Seligsohn Kroner Family Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Seligsohn Kroner Family Collection consists of material that reflects the life and work of the philosopher Richard J. Kroner (1884-1974), his wife Alice Kroner, nee Kauffmann (1885-1968), their daughter Gerda M. Seligsohn (1909-2002), and their son-in-law Rabbi Rudolf Seligsohn (1909-1943). The collection also contains material about members of the Born, Eger, Heymann, Kauffmann, Kroner and Seligsohn families. Members of these families represented here include Max Born, the Noble Prize winner for Physics in 1954, and the immediate family of Alice Kroner: her parents, Max and Luise Kauffmann and sister Cläre Kauffmann.
The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, and documents the thoughts of Jewish intellectuals from the very beginning of the Nazi period. In particular, the letters in Subgroup III written by Rudolf Seligsohn to his wife Gerda from 1932 until his death in 1943, provide a window into the experiences of a rabbi in Nazi Germany. The first subgroup contains papers that reflect on the fate of Jewish professor and philosopher Richard Kroner, who was forced to relinquish his teaching position, and go into exile.
In addition to correspondence, the collection also contains other documentation of members of the Kroner and Seligsohn families. Some official records, such as death certificates, university degrees, or military service certificates are available in the "Personal" series (Series 1) in Subgroups I-IV. Contained in the collection are the writings of several individuals, as well. These include published articles by Richard Kroner, sermons by Rudolf Seligsohn, and the dissertations of Rudolf and Gerda Seligsohn. Extensive lecture notes used by Richard Kroner in Germany and the United States will be found in Subgroup I; prominent topics in the notes include the beliefs of various philosphers and major themes in philosophy. Subgroup VI contains many photographs of family members as well as a photo album and artwork.
The name Seligsohn, originally spelled with an "h," appears after the emigration from Germany without the letter "h," spelled Seligson. To avoid confusion, however, in this finding aid the name continuously includes an "h."
Dates
- 1850-1990
- Majority of material found within 1935-1974
Creator
- Kroner, Richard, 1884-1974 (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German, English, and Hebrew.
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
Having passed the Abitur at the Gymnasium zu St. Maria Magdalena (grammar school, Breslau) in 1902, Richard Kroner began to study philosophy and literature in Breslau, Berlin, Heidelberg and Freiburg, where he earned his doctorate in 1908 (PhD thesis: Über logische und ästhetische Allgemeingültigkeit). He stayed in Freiburg to continue his research, and founded the philosophical magazine Logos in 1910, for which he was the responsible editor until 1938. Only four years, in 1914, later he qualified as a university lecturer by writing his Habilitation about "Zweck und Gesetz in der Biologie". In 1919, after completing his service in World War I, he became associate professor at the University of Freiburg. At this time, Richard Kroner was devoted to the philosophy of Hegel and was writing his principal work Von Kant bis Hegel, a history of the philosophy of the German Idealismus.
In 1924 Richard Kroner received a full professorship for philosophy in Dresden, where he stayed until 1928. In Dresden, he met Paul Tillich, who later became his colleague at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. One year later he became professor of philosophy at the University of Kiel. In 1930 he founded the "Internationale Hegelgesellschaft," and remained the chairman until 1934. In the same year, Richard Kroner - being a converted Christian with Jewish origins - was forced from the University staff as part of the so-called "Entpflichtungsverfahren;" his books were burnt in public. In 1938 Richard Kroner finally left Germany, and immigrated to England, where a former student of his, M. B. Foster, was teaching in Oxford (Christ Church College). After a short stay in Oxford and Scotland -- where he was invited to read the Gifford Lectures at St. Andrews (fall 1939) -- he left Europe in 1940 and came to the United States, eventually securing a position at the Union Theological Seminary (New York). At the Seminary he became a colleague of the well-known Protestant theologians Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr. He left the Seminary in 1952, and taught at Temple University (Philadelphia) for several years as a professor emeritus.
In 1974 Richard Kroner was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz, one of the highest awards the German State accords. In that same year he died at the age of 90 in the nursing home Schloss Mammern (near the Bodensee, Switzerland).
