From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Two letters from Ryszard - Rysiek Erlich and Jozek Silberschatz, Germany, 1946

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Two letters sent by Ryszard - Rysiek Erlich and Jozek Silberschatz, Holocaust survivors, from Germany to Schwarzbaum, informing him about the fate of relatives and asking for help, 1946. 5 pages, handwritten original, in Polish Inventory: 1. Letter sent by Erlich and Silberschatz from Jordanbad on 22 April 1946. Erlich writes that he is living in Munich and has begun his studies with the help of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). He sends regardsfrom Luka Zalann. Silberschatz writes that he is living with Erlich in Munich and is currently in Jordanbad, and that he was told by Mr. Gold that his brother Samek had been killed. 2 pages, handwritten original, in Polish 2. Letter sent on 12 July 1946 from Munich. Erlich describes how much he misses his deceased relatives, and writes that he has decided to study agronomy because it could be a useful profession in Mandate Palestine. He asks Schwarzbaum to help Silberschatz decide about his future. 3 pages, handwritten original, in Polish Note: Jordanbad is a district in the resort town of Biberach an der Riss, wher emany Holocaust survivors from Bedzin gathered with support from UNRRA. About Alfred Schwarzbaum: Alfred (Alf) Schwarzbaum was a Jewish merchant from Bedzin, Poland, who fled to Switzerland after the occupation. In Switzerland, he set up a relief enterprise, and supported hundreds of Jews. Alfred (Alf) Schwarzbaum was born in 1896 in Sosnowiec, Poland. He later moved to Bedzin, became a businessman and started a family. In late September 1939, following the German occupation of Poland, he sent his daughter to England. In November 1939, he was jailed for several weeks in Myslowice and was interrogated by the Gestapo. After his release, he turned down an offer from Mosheh Merin, head of the Sosnowiec Jewish council, to be his deputy. Using his connections and his fortune, he was able to obtain visas for Switzerland. In April 1940, he left Poland and settled in Lausanne. Schwarzbaum soon started sending out food, clothing, money and papers to Poland. He managed to navigate between the often uncoordinated Jewish and Zionist organizations based in Switzerland, to transfer financial help to Jews in Poland. He sent hundreds of parcels to German occupied localities, via Lisbon, Sweden and Turkey. He visited refugee camps in Switzerland, and corresponded with persons living under the Nazi rule. He also produced passports, which led him into trouble with the Swiss police, who feared for violation of the country's neutrality policy. In 1945, he immigrated to Mandate Palestine. In Israel, he supported funds and provided stipends for students in need, in several Israeli institutes for higher education. He died in 1990.