From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter from Anka, a relative of Schwarzbaum, in occupied Europe

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter sent by Anka, a relative of Schwarzbaum, on 10 December. She complains about the small number of letters she has received, stating that she has only received one from Abraham. She writes that at his request, she is sending him a family photo, albeit an old one. She adds that she is no longer angry at Schwarzbaum's wife and describes her son's joy at hearing that uncle Alfred has written. Notes: 1. Anka does not specify her last name, her address or the year. The son she is referring to is Alfred's nephew, so she is evidently Alfred's sister in law. The blue line suggests that the letter was inspected by the German censorship. Schwarzbaum's family is from Bedzin, which is where the letter was possibly sent from. 2. Abraham may be Abraham - Adolf Silberschein, Switzerland. 3. The photo was possibly intended to be used to produce life - saving papers, such as Latin Ameircan passports. Source file: 26771 1 page, hadnwritten original, in Polish 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.