From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Postcards from the Gold family, Bedzin, 1943

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Postcards sent by the Gold family - B., Abram, Dawid and Ida - from the Bedzin ghetto to Schwarzbaum, a relative, in Lausanne, Switzerland, February - April 1943. Inventory: 1. 3 February 1943: B. thanks Schwarzbaum for his letters and reports that he has not heard from Molek since Molek sent him money. He writes his family's dates of birth: B. was born on 22 July 1879 and Fajgel was born on 9 May 1876.* 2. 28 March 1943: Abram thanks Schwarzbaum for his letter and criticzes his decisionmaking, asking whether his age is the reason. He mentions Schlama and Dora. 3. 12 April 1943: Dawid thanks Schwarzbaum for his letter and report that he is back at the hospital due to his old illness. He sends regards from Leib, Ida's brother in law, who asks Schwarzbaum to write to him. Dawid and Ida send regards. to Schwarzbaum's family. 4. 28 April 1943: Dawid asks for an explanation for Schwarzbaum's lack of reply, and reports that his illness has gotten worse. He mentions mutual relatives. * The years of birth written in the letter are 1879 and 1876, respectively. This is possibly an error. 8 pages, handwritten, copy, in German Source file: 27116 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.