Survivor Profiles: Felix Weil
Try to be able to get along with other people. It's not that easy... but we have to do something.
Felix Weil
His Story:
Felix Weil was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1927, where he lived a comfortable life with his parents and sister. As the situation deteriorated for Jews, particularly following Kristallnacht, Felix’s parents applied for places for their children on a Kindertransport. They received notification that Felix had been granted a place and should report to the train station on August 10, 1939. This turned out to be one of the last Kindertransports, as the war began a few weeks later. After saying goodbye on the train platform, Felix never saw his family again.
Upon arrival in London, a clerical error was discovered—the seat Felix had been given on the transport had been intended for a girl named Felicia, who was not related to him but had the same last name.
Felix spent the war living with a family in Northamptonshire, and he describes it as a pleasant experience. In 1945, he was able to join relatives in the US. In 1946, Felix was drafted, sent back to Germany with the US Army, and arrived in Frankfurt on a train that pulled up to the platform next to the one on which he had said goodbye to his family seven years earlier.
After completing his service with the Army, Felix moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he married and raised a family. Felix recently relocated to the Chicago area to be closer to his children and grandchildren.