Cecilia Ruberl Correspondence
Scope and Content Note
The Cecilia Ruberl Correspondence Collection primarily contains letters between Cecilia Ruberl, an Austrian émigré in Rome, Italy during World War II, and Stefan Taussig, the son of an Austrian émigré in New York. Taussig had borrowed money from Ruberl in order to buy a farm outside of Ithaca, New York. His repayment installments were of great help to Cecilia Ruberl as well as to her sister Eugenie and her children. In addition to letters, the collection holds a few copies of Stefan Taussig's stock transaction forms and of the financial claims made by and awarded Cecilia Ruberl's family members against her Swiss bank.
Most of the collection consists of Cecilia Ruberl and Stefan Taussig's correspondence. In addition to their letters to each other, there are letters of Hugo Schwarz, Cecilia's brother who lived in Ithaca, as well as letters from other family members, especially her sister Eugenie ("Jenny") and her friend Wilhelm Löw, who came to Oswego, New York in 1944. In the latest folder of correspondence there are a few letters from and to Stefan Taussig's lawyer, Victor Ross. The bulk of the letters focus on Ruberl and Taussig's financial relationship, documenting payments and debts; many letters include calculations of the principal amount and the interest generated by its loan over time. In spite of the financial nature of many letters, it is clear that they were often on friendly terms. A few letters in early 1939 describe the farm and its capabilities, while a letter in October 1945 discusses some of its problems. In November 1949 Taussig decided to sell it. Letters in the intervening years mention in passing its situation. There is a gap in correspondence from spring 1941 until July 1944. Starting in 1944 and continuing through 1945 Ruberl requested that Taussig send food and other supplies rather than money because of the lack of their availability in Italy. A letter of July 1944, sent after Cecilia Ruberl's six-month stay in the Vatican, updates Taussig on the situation in Italy and with her family members. One folder contains unmatched partial letters, mostly second or half-pages, along with a few notes.
Aside from correspondence, one folder holds receipts for stock bought and sold by Stefan Taussig. These stocks are mentioned in the correspondence and their value was included in the funds loaned to him by Cecilia Ruberl. The initial folder of this collection contains the proceedings and determination of the claims made by Cecilia Ruberl's family upon a Swiss bank in which she had maintained an account. A few facts of her life may be found in the documentation.
Dates
- 1938-2004
- Majority of material found within 1939-1950
Creator
- Ruberl, Cecilia, 1878-1969 (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German, Italian, 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
Cecilia Schwarz was born in Vienna (Floridsdorf), Austria on March 29, 1878. On July 16, 1905 she was married to a Czech, which gave her Czechoslovakian citizenship after 1918. Since 1905 she had a residence in Italy as well as in Vienna and prior to World War II had been quite wealthy. After World War I she lived in Switzerland and by 1935 had become a widow. During World War II she lived in Rome. After she lost her Czechoslovakian citizenship and became stateless, she sought shelter with the Vatican from the Nazi persecution of Jews. Cecilia Ruberl died in Rome in December 1969.
Before World War II she had given money to a Stefan Taussig, the son of a friend, for investment in the United States. In 1939 he bought a farm southwest of Ithaca, New York. It turned out to be unsuccessful and was sold in 1949.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection holds letters exchanged between the Austrian émigré Cecilia Ruberl in Rome and Stefan Taussig in upstate New York, to whom she loaned funds in order to establish a farm. Although most of the correspondence concerns their financial association, letters sent during and after World War II document his aid of her and her family members. In addition to correspondence, the collection holds a few receipts for stock transactions and documentation of a restitution claims decision on behalf of Cecilia Ruberl's family.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in one series, arranged alphabetically.
Processing Information
The collection had no observable original order. During processing, the order of folders was altered and two folders were further subdivided. One of these was an overfilled correspondence folder, the other a combined folder of stock receipts and partial or unidentifiable correspondence.
- Title
- Guide to the Correspondence of Cecilia Ruberl 1938-2004 AR 25490
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Dianne Ritchey
- Date
- © 2012
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from CeciliaRuberl.xml
Revision Statements
- May 22, 2014 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository