From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letters from Bedzin, 1942 - 1943

From the Alfred - Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letters sent by an unidentified author from Bedzin to Schwarzbaum in Switzerland, 1942 - 1943, thanking him for sending parcels, giving him information about relatives and asking for financial aid. One letter also contains a message from a woman named Mala Elbaum. 16 pages, handwritten original, in German and Polish Notes: 1. Israel - Ignac Gothajl & his wife Fania Gothajl nee Melamed, born 1897, 1900 respectively, had three children: Rachel - Irene Gothajl (born 1923); Meir - Marek Gothajl (born 1929); Hanna - Hesia Gothajl (born 1933). During the war the family lived in the ghetto and suffered great adversity. The entire family perished. 2. According to the letter dated Jan 19, 1943 the Gothajl family lived with Mala Elbaum. 3. Additional letters written by the Gothajl family can be found in file no. 40118, Holdings Registry section. 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.