In 1990 Walter Asmus, professor of pedagogy and a former student of Richard Kroner’s, published a comprehensive biography of Richard Kroner, which can be found in the library of the Leo Baeck Institute.
Curriculum Vitae
Selected Bibliography:
B) Essays
(Bibliography taken from: Asmus, Walter: Richard Kroner, 1884-1974: ein christlicher Philosoph jüdischer Herkunft unter dem Schatten Hitlers. 2. überarb. und erg. Aufl. Frankfurt am Main; New York 1993, pp. 189-190).
She passed away at the age of 83 in St. Gallen (Switzerland), on February 24, 1968 after being ill for many years.
In 1928 he passed the Abitur at the Grunewald-Gymnasium in Berlin, and began to study Classics at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität. In 1934 he received a PhD in his field of study. In addition, Rudolf Seligsohn attended the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judentums from May 1928 until 1934 to become a rabbi. There he met such highly esteemed teachers as Leo Baeck and Ismar Elbogen.
Having finished his rabbinical studies in 1934, Rudolf Seligsohn was invited to Bonn to become the rabbi of the Jewish Community there. One year later he married Gerda Kroner. In addition to his position as rabbi, Rudolf Seligsohn began to teach Latin, history, and geography part-time at the Jawne (Jewish High School) in Cologne. After the decision was made to "relocate" the Jawne to England due to the pogroms of November 10, 1938, Rudolf arranged and participated in the first transport, in January 1939. However, in the same year, he joined the Pioneer Corps of the Royal Army, where he was quickly promoted, first to corporal, then to sergeant and fought against the Germans.
In 1943 his only child, Elizabeth, was born. That same year Rudolf Seligsohn died at the age of 34 in Stratford-on-Avon due to meningitis.
After her emigration with her husband to England in 1939, Gerda Seligsohn continue her studies at the Birkbeck College in London, where she received her B.A. in 1945. In 1947 she came to the United States to start her successful teaching career. From 1947 to 1948 she taught at the Brearley School in New York. From there she went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor specifically to give classes in Latin, and to focus her research on Latin didactics.
Gerda Seligsohn passed away in June 2002 in Ann Arbor.
Richard Kroner
Richard Jakob Kroner was born on March 8, 1884, the first of two sons of the Glatz (Silesia)-based gynecologist Traugott Kroner (1854-1899), and his wife Margarete Kroner née Heymann, who came from a wealthy merchant family from the town of Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland). Richard Kroner's grandfather on his father's side was a rabbi as was his uncle Theodor Kroner, who was the rabbi of Erfurt. Kurt, the younger brother of Richard Kroner, was born in 1885 and died at the age of 44 in 1929.
Having passed the Abitur at the Gymnasium zu St. Maria Magdalena (grammar school, Breslau) in 1902, Richard Kroner began to study philosophy and literature in Breslau, Berlin, Heidelberg and Freiburg, where he earned his doctorate in 1908 (PhD thesis: Über logische und ästhetische Allgemeingültigkeit). He stayed in Freiburg to continue his research, and founded the philosophical magazine Logos in 1910, for which he was the responsible editor until 1938. Only four years, in 1914, later he qualified as a university lecturer by writing his Habilitation about "Zweck und Gesetz in der Biologie". In 1919, after completing his service in World War I, he became associate professor at the University of Freiburg. At this time, Richard Kroner was devoted to the philosophy of Hegel and was writing his principal work Von Kant bis Hegel, a history of the philosophy of the German Idealismus.
In 1924 Richard Kroner received a full professorship for philosophy in Dresden, where he stayed until 1928. In Dresden, he met Paul Tillich, who later became his colleague at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. One year later he became professor of philosophy at the University of Kiel. In 1930 he founded the "Internationale Hegelgesellschaft," and remained the chairman until 1934. In the same year, Richard Kroner - being a converted Christian with Jewish origins - was forced from the University staff as part of the so-called "Entpflichtungsverfahren;" his books were burnt in public. In 1938 Richard Kroner finally left Germany, and immigrated to England, where a former student of his, M. B. Foster, was teaching in Oxford (Christ Church College). After a short stay in Oxford and Scotland -- where he was invited to read the Gifford Lectures at St. Andrews (fall 1939) -- he left Europe in 1940 and came to the United States, eventually securing a position at the Union Theological Seminary (New York). At the Seminary he became a colleague of the well-known Protestant theologians Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr. He left the Seminary in 1952, and taught at Temple University (Philadelphia) for several years as a professor emeritus.
