From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter from an unidentified individual, 6 January 1943

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter sent by an unidentified individual to his relatives, including a woman named Bronia, 6 January 1943. The author writes that after a long wait, (s)he was glad to receive the recipients' letter from 1 November 1942. S(h)e has not heard from the family in Tranow and from Bronek for months. There is no sign of life from Lilka or Benek since June. Mio has not heard from his aunt and therefore could not reply. The author and Aleks wrote to Wilek, and the author asks if he has received the letter. The author also asks if "your kid" will meet his father and whether he is with Bertok or with his mother. Finally, the author asks about news from Helena and Fredek, and where is Kuba. Notes: 1. The author's gender is not clear from the letter. 2. The stamp at the top of the letter reads "87". 2 pages, handwritten original, in German Source file: 27250 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.