Metadata: Research documentation of Theo Tschuy
Collection
- Country:
- Switzerland
- Holding institution:
- Archives of Contemporary History at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiv für Zeitgeschichte der ETH Zürich
- Postal address:
- Hirschengraben 62, CH-8092 Zurich
- Phone number:
- +41 44 632 40 03
- Web address:
- https://www.afz.ethz.ch/
- Email:
- afz@history.gess.ethz.ch
- Reference number:
- FD Theo Tschuy
- Title:
- Research documentation of Theo Tschuy
- Title (official language):
- Forschungsdokumentation Theo Tschuy
- Creator/accumulator:
- Tschuy, Theo
- Date(s):
- 1920/2003
- Language:
- German
- French
- English
- Extent:
- 1.9 shelf metres
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The document copies regarding the rescue work of the Swiss envoy in Budapest during the war years are an excellent addition to the Carl Lutz collection in the Archives of Contemporary History (AfZ). In addition, there are lectures and essays by Theo Tschuy, his handwritten notes and working papers, correspondence with contemporary witnesses and institutions, and press articles on various topics. The research documentation is also supplemented by research documents, materials and photos from the touring exhibition "Visas for Life" (Part 3).
The second part "The Children of La Hille" contains copies of documents, essays and books, research notes by Theo Tschuy, photos, correspondence and press articles on Theo Tschuy's book project about the Swiss Red Cross children's home "La Hille" in southern France. His premature death prevented the completion of the book.
- Archival history:
- The collection was transferred to the AfZ in several deliveries between 2000 and 2004.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
Theo Tschuy, a theologian, was born in Eschlikon on 25 February 1925 and died in Gilly on 8 December 2003. His father was Albert Moritz Tschuy, pastor of the Evangelical Methodist Church (EMK), his mother Mina Tschuy. He attended school in Zurich, eastern Switzerland and Basel. From 1943 to 1945, he attended the commercial school of the Basel Commercial Association and from 1948 to 1952, Tschuy studied theology at the Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois, USA. In 1952/1953, he studied English literature at New York University and submitted his dissertation on Cuban Protestantism at the University of Zurich in 1978. From 1951 to 1955, Tschuy served at a United Methodist Church parish in the USA. From 1955 to 1957, he was committed to refugee service at the National Council of Churches of Christ in New York and from 1958 to 1961, he developed and managed the Protestant relief agency in Chile. From 1961 to 1971, Tschuy was consultant for Latin America at the World Council of Churches in Geneva and from 1971 to 1974, consultant for overseas development projects at HEKS in Zurich. From 1974 to 1980, he was co-referent at SODEPAX in Geneva and from 1980 to 1986, executive secretary at the Commission for Human Rights of the Conference of European Churches in Geneva. From 1987 to 1990, he served the community at the Evangelical Methodist Church (EMK), Switzerland. Tschuy was married to Ruth Kahrs from 1952. They had four children: Eric, Fred, Peter and Monique.
Theo Tschuy created the research documentation for his work “Carl Lutz und die Juden von Budapest” (Carl Lutz and the Jews of Budapest), published by NZZ-Verlag in 1995 (2nd edition 1998) and continued it in connection with his further studies on the children of La Hille. The family of Carl Lutz belonged to the Methodist community in Rheineck, where Albert Tschuy, the father of Theo Tschuy, was active as a pastor in the 1930s. The families remained in close contact during and long after the Second World War. Shortly before his death in 1975, Carl Lutz asked Theo Tschuy to write his biography. This was possible due to the intensive work of Theo Tschuy, but only after his retirement in 1990. During many years of research he collected extensive material on Carl Lutz's biography from archives in Germany and abroad, but also from private sources.
- Access points: locations:
- Budapest
- France
- Switzerland
- Subject terms:
- Aid and relief
- World War II
- Finding aids:
- An online finding aid is available.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://onlinearchives.ethz.ch/
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Severin Holzknecht; Jewish Museum of Hohenems; 2020