In 1974 Richard Kroner was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz, one of the highest awards the German State accords. In that same year he died at the age of 90 in the nursing home Schloss Mammern (near the Bodensee, Switzerland).
In 1990 Walter Asmus, professor of pedagogy and a former student of Richard Kroner’s, published a comprehensive biography of Richard Kroner, which can be found in the library of the Leo Baeck Institute.
Curriculum Vitae
- March 8, 1884
- Born in Breslau, Germany
- 1902
- Attended University of Breslau
- 1903-1905
- University of Heidelberg
- 1906-1908
- University of Freiburg
- 1908
- Received PhD, University of Freiburg
- 1909
- Foundation of philosophical magazine Logos
- 1912
- Habilitation
- 1919
- Associate Professor, University of Freiburg
- 1924-1928
- Professor, University of Dresden
- 1929-1934
- Professor, University of Kiel
- 1934
- Professor, University of Frankfurt
- 1935
- Zwangsemeritierung
- 1938
- Emigration to England
- 1939
- Gifford Lectures, St. Andrews (Scotland)
- 1941-1952
- Union Theological Seminary, New York City
- 1952-?
- Professor Emeritus, Temple University, Philadelphia
- 1957
- 50th Anniversary of Degree of Doctor, University of Freiburg
- 1974
- Universitäts-Medaille, University of Kiel; Bundesverdienstkreuz
- November 2, 1974
- Death of Richard J. Kroner
Selected Bibliography:
- ) Monographs:
- 1908 Über logische und ästhetische Allgemeingültigkeit (PhD thesis)
- 1913 Zweck und Gesetz in der Biologie (Habilitationsschrift)
- 1914 Kants Weltanschauung
- 1920 Der Soziale und nationale Gedanke bei Fichte
- 1921 Von Kant bis Hegel (first volume)
- 1924 Von Kant bis Hegel (second volume)
- 1928 Die Selbstverwirklichung des Geistes: Prolegomena zur Kulturphilosophie
- 1930 Idee und Wirklichkeit des Staates
- 1931 Kulturphilosophische Grundlegung der Politik
- 1941 The Religious Function of Imagination
- 1943 How do we know God?
- 1943 The Primacy of Faith
- 1948 Hegel's Early Theological Writings
- 1951 Culture and Faith
- 1956 Speculation in Pre-Christian-Philosophy
- 1958 Selbstbesinnung: Drei Lehrstunden
- 1959 Speculation and Revelation in the Age of Christian Philosophy
- 1961 Speculation and Revelation in Modern Philosophy
- 1961 Von Kant bis Hegel (complete edition)
- 1966 Between Faith and Thought
- 1969 Freiheit and Gnade
- 1977 Von Kant bis Hegel (two-volume-edition)
B) Essays
- 1953
- Lebendige Vernünftigkeit: Grundzüge des philosophisch-theologischen Denkens in Amerika
- 1954
- Kierkegaards Hegelverständnis
- 1956
- Heideggers Privatreligion
- 1960
- Vom Sinn der Geschichte (Festschrift Theodor Litt)
- 1961
- Hegel heute
- 1963
- Zur Problematik der Hegelschen Dialektik: Bemerkungen im Anschluss an eine Schrift von W. Flach
- 1964
- Zur Eröffnung der Heidelberger Hegel-Tage
Alice Kroner née Kauffmann
Alice Kroner was born in Breslau in 1885. She was the first of two daughters of textile-engineer Max Kauffmann and his wife Luise Kauffmann née Helfft (1863-1942) -- her younger sister Cläre was born in 1887 and committed suicide in 1942 before her deportation to a concentration camp. Her father, Max Kauffmann, was the son of the most prominent leader of the Silesian textile industry Salomon Kauffmann (1824-1900). The Kauffmanns, together with other families of assimilated and liberal Jews such as the Habers, Borns, Mugdans, and Pringsheims, were one the most influential families of Breslau around the turn of the century. Their mansion in Breslau-Kleinburg appears to have served as a cultural gathering center for the bourgeoisie during those years. For example, there were concerts, poetry readings, and dancing lessons for the young. During one of those lessons Alice Kauffmann met Richard Kroner. They became engaged, and got married in 1908. One year later, in 1909, their only daughter Gerda was born. After the Zwangsemeritierung of her husband Richard Kroner in 1935, the Kroners took refuge first in England and Scotland, and then came to the United States in the early 1940s. Throughout her life, Alice was very devoted to the arts, particularly music, and enjoyed writing poetry herself.
