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J E W I S H F O R U M
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When the persecution of the Jews began, Huttner wanted to help. He reduced his business, spending his time and energy to help organize the Jewish community’s aid efforts.
“I had no idea what a gigantic task I undertook when I began helping refugees in 1933,” Mr. Hüttner said in 1951 New York Times interview.
In the 1930s, Mr. Hüttner was named the General Consul of Costa Rica, and it was in this position that he was able to obtain passports and visas for a number of refugees from Germany early in the war. He also distributed money coming from the Joint Distribution Committee in London intended for refugees living under harsh conditions in the Swedish countryside.
“The first refugees arrived in Sweden in the early 1930s,” Mr. Hüttner said in a 1965 interview published in Unzer Wort. “Most of those were German Jews. Later came a stream of non-Jewish refugees. I made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. I provided so that they could get a roof over their head, finding homes for them, in Gothenburg and the vicinity, finding employment. The biggest problem was getting jobs for 40,000 people.”
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ARTICLES
SWEDEN
Refugees Honor U.S Consul in Sweden, May 9, 1941
STOCKHOLM (Apr. 10)
American Consul Julius Hüttner in Gothenborg has been honored by Jewish refugees on his 60th birthday by presentation of hand-lettered parchment address.
JTA
Jewish community and Consul Julius Hüttner worked to rescue fellow Jews out of Nazi Germany.
A man named Max came to United States via Panama and lived in Brooklyn, New York. He wrote to Consul Julius Hüttner in Gothenburg on september 16, 1939 and asked for help to save his wife Margarete, daughter Ruth, who lived in Berlin.
Consul Hüttner arranged for a ticket to Gothenburg on 6 March 1940. But Mrs. Margarete had misunderstood the departure date and the two ladies were instead going from Genoa March 20.
The German Jews were still able to leave Germany, but since the Nazi regime confiscated their assets, they had great difficulty in obtaining the necessary tickets. In addition, they needed a visa for entry to another country, including the United States.
Source: Regionarkivet
JULIUS HÜTTNER
Julius Hüttner. Photo: Courtesy Peter Hüttner
Julius Hüttner. Photo: Courtesy Peter Hüttner
