The Alfred - Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter sent by a man on the eve of his departure (July 7, 1945) from Marseilles to Mandatory Palestine

The Alfred - Alf Schwarzbaum collection: A joint letter written by [?] and Salek from Marseilles, France to their relatives in Mandatory Palestine on July 7, 1945 in which they announce that they will be sailing the next day to Eretz Israel together with 800 people most of them Polish holocaust survivors who were inmates in the camps, mainly from Buchenwald. The writer was in Switzerland and after liberation in France, where he studied and worked. The writer thanks for the well wishes from Mr. Heller. 4 pages, handwritten original in Polish. Note: other documents have been transferred from this file to files 40132, 41507, Holdings Registry. 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. Henceforth an edited translation of the letter: (from Polish: Dora Ofer) Marseilles, July 7, 1945 My darlings, The day of "liberation" has come after a long and hard time of suffering. I am with Salek in Marseilles and we will probably be sailing tomorrow to Eretz Israel. They said the departure was supposed to leave on June 28 but it was postponed from one day to another. The entire transport consists of 800 people, most of them survivors from Buchenwald and other German camps. Almost all of them are of Polish origin. The rest are French youth and families. We still find it hard to calm down after hearing a long list of our poor friends impressions and who in spite of everything have not lost hope. They are full of unwavering will and faith towards their new future. As for me, I feel like I felt back in Switzerland. We live now in barracks. Life is similar to the life in a camp with one difference: we don’t have Appels and there are no guards. My stay in France passed quickly. I studied, then left my studies and began working. I earned well and even gained a good standing. But now I throw it all away, sailing away with no regret… I do not know how my near future will unfold but I reckon that with good will and persistence anything can be achieved! What good news do you have? I hope we meet soon In Palestine and we can share experiences. In the meantime I wish you all the best. See you soon – [unreadable signature] P.s: I'm very grateful for the well wishes that Mr. Heller sent me. [An addition with a different handwriting]: Marseilles, four hours before departure My darlings, At last I am blessed to be sailing today to Palestine. I am traveling with a group of 800 people. They are all packing quickly right now. In two hours American vehicles will be driving us to the port. I'm delighted that at last the journey begins. I am traveling full of hope and I do hope that I will not be disillusioned. I have given up on Poland [The last page was not translated] [In Hebrew]: Farwell Salek P.s: I'm sorry I can't send Heller a letter from here, I lost his address in my suitcase. Warmhearted greetings to Dr. Zilberszajn