The Weil Men
Gertrude Weil, 1879 – 1971
In addition to acting as financial leaders of the eastern North Carolina region, Henry and Solomon Weil were extensively involved in civic and political affairs. A strong advocate of public education, Henry sat on the board of trustees of the Goldsboro Graded Schools for over 30 years, establishing the Henry Weil scholarship prize for deserving Goldsboro students; he also sat on the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina. Solomon Weil served on the Goldsboro Board of Alderman for all except five of the years between 1881 and 1905 and helped to establish the Goldsboro Hospital in 1909.
Always wanting to give something back to the community that had provided them with so many opportunities, the Weils gave generously of their wealth as well as of their time and energy. The family gave the town of Goldsboro a public park, a public library, a community building, student scholarships, summer camp facilities, and more. At the University of North Carolina, they supported lecture series, scholarships, and the construction of dormitories and a gymnasium at the Woman's College. The Weils also contributed to a wide variety of Jewish causes, including Goldsboro's Annual Jewish Appeal, the Jewish Welfare Board, HIAS, and the Joint Distribution Committee.
Notes:
- Moses Rountree, Strangers in the Land: The Story of Jacob Weil's Tribe (Philadelphia: Dorrance & Company, 1969), 88–99.
- Sarah Wilkerson-Freeman, "The Emerging Political Consciousness of Gertrude Weil: Education and Women's Clubs, 1897–1914," MA thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1986, 5.
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How to cite this page
Jewish Women's Archive. "Women of Valor - Gertrude Weil - A Southern Jewish Childhood - The Weil Men." <http://jwa.org/womenofvalor/weil/southern-jewish-childhood/weil-men> (May 25, 2012).
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