Tag Archives: Occupational Therapy

Integration

 

Annekathrin Levin was seventeen years old when she moved to Edinburgh with her parents. The bilingual nature of her life is evidenced in correspondence with her parents, often in English to her father Ernst, but also sometimes written in a mixture of both English and German. Whilst Ernst integrated into the Edinburgh medical community, Annekathrin enjoyed much freedom and travelled around the UK and Europe.

The Association for Jewish Refugees (in Britain) was founded in 1941 to help the settling and integration of displaced Jews and still exists today.

Ernst was in regular contact with the Association for Jewish Refugees in regards to the repayment of his war-time Jewish tax compensation and the tracing of family members.

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Letter from Annekathrin’s friend, K. G. Hyder

 

15th February 1937:

“Dear Miss Levin … It was a nice sun-shiny day yesterday, and I not feeling inclined very much in my books, preferred walking outside. I passed my afternoon, up the Arthur seat hills behind Hollyrood [sic.] Palace … I seem to have started my work seriously for my ensuing terminal exam: but at any rate I shall be very much pleased to spare an evening for you at the coming Cosmo Dance on the 19th … I had quite a nice time in the last International gathering and had to pleasure to hear German songs and music. I liked the tunes very though the language was strange to me”

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Annekathrin, like her mother Anicuta, was inclined to art and sketching, with notable examples in her notebooks and sketchbooks.

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Efforts to contact missing acquaintances and friends

UNRRA, The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, was established by the Allies in November 1943. It helped displaced persons and refugees reunite with their friends and family following the chaos of the Second World War, which left much of Europe’s population uprooted and without a secure home.

This public information film, ‘In the Wake of the Armies’, produced in 1944, explains the purpose of UNRRA.

26th July 1946:

From No.1 Tracing Bureau – Austria.

Enquiring after Dr Levin, ‘about 60’, physician, British but former German nationality, ‘possible source of information’ detailed as “he is teaching at the University of Edinburgh”.

Enquirer: Josef Badel in Vienna, an Austrian friend. Message reads “very anxious for news of welfare and whereabouts”.

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Letter from colleague Norman Dott vouching for Ernst’s legitimacy

Norman Dott, an Edinburgh-based internationally-renowned neurosurgeon, invited Ernst to work with him in his department as early as 1934 – he may have been the reason that the family relocated to Edinburgh specifically, as Ernst worked at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Dott went on to vouch for Ernst throughout the persecution and interment of ‘aliens’ during the Second World War, supporting the family personally, as evidenced by Annekathrin’s interactions with Dott regarding her and Anicuta’s displacement to Glasgow, and ejection from the family home (see ‘Internment’ post). To have such a prominent figure petition for your value to science and society would have been incredibly helpful to Ernst.

 

13th August 1935:

“This is to certify that Dr. Ernst Levin, formerly of the Poliklink, Munich, has been employed by me during the last year in the capacity of assistant in my department of Neurological Surgery at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, and in other associated hospitals which I visit. His duties have included the investigation and recording of neurological patients’ cases and assistance at operations upon them. Dr. Levin is in receipt of a grant from the Academic Assistance Council to enable him to carry on this work. In addition Dr. Levin has undertaken under my direction, research work involving analysis of certain groups of neurosurgical cases and in respect of this work he is in receipt of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Dr. Levin attended the International Neurological Congress in London with me from 29th July to 3rd August and on 4th August he left London for Germany with my knowledge and consent. My understanding with Dr. Levin is that he is to have six weeks’ holiday and he is due to return to his work in my department in Edinburgh on 16th September.”

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Letter on Ernst’s pleasure at a Burns Night dinner and integration into Scottish culture

In the below letter, Ernst emotionally expresses his gratitude to a friend for inviting their family to a Burns Night supper. He describes Scotland as his ‘adopted home’.

27th January 1955

“It is only today that I find the time and leisure to thank you and your wife once more for having invited us all to the Burns Supper and to your hospitable house.

We have enjoyed it all hughely[sic.]: the traditional food and drink, the good company, the speech, the recitations, the songs and the toasts, not least your own, but most of all the spirit of friendship for the strangers in your midst.

I want you to know that we all consider your invitation to share with you your national celebration a great honour and distinction, signifying to us acceptance in the land of our adoption. This is no small matter for people who have lost their country they loved, and we are deeply grateful for making us feel at home with you.

Scotland has been good to us and we all feel very happy here. This goes for Annekathrin especially and for the Ross family especially who from the very start has treated her as a member of the family with the result that feels to belong. Believe me that we two old birds feel very comforted in that knowledge.”

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Annekathrin’s career in Occupational Therapy

 

Although she gave up this career path before the age of fifty, Annekathrin Levin pursued the fledgling movement for Occupational Therapy in its early stages. Her father mentions in later letters that working for seven years with physically and mentally disabled children had worn her down, leading to her decision to return to Edinburgh to work as a secretary and translator at ‘Ferranti’s’ and buy a cottage in Colinton in south west Edinburgh. There is much correspondence between Annekathrin and her parents whilst she was working at Birmingham Accident Hospital in their new Occupational Therapy department. She was active around the time that the National Health Service was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1948. In her letters, she records some of the anxiety amidst the medical staff regarding this drastic change and fears for new structuring and administration of hospitals.