Summary Information
Herman Weil Papers
1929-1992
UWM Manuscript Collection 243
- 8 cubic ft. (10 boxes)
- plus additions of 1 cubic ft. (1 box)
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Collection consists of scrapbooks compiled by Herman Weil
documenting primarily his academic career and role in Milwaukee's Jewish community as well
as documents relating to Weil and his family's immigration to the U.S. The collection
includes the original copy of the U.S. immigrant identification card issued to Weil on
November 21, 1938 and a letter from Albert Einstein translated from German.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0243 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Herman Weil, the first chair of the UWM Psychology Department and the first director of the
Honors Program, died on August 6, 1995 at the age of 89 at the Jewish Home for the Aged. An
academic leader at UWM, he also was a leader in Milwaukee's Jewish community.
His scholarly specialty was the psychology of prejudice, a subject he knew well through his
own experience in Nazi Germany. Later, in Milwaukee, he was well known for his work in
intergroup relations and human rights, and he moderated a series on modern psychology on
WMVS-TV.
A native of Alsace-Lorraine, Weil earned a doctor of psychology degree at the University of
Marburg in Germany, and worked with the prominent philosopher-theologian Martin Buber in
Frankfurt. Weil came to the United States in 1938, after a short imprisonment at the
Buchenwald concentration camp.
He was a professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering before joining Milwaukee State
Teachers College, a predecessor of UWM, in 1943. He also taught part-time at
Milwaukee-Downer College. He served several years as an associate dean in the College of
Letters and Science. He retired from UWM in 1976.
In 1986, he received an honorary doctor of public service degree from UWM. In 1994, Weil
was among the first group of individuals honored by having their names listed on the Ernest
Spaights Plaza on the UWM campus. Among many other awards that Weil received were the
Interfaith Award of the Milwaukee B'nai B'rith Council and the Wisconsin Brotherhood Award
of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. In 1988, he was honored by the City of
Frankfurt, Germany. He held leadership positions in many professional and community
organizations, and maintained these commitments to the end of his life. (Source: UWM Report, vol. 16, no. 7 [1995]: 3).
Scope and Content Note
The bulk of the scrapbooks falls between the years 1950 and 1990. The articles and
clippings that comprise the scrapbooks document Weil's public speeches, appearances, and
writings, focusing on his administrative accomplishments and research at UWM, as well as his
prominent role in Milwaukee's Jewish community. One scrapbook documents Weil's trip to
Germany to help establish a school in Schuldorf. The collection has a letter and documents
relating to his imprisonment at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp and documents that track
his arrival to Milwaukee.
The bulk of the 2022-012 accession comprises correspondence between family in German and
correspondence and other records meant to facilitate immigration of Weil's family to the US
from 1939-1943. The records include previous school records, financial records, affidavits,
and other materials. There are also documents relating to his imprisonment and his release
from Buchenwald concentration camp but none of them describe the conditions of Buchenwald or
other concentration camps.
Arrangement of the Materials
Clippings in the scrapbooks are arranged in general chronological order.
Documents from accession 2022-012 are arranged chronologically and by function in keeping
with original order.
The collection contains a number of additional accessions.
Preferred Citation
Citation Guide for Primary Sources
Related Material in the UWM Libraries
Administrative/Restriction Information
There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all
members of the public in accordance with state law.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin
Statutes 19.21-19.39).
Acting on behalf of the estate of Herman Weil, Clinton DeWitt facilitated donation of the
scrapbooks in March 1997 (accession 1996-035). In May 2008, the College of Nursing donated
miscellaneous materials including Weil's 1938 immigrant identification card (accession
2007-062). In August 2022, the Weil Family (Maddie, Michael and Gunther) donated 1 box,
accession 2022-012.
Ryan Claringbole processed the collection at the Archives in January 2007 (Michael Doylen
supervised). Michael Doylen added accession 2007-062 in May 2008. V Church processed and
add accession 2022-012 in October 2022 (Derek Webb supervised).
Records in accession 2022-012 folder 25 were returned to the donor in January 2023 after
digitization.
Contents List
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UWM Manuscript Collection 243
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Records, 1938-1992
8 cubic ft. (10 boxes)
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Box
1
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Scrapbooks, 1938-1944
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Box
2
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Scrapbooks, 1944-1948
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, 1949
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, 1950
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, 1951
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, 1952
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, 1953
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, 1954
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Box
3
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Scrapbooks, Schuldorf, Germany, 1954
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1955
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1956
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1957
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1958
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1959
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1960
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1961
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Box
4
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Scrapbooks, 1962
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1963
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1964
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1965
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1966
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1967
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1968
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Box
5
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Scrapbooks, 1969-1970
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1971
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1972
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1973
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1974
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1975
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1976
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Box
6
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Scrapbooks, 1977
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1978
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1979
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1980
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Box
8
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Scrapbooks, 1981
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Box
9
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Scrapbooks, 1982
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1983
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1984
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1985
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Box
7
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Scrapbooks, 1986
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Box
10
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Scrapbooks, 1987
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Box
10
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Scrapbooks, 1988
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Box
10
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Scrapbooks, 1989
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Box
10
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Scrapbooks, 1990
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Box
10
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Scrapbooks, 1991
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Box
10
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Scrapbooks, 1992
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Box
10
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Immigrant Identification Card, 1938 November
21
Framed item
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Accession 2022-012
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Additions, 1929-1971
Additions are materials dating from 1929-1970. The bulk of the collection is in
German with some correspondence in English. Materials relate to actions taken to help
family emigrate from Germany as well as correspondence between Herman and institutions
for employment. There is a letter sent by Herman from Buchenwald but does not depict or
describe the camp. There are documents and transcripts sent from the Nazi regime with
the watermakered crest. Please be advised when viewing in the reading room.
1 cubic ft. (1 box)
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Folder
22
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Berta Weil, 1957
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Folder
18
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Career and Education, 1924-1971
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Correspondence
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Folder
20
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Albert Einstein, Translated, 1946
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Folder
21
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Associate Deanship, 1967-1971
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Folder
8
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Immigration Fund, 1940-1943
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Folder
17
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Job Search, 1939-1941
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Folder
7
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Leopold and Selma Weil Immigration Aid,
1939-1940
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Folder
1-4
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Letters, Postcards, 1939
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Folder
11-12
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Shipping Companies, 1941-1943
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Folder
5
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Translated, 1941
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Folder
19
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Family and Early Life, 1964
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Folder
13-14
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Finance, 1939-1943
: German Language
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Folder
9-10
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Funds and Repayments, 1941-1943
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Folder
23
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German Reparation and Law Booklets, 1967-1973
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Folder
15
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Immigration Cases, 1940-1941
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Folder
16
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Nazi Minister for Science, Art, and Education,
1933-1938
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Folder
6
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Search for Parents, 1939-1948
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Folder
24
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UWM Oral History Project Herman Weil Transcript, 1978
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