From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: formal letters sent to Schwarzbaum during and after the war and a list of Jews in Poland

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: formal letters sent to Schwarzbaum during and after the war and a list of Jews in Poland. 15 pages, typewritten original, in German Inventory: 1. A letter from Lejb Feldstein at the Hilfsaktion fuer notleidende Juden in Polen (Assistance for Needy Jews in Poland) in Zurich, Switzerland, to unnamed recipients, regarding 2,400 aid parcels sent via Portugal to Jewish aid organizations in Poland. The author describes the content of the letter he received from the Jewish Social Self – Help (Juedischen Sozialen Selbsthilfe) in Krakow. The aid recipients in Krakow are grateful for the parcels and report on the amounts of products (sardines, cocoa, coffee, chocolate, flour, soup powder), and how many of them were damaged or lost. He notes that the products were sent for distribution in soup kitchens, orphanages and hospital throughout the General Government. 2 March 1942. 1 page, typewritten original, in German 2. A letter from Feldstein Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, writing that he has still not received the confirmations for the parcels sent to Sosnowiec, Bedzin and the surrounding areas. He says that if said confirmations are not received then the recipient would need to send 120 sardine boxes currently stored in Portugal to Poland himself, 13 May 1942. 1 page, typewritten original, in German 3. A postcard from Feldstein to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, addressing the aforementioned sardine boxes. He suggests delivering the remaining boxes via the Portuguese and German Red Cross, and asks to send five boxes to Symcha Wajnsztok in Lwow, 12 June 1942. 1 page, typewritten original, in German 4. A letter from Feldstein to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, writing that parcels of coffee, tea, chocolate and other products were sent from Portugal, Mumenthaler has a similar price list. People are much calmer than "us" and even in Geneva no one knows about it and maintain contact with Portugal. Prices are high, but the important thing is that the products can be delivered. 24 June 1942. Note: the other side of the page has four names and numbers written in pencil, apparently recipients and the number of parcels they received. 1 page, typewritten original, in German 5. A letter from Feldstein to Schwarzbaum, confirming that delivering parcels to individuals is no longer possible, and suggests doing so via the Red Cross. 21 October 1942. Note: some 5,000 Jews from the Krakow ghetto were sent to the Belzec extermination camp in early June 1942. The following information may refer to this fact. 1 page, typewritten original, in German 6. Letter from Feldstein in Zurich to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, discussing the visit of [Leon] Kubowicki, a Zionist activist, in Geneva. 22 February 1945. 2 pages, typewritten original, in Yiddish 7. Two personal letters from the Sternbuch family, owners of the N. Sternbuch's Sohn company in St. Gallen, Switzerland, to Schwarzbaum. One was sent to him on 9 August 1949 in Bad Gastein, Austria, and the other, dated 24 August 1949, was sent to Zurich. 2 pages, typewritten original, in German 8. A list of Jews and their addresses in Poland, mostly in Warsaw, possibly recipients of parcels (see below). Note: the vast majority of the addresses are inside the ghetto. 5 pages, typewritten original, in German 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. 1. Felicja Portney 2. Szejna Nowogrodzka 3. M. Wasser 4. Maurycy Orzech 5. Abygdor Mendelson 6. Zdislaw Muszkat 7. Gerson Wasser 8. Anna Breskin 9. M. Klepfisz 10. E. Goldberg 11. R. Berman 12. H. Rus 13. J. Mendelson 14. L. Blank 15. Rojzla Dawidowicz 16. Mala Kligsman 17. Felicja Blit 18. R. Odes 19. L. Klog 20. Bluma Adler 21. B. Kasztelanska 22. Ch. Guterman 23. Berek Goldstein 24. R. Brandes 25. R. Pizyc 26. Najmark 27. Skutelska G. 28. Fejgman 29. N. Krysztal 30. M. Jeruchimson 31. E. Berenbojm 32. L. Szpichler 33. Marek Edelszejn 34. J. Garylak 35. Mejloch Cygielman 36. R. Rozenbojm 37. Z. Frydrych 38. A. Zolty 39. W. Rozowski 40. M. Zygielbojm 41. Sz. Finkelstein 42. Karin Tisz 43. A. Szlit 44. L. Potocka 45. Mendel Grunbeng, dla Soni 46. Dr. J. Lipowski 47. R. Mendelson 48. R. Kusznir 49. Chana Himelfarb 50. Henryka Epstein 51. Jozef Wawrytko 52. Maria Mejer 53. Fejga Tac 54. Malka Hochenberg 55. L. Borowski 56. G. Kawa 57. Eta Fejga Miller 58. Aron Blumenkranc 59. Icek Kon 60. K. Kulnik 61. Mojsze Kahn 62. Tola Cejtlin 63. Jakob Kulik 64. Aaron Rywkind 65. S. Rosen 66. Gitel Rywkind 67. R. Rozencwajg 68. [not given] 69. Celina Lewin 70. Genia Wasermil 71. Yudel Rimerman 72. Janina Czarnecka Moidownik 73. Paryzerberg, dla Frajdla Rozenfeld 74. S. Ginsburg, dla Estera Bialer 75. Ciolkosz, K 76. Jadwiga Kaczanowska 77. Prof. Zygmunt Szymanowski 78. Jadwiga Kruczkowska 79. Irene Romanowska 80. Kazimera Dubois 81. Bronislawa Schipper 82. Wanda Wieckowska 83. Maria Kaczanowska 84. Kazimiera Kurnikowska 85. Dr. Feliks Kaczanowski 86. E. Kahan 87. Zdzislaw Siuyla 88. Wanda Wasilewska 89. Adam Prochnik 90. Marian Nowicki 91. Lubomir Lehmann 92. Dr. Jan Topinski 93. Prof. Wladyslaw Gumplowicz 94. Stefania Malinowska 95. Leokadia Lauer 96. Golda Zygielbaum 97. N. Rozen 98. M. Wojland 99. Meyer Etkin 100. Ajsyk Samerg 101. Dratwa 102. Szlome Goldberg bei Jenta Pergamet 103. Judka Tark 104. Hersz Bok 105. Maria Cywinska 106. Jenta Parzenczewska 1. Sabina Szynk 2. Roza Lewin 3. Szmul Lewin, dla Heli Lewin 4. Regina Lewin 5. Chaja Beer 6. Pani Buks 7. Mejlach Kratka 8. Anna Blank 9. Stefanja Sempolowska 10. Helena Rygalska 11. Helena Muszkat 12. Bielecka Luba 13. Anna Braude Heller 14. Aroniak Tenenbaum 15. Mojsie Malberg 16. Mindel Kowalska 17. Mojsze Sklar 1. Mania Bagno 2. Beila Cypris 3. Kalme Zielonka 4. Z. Kleinbaum 5. Heszel Halpern 6. Milly Gutman 7. Berta Teplicka 8. Irena Oppenheim 9. Edzia Ambus 10. Chaja Dembinska 11. Alfred Czemelinski 12. Pola Leszczynska