From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Correspondence between Schwarzbaum and Menachem – Mendel Hornstein

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Correspondence between Schwarzbaum and Menachem – Mendel Hornstein, mostly after the war. The file also contains letters sent to Schwarzbaum by Hornstein's brother. Hornstein was living in Berlin during the war, and had received aid from Schwarzbaum. Inventory: 1. Postcard sent by Hornstein from Berlin, to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, 30 September 1940. Hornstein asks Schwarzbaum to find out information about his relative Naftal Prywes, in Zagreb, Croatia. Note: Hornstein was Prywes's son in law. Prywes was a community leader in Warsaw. 2 pages, handwritten copy, in German Source file: 27040 2. Six letters sent by Schwarzbaum from Haifa, Mandate Palestine, to Hornstein in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 19 September 1945 until 20 September 1946. 11 pages, typewritten original, in German Source file: 27100 3. Three letters sent by Hornstein from Buenos Aires to Schwarzbaum in Zurich, in 1950 (1 August, 22 August, and 16 October); and three confirmations for the delivery of psotal items sent by Schwarzbaum to Hornstein, 1950. 6 pages, typewritten original, in German 4. Three letters sent by Mordchai - Marcus Hornstein, Mendel's brother, to Schwarzbaum (both were in Tel Aviv), thanking him for the help he gave Mendel during the war, 5 May 1947, 27 January 1965 and 4 February 1965. 3 pages, typewritten original, in Hebrew 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.