a brief stay in New York City, they settled in the Cleveland, Ohio, area in 1941 where their professional work in the fields of geriatrics and social work earned national and international recognition. Born in Steinfurth, Germany, Dr. Julius Weil (Ph.D., clinical psychology, University of Munich) spent his early professional career in the field of child care, as director of institutions for dependent and delinquent youth. His later career, from 1941 on, was devoted to work with the aging. He was executive director of Montefiore Home, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, from 1941-1968. From 1969-1985 he served as president of the Cornelia Schnurmann Foundation, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, a non-profit housing community for senior citizens. Dr. Weil was founder of the Ohio Association of Homes for the Aging and one of the founders of the North American Jewish Homes for the Aging. Helen (nee Kahn) Weil, born in Breisach, Germany, received vocational training in teaching and social work in Freiburg and was employed as a social worker in an institute for delinquent children in Munich. After emigrating to the United States, she continued her education. In 1943, she earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, with the added distinction of being the school's first woman graduate. She was granted a Master of Social Work degree by Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs. Weil served as director of Social Services at Montefiore Home, 1943-1968, and director of Social Services at Schnurmann House beginning in 1969. She also taught courses in gerontology at Western Reserve University.
The Julius and Helen K. Weil Papers, Series II, 1908-1991, consist of clippings, correspondence, family records, professional papers, and restitution claims. The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.
The clipping file contains items that relate to both Julius and Helen. The correspondence file, in English and German, relate to either Helen or Julius, where noted, or to both. Family records, in German, for the Kahn and Weil families include information on births and deaths, a list of Holocaust victims, and a Weil family history. Professional items consist of Helen's professional papers and script of talks and Julius' doctoral dissertation. The restitution claims files cover claims made to the Federal German Republic by Helen and Julius, jointly, and by Hermine Cahn, Helen's sister for losses suffered in Germany during the government of the National Socialists.
This collection is of value to researchers interested in the development of gerontology and social services for the elderly. In addition, researchers interested in tracing the lives of German-Jewish refugees in America will find significant material.
This collection is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.
Photographs have been removed to the photograph and print collection.
The researcher should also consult MS 4499 Julius and Helen K. Weil Papers; MS 3835 Montefiore Home Records; MS 4455 Montefiore Home Records, Series II; and MS 4662 Montefiore Home Records, Series III.
Processed by Louis Rosenblum in 1996
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ Julius and Helen K. Weil Papers, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gabi Weil Hays, 1994
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.