The Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letters sent to Schwarzbaum by friends and acquaintances in the years 1945 – 1947

The Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letters sent to Schwarzbaum by friends and acquaintances in the years 1945 – 1947. 21 pages, print and handwritten original, in German and Polish Inventory: 1. A letter from Stella Pines, asking for Schwarzbaum's intervention in favor of Lilly Konstantinoff, the daughter of Dr. Pops, native of Belgrade, who has been hospitalized for a while. 26 June 1945. 1 page, handwritten original, in German 2. Letter from Stefan Jedrychowski, the delegate of the Polish Committee of National Liberation in Paris, to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne. Jedrychowski confirms the reception of Schwarzbaum's letter from 22 May 1945, asking for information about his parents, and says he had forwarded his request to the authorities. 27 June 1945. 1 page, typewritten original, in French 3. Letter from an acquaintance in Zurich, sent to him on the eve of Schwarzbaum's immigration to Mandate Palestine, writing that she has decided not to return to Poland, and instead asks for his help in obtaining immigration certificate for Palestine. 2 July 1945. 3 pages, handwritten original, in Polish 4. Telegram sent by Samek Friedler and Klingera from Bratislava to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, saying he has no news from his parents and sister and that he is waiting for Schwarzbaum's report on help from HAMPL and his relations with them. 13 July 1945. 1 page, typewritten original, in English 5. Letter from Gaston Baechler in Lausanne to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, asking for his help to Sewek Trockenheim in Lodz, a Jewish man who had only recently returned from captivity in Hungary and has not yet found his relatives. 15 July 1945. 1 page, typewritten original, in French 6. Letter from Norich Wolf, Schwarzbaum's cousin, in a DP camp in Herzberg, Germany thanking his uncle for the twenty francs he sent him and asks for a pair of high shoes. 12 August 1945. 1 page, handwritten original, in Polish 7. Letter from Piehek in Geneva, thanking Cilli Braun, who was about to leave town, thanking him for his help, informs him of her upcoming wedding, and writes that if everything works out, Jurek will head to France in late September, and asks for help for Jan Majzner, her cousin in Lodz. 14 August 1945. 3 pages, handwritten, in Polish 8. Letter from Cilli Braun in Zurich, regretting the fact that she could not see Schwarzbaum and his family before their departure, asks if they would pass through Zurich, and wishes them good luck in their new homeland. 17 August 1945. 1 page, handwritten original, in German 9. Postcard in which one of the authors, Dr. M Melzer, asks Schwarzbaum to save Hela's brother from Poland. 19 August 1945. 2 pages, handwritten original, in Polish and German 10. Aerogram from R. Markowicz in London to Schwarzbaum in Haifa, reporting about several people and discusses the state of his business. 5 March 1946. 2 pages handwritten original, in Polish 11. Letter from Israel Schwarzbaum in Straubing to Alfred in Palestine, writing that he is the only surviving member of his family of Szczekocin. Now, after his liberation, he has a job but cannot find his place. He asks for Alfred's help in obtaining immigration certificates. 24 September 1946. 1 page, print and handwritten original, in German 12. Letter from Israel Schwarzbaum in Straubing to Alfred in Palestine, asking for Alfred's help in obtaining immigration certificates for him, his wife and their baby daughter: Israel (b. 1906 in Szczekocin), Estera (b. 1920 in Zawiercie) and Sara (b. 1947). 1 April 1947. 1 page, typewritten original, in German 12. Letter from Liberman / Luberman to Schwarzbaum in Palestine, trying to interest him in a new patent he invented that includes isolation plates, and thanking him for his help to his family during the war. 20 November 1946. 1 page, handwritten original, in Polish 13. Letter from Leon Libermann in Paris to Schwarzbaum in Palestine, regretting that their meeting in Paris was short, and updates him that he and his brother are about to travel to Poland to take care of their property. 3 December 1946. 1 page, handwritten original, in Polish 14. Postcard from a friend who crossed the Panama Canal on her way to Australia, mentioning the Nussenbaum and Lewinski families. 3 June 1947. 1 page, handwritten original, in Polish 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.