From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter from Szmul Szylit, the Bedzin ghetto, June 1943

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter sent by Szmul Szylit from the Bedzin ghetto, Poland, to Schwarzbaum in Switzerland, 21 June 1943. Szylit thanks Schwarzbaum for sending regards via Mania Z. He adds that he has married Nacha Zygielbaum and that per Schwarzbaum's request, he is enclosing photos of himself, his wife and their son Syskind. Note: the photos were presumably sent for the purpose of obtaining Latin American passports, which the author did not state because of censorship concerns. The diagonal line across the text suggests the letter was indeed inspected by the censorship. According to Yad Vashem's records, Szmuel, Nacha and Syskind were born in 1902, 1909 and 1935, respectively, and all three perished. 2 pages, handwritten, original, in German Source file: 26195, 26319 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.