She passed away at the age of 83 in St. Gallen (Switzerland), on February 24, 1968 after being ill for many years.
Rudolf Seligsohn<extptr actuate="onload" altrender="Portrait of Herbert Bloch (1911-2006)" href="http://digital.cjh.org/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=4177428" show="embed" title="Portrait of Rudolf, Gerda and Elizabeth Seligsohn"/>
Rudolf Seligsohn was born in Berlin on December 31, 1909. He was the second of four sons of the lumber-merchant Albert Seligsohn and his wife Lisbeth Seligsohn née Eger, who died when Rudolf was 21 years old. His grandfather Salomon Seligsohn was a board member of the Jewish Community of Berlin, and another relative of his, Julius Seligsohn, was a board member of the Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden. On his mother's side Rudolf Seligsohn was related to Akiba Eger (1761-1837), the well-known rabbi of Posen (now Poznan, Poland).
In 1928 he passed the Abitur at the Grunewald-Gymnasium in Berlin, and began to study Classics at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität. In 1934 he received a PhD in his field of study. In addition, Rudolf Seligsohn attended the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judentums from May 1928 until 1934 to become a rabbi. There he met such highly esteemed teachers as Leo Baeck and Ismar Elbogen.
Having finished his rabbinical studies in 1934, Rudolf Seligsohn was invited to Bonn to become the rabbi of the Jewish Community there. One year later he married Gerda Kroner. In addition to his position as rabbi, Rudolf Seligsohn began to teach Latin, history, and geography part-time at the Jawne (Jewish High School) in Cologne. After the decision was made to "relocate" the Jawne to England due to the pogroms of November 10, 1938, Rudolf arranged and participated in the first transport, in January 1939. However, in the same year, he joined the Pioneer Corps of the Royal Army, where he was quickly promoted, first to corporal, then to sergeant and fought against the Germans.
In 1943 his only child, Elizabeth, was born. That same year Rudolf Seligsohn died at the age of 34 in Stratford-on-Avon due to meningitis.
Gerda Seligsohn née Kroner
Gerda M. Seligohn was born on March 23, 1909 in Freiburg as the daughter of Richard and Alice Kroner. After attending the Gymnasium (Grammar School) from 1919 until 1926 (Abitur in 1926), she studied Classics, French, and Pedagogy at the Universities of Heidelberg, Kiel, and Goettingen. From 1930-1932 she studied in Berlin, where she eventually completed her studies, taking the state exams with the well-known Classicist Werner Jäger. Two years later, in 1935, she married rabbi Rudolf Seligsohn, and in 1943 her only daughter Elizabeth was born.
After her emigration with her husband to England in 1939, Gerda Seligsohn continue her studies at the Birkbeck College in London, where she received her B.A. in 1945. In 1947 she came to the United States to start her successful teaching career. From 1947 to 1948 she taught at the Brearley School in New York. From there she went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor specifically to give classes in Latin, and to focus her research on Latin didactics.
Gerda Seligsohn passed away in June 2002 in Ann Arbor.
