Correspondence regarding Jewish alumna Mrs. [Fannie Sybil] Sigmund Stern's (and other Jewish alumnae's) boycott of contributions to the college in relation to policy around National Socialists (Nazis) from Germany and German exchange students, 1939 April 12-May 25

File — Box: 8, Folder: 29

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Series:

Series VIII. Wellesley College, 1876-1971 consists of files on the college specifically such as its Articles of Government, the Academic Council, conferences held, Tree Day history and class trees, the Committee on Long-Term Educational Policy, files on 'Distinguished Alumnae' and their accomplishments, records of events and festivities, three 'History' subject files documenting the story of the college's founding and early years, records of inaugurations, news clippings, files on the Institute of Foreign Students, Washington Interns, and the Summer Institute for Social Progress., and records of alumnae pushback against college policy regarding German faculty and exchange students just before World War II,

Dates

Creation: 1939 April 12-May 25

Creator

From the Collection: Wellesley College Alumnae Association (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. To make an appointment to view materials, please contact the Archives staff by email at archives@wellesley.edu or by phone at (781) 283-3745.

Biographical / Historical

The text of controversial speeches by former college president Mildred H. McAfee Horton given to the Kansas City and New York Wellesley Clubs is not included in the file, but references made by Florence A. Risley, Executive Secretary of the Alumnae Association, and Fanny Sybil Stern (Class of 1901) to a National Socialist member of the German Department and German exchange students seem to reference German instructor Lilli Gunhild Burger (Ph.D., University of Heidelberg, 1934) who taught at Wellesley from Fall 1937 to Spring 1939, and graduate Special student from Germany Hannalene Kipper (enrolled 1938-1939). The Wellesley News article from the 1939 April 20 edition, "Forum Sponsors Tea on "Germany Today," describes Kipper and Burger's discussion of the German National Socialist goverment, with strong statements of support by Burger (URL: https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/wellesley10999). The Wellesley News article from the 1938 January 27 edition, “Miss Lilli Burger Praises "Open Mindedness" of Wellesley Students” acknowledges that Burger's support for Hitler was known by the college administration when she was invited to join the German Department, and further expresses Burger's support of Germany's National Socialist government. (URL: https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/wellesley10957)