From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Formal letters sent to Schwazrbaum regarding assistance to Jews

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Formal letters sent to Schwazrbaum regarding assistance to Jews - Schlossberg, Aharon Salomon - Guttman, Isidor Hilferding and Rubin Larnowiecki - from April 1942 until January 1946. 5 pages, typewritten original, in German The file contains four letters: 1. A letter sent from the Committee for Relief of the Warstricken Jewish Population in Geneva to Schwarzbaum, regarding the letter from the International Red Cross on the issue of Schlossberg - Riga, Latvia, 15 April 1942. 2. A letter sent by Dr. Chaim Pozner to the Swiss Red Cross in Geneva, citing a telegram sent from Alexandria saying that Aharon Salomon Guttman is a British subject and is on a list earmarked for exchange, 2 May 1944. 3. Two letters sent to Schwarzbaum from Wilhelm Gruenfeld in the Mohlin - Argau labor camp: A. 21 July 1944: regarding a job arrangement for Wilhelm's brother in law, Isido Hilferding (b. 1907), native of Lwow. Isidor, a Zionist activist and the only surviving member of his family, fled to Romania and is hiding in Bucharest. He wrote to Mr. Wislicki in Basel, that he wishes to immigrate to Mandate Palestine in light of recent developments, and asks for assistance (source file: 24058). B. 7 August 1944: concerning Wilhelm's sister, Lily Krausz (b. 23 January 1905), native of Vienna, and her husband Laszlo (b. circa 1900), native of Sopron, Hungary. The Krauszs are Hungarian citizns living in Budapest. Wilhelm lost touch with them in late April 1944 and asks for Schwarzbaum's help in tracing them and helping them exit Hungary. 4. A letter from the Swiss Jewish Council for Aid (VSJF), 30 January 1946 to Schwarzbaum in Haifa, informing him that a message has been received from the JDC in Rome that his cousin Rubin Larnowiecki had been liberated and is looking for him. Signed by E. Lorant. About Alfred Schwarzbaum: 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 1946 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.