Extent
9.25 Linear Feet
Abstract
The Seligsohn Kroner Family Collection consists of material that reflects the life and work of the philosopher Richard J. Kroner (1884-1974), his wife Alice Kroner née Kauffmann (1885-1968), their daughter Gerda M. Seligsohn née Kroner (1909-2002), and their son-in-law Rabbi Rudolf Seligsohn (1909-1943). The collection primarily consists of correspondence relating to the emigration experiences of each of the family members. In addition, the collection contains personal documents, newspaper clippings, off-prints of the philosophical writings of Richard Kroner, photographs, a photo album, and a few paintings.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following manner:
- Subgroup I: Richard Kroner, 1901-1974, 1990
- Series 1: Personal, 1901-1974
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1904-1974, 1990
- Series 3: Professional, 1911-1968
- Series 4: Publications, 1909-1965
- Subgroup II: Alice Kroner, 1901-1968
- Series 1: Personal, 1902-1968
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1901-1968
- Subgroup III: Rudolf Seligsohn, 1850, 1913-1978
- Series 1: Personal, 1850, 1925-1978
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1913-1943
- Series 3: Writings, 1931-1957
- Subgroup IV: Gerda Seligsohn, 1910-1998
- Series 1: Personal, 1910-1998
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1924-1998
- Series 3: Professional, 1926-1963
- Subgroup V: Other Family Members, undated, 1890-1982
- Subgroup VI: Visual Material Addenda, 1861-1976
Microfilm
This collection is on twenty-four reels of microfilm.
- Reel 1: 1/1-1/25
- Reel 2: 1/26-1/27
- Reel 3: 1/28-1/29
- Reel 4: 1/30-2/23
- Reel 5: 2/24-2/53
- Reel 6: 2/54-3/1
- Reel 7: 3/2-3/3
- Reel 8: 3/4-3/12
- Reel 9: 3/13-3/23
- Reel 10: 3/24-3/36
- Reel 11: 3/37-4/8
- Reel 12: 4/9-4/20
- Reel 13: 4/21-4/31
- Reel 14: 4/32-4/39
- Reel 15: 5/1-5/45
- Reel 16: 5/46-5/77
- Reel 17: 5/78-5/87
- Reel 18: 6/1-6/37
- Reel 19: 6/38-6/89
- Reel 20: 7/1-7/18
- Reel 21: 7/19-7/76
- Reel 22: 8/1-8/55
- Reel 23: 8/56-8/77
- Reel 24: 8/78-9/22
Separated Material
A bust of Richard Kroner has been removed to the LBI Art Collection.
Some photographs and photo albums have been removed to the LBI Photograph Collection.
Processing Information
This collection was originally processed by Florian Buschermöhle in 2004, culminating in the creation of a finding aid, with four additional boxes of material processed by Arthur Rath at a later date. In 2006 the additional material was integrated into the finding aid. In some areas of the collection this resulted in the creation of new series, specifically Subgroup I, Series 3; Subgroup II, Series 3; and Subgroup IV, Series 3. In addition, correspondence in Series I, III, and IV was divided into general and family correspondence, and some alphabetically arranged correspondence was consolidated together, with names of correspondents listed in the finding aid to reflect the previous arrangement.
In November 2016 addenda consisting of visual material was added to the collection, forming Subgroup VI.
- Appointment books
- Berlin (Germany)
- Bonn (Germany)
- Christian converts from Judaism
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Drawings (visual works)
- Emigration and immigration
- Jewish college teachers
- Jews -- Persecutions -- Germany
- Kroner family
- Kroner, Alice, 1885-1968
- Kroner, Richard, 1884-1974
- Manuscripts (documents)
- Military chaplains
- Notebooks
- Notes (documents)
- Offprints
- Paintings (visual works)
- Photographs
- Publications (documents)
- Rabbis
- Seligsohn family
- Seligsohn, Rudolf
- Seligson, Gerda M.
- Surrey (England)
- Theologians
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Jewish
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of the Seligsohn Kroner Family 1850-1990 AR 25128
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Florian Buschermöhle, Arthur Rath, and Dianne Ritchey
- Date
- © 2006
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from SeligsohnKronerFamily.xml
Revision Statements
- 2010-03-23 : encoding of linking to digital objects from finding aid was changed from <extref> to <dao> through dao_conv.xsl
- November 2012:: Edit made to Separated Material.
- November 4, 2016:: Subgroup VI added to collection.
- June 4, 2018:: dao links added to Subgroup VI.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository