Julie Weiss

Julie Weiss was born on 31 January 1911 in Graz, Austria, to parents Samuel and Josefine, and was 27 years old when Nazi Germany invaded the country. Before the war, Julie was part of a prominent Jewish family, and her father ran a successful business.

However, with antisemitism on the rise, Julie had little other option than to flee her home town to escape persecution.

1911

Personal identification
Height: average
Hair colour: medium brown
Eye colour: brown
Any special characteristics (blank)
Signature of owner: Julie Weiss
19 th Nov 1929
State seal of Graz

Name: Julie Weiss
Day, year and place of birth: 31.1.1911, Graz
Certified by: name of official, 18.11.1929
Home municipality: Graz
Verified by: name of official, 31.9.27
Current address when issued:

With antisemitism on the rise, Julie had little other option than to flee her hometown to escape persecution

The plan was for Julie to travel to London to join her brother, Oswald, who had set up a carpet business in the city. But there was a problem – her surname. As the Weiss family were so well known within the community, Julie’s parents felt it was imperative that she changed her name to ensure her journey to England was successful, so arranged for her to marry a man called Julius Grosz.

While the marriage did take place, the union didn’t last, with Julius leaving Julie when she became pregnant shortly after the wedding. Determined to make her way to safety regardless, and acutely aware that time was of the essence, Julie hurriedly packed her most treasured possessions and made her way to London alone.

Acutely aware that time was of the essence, Julie hurriedly packed her most treasured possessions and fled to London

The exact route Julie took is unconfirmed, but what we do know is her journey would have required immense courage and an unwavering will to succeed. We also know she reached her brother safely, and gave birth to a son, David, in London, before moving to Leicester to escape the Blitz.

Julie, Oswald, and David lived there together before eventually settling in Scotland, where Julie died on 15 August 1993.

1993

elGreek

Blitz

The Blitz is the name given to the German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War.

Nazi Germany

The National Socialist German Workers’ Party— the Nazi Party—was the far-right racist and antisemitic political party led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933 and immediately began persecuting German Jews, and those who did not fit the Nazi ideal.

εκτοπισμοί

Οι Ναζί σχεδίαζαν τη μαζική εκτόπιση των Ευρωπαίων Εβραίων σε στρατόπεδα εξόντωσης στην κατεχόμενη από τους Γερμανούς Πολωνία. Οι Εβραίοι αναγκάστηκαν να συγκεντρωθούν σε κεντρικά σημεία, όπως σε μια συναγωγή ή στην πλατεία της πόλης, και στη συνέχεια στριμώχνονταν σε εμπορευματικά ή επιβατικά τρένα, με περιορισμένες ή καθόλου συνθήκες τροφής ή υγιεινής. Τα ταξίδια συχνά διαρκούσαν αρκετές ημέρες ή και ορισμένες φορές μερικές εβδομάδες. Πολλοί από αυτούς που στριμώχνονταν σε αυτά τα τρένα πέθαναν κατά τη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού προς τους καταυλισμούς λόγω της πείνας ή του συνωστισμού.