Leopold Levi Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection includes Levi's correspondence on issues that mainly refer to personal matters and to his activities in Jewish organizations, but also relate to the fate of his acquaintances and relatives during and after the Holocaust. The collection also contains documents relating to Levi's ancestors and to his personal fate; especially the emigration to the United States. With his efforts to emigrate to the United States legally Levi almost foundered in the sea of arbitrary bureaucracy of Nazi Germany and the countries he had chosen as transient destinations.
Among the collection's material are some documents that help understand the organizational structure and hierarchy of Jewish organizations, as they existed before and after the Nazis came into power. Some documents give information on the relations between Jewish organizations and governmental bodies in Wuerttemberg (e.g. the Wuerttembergische Ministerium fuer Kirchen- und Schulwesen). Such material will primarily be found in Series II.
Among the newspaper clippings are articles that were published in the Gemeinde Zeitung fuer die israelitischen Gemeinden Wuerttembergs, the Central-Verein-Zeitung, the Israelitisches Familienblatt, the Juedische Rundschau and in the Stuttgarter neues Tagblatt. All of these articles were printed in the time period 1930-1966.
Dates
- Creation: 1833-1986
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1933-1952
Creator
- Blumenthal, Luise Levi (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German and English.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Access Information
Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org
Biographical Note
Born in Buttenhausen on May 6, 1870, the merchant Leopold Levi, son of Moses Levi and Jeanette Levi née Heilbronner, was involved in various Jewish organizations in Stuttgart, where he had a clothing factory.
In 1897 he married Minna Levi née Stein, who was born in Nuremberg in 1876. They had four children.
Since November 1911, Levi was a member of the B'nai B'rith lodge of Stuttgart.
From 1919 to 1940 Levi worked for the Oberrat der Israelitischen Religionsgemeinschaft Wuerttembergs. Levi also served as an Oberkirchenvorsteher in the Oberkirchenbehoerde and as a member of the Israelitisches Gemeindevorsteheramt. In addition he was involved in the Chewra Kadischa and performed work for the Juedische Nothilfe.
His last speech which he held on July 4, 1940, he delivered during the last meeting of the Oberrat der Israelitischen Religionsgemeinschaft Wuerttembergs before its dissolution was enforced.
Leopold Levi and his family emigrated to the United States via Cuba. On August the 2nd, 1968, he died in New York.
Extent
0.75 Linear Feet
Abstract
Leopold Levi was a merchant in Stuttgart. Most of the material in this collection gives information on his activities for Jewish organizations and the Jewish Community in Wuerttemberg. Levi was a member of the Oberrat der Israelitischen Religionsgemeinschaft Wuerttembergs (from 1919 to 1940) and of the Israelitisches Gemeindevorsteheramt. He also was an Oberkirchenvorsteher in the Oberkirchenbehoerde and he was active in the Chewra Kadischa. Furthermore he assisted the Juedische Nothilfe. During the years 1941-1943 he succeeded to immigrate to the United States. He died in 1968 in New York.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in five series:
- Series I: Documents from Leopold Levi's ancestors and acquaintances, 1833-1986
- Series II: Jewish organizations and Jewish Community, 1913-1940
- Series III: Jews from Wuerttemberg in the Holocaust and after World War II, 1945-1960
- Series IV: Emigration, 1938-1943
- Series V: Published material, 1899-1966
Microfilm
This collection is on two reels of microfilm (MF 1101):
- Reel 1: 1/1 - 1/11
- Reel 2: 1/12 - 2/1
Separated Material
A photo album with portraits of members of the Oberrat has been removed to the photograph collection.
Subject
- Levi, Leopold, 1870-1968 (Person)
- Oberrat der Israeliten Württembergs (Germany) (Organization)
- Reichsvertretung der Deutschen Juden (Organization)
Genre / Form
- Brochures
- Calendars (documents)
- clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Eulogies (documents)
- Leaflets (printed works)
- manuscripts (documents)
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Official documents
Geographic
- Buttenhausen (Germany)
- Cuba -- Emigration and immigration
- Stuttgart (Germany)
- United States -- Emigration and immigration
- Württemberg (Germany)
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of Leopold Levi (1870-1968) 1833-1986 AR 7041 / MF 1101
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Matthias Hertle
- Date
- © 2010
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from LeopoldLevi.xml
Revision Statements
- June 2011.: Microfilm inventory added.
- February 20, 2015 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository