From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: letter from Emma Kuenstlinger, Budapest, November 1943

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter written by Emma Kuenstlinger, a relative of Georg – Jerzy Kuenstlinger, in Budapest, to a relative named Dolly who was close to her relative Harry in Manchester, England. The letter was sent to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, Switzerland, who forwarded it to England. 1 November 1943. Emma reports that she has been in Budapest for five months, after a long journey, and the Schwarzbaum helped them a lot. She writes that Hedel and Moritz are sheltered by people in Miechow. Georg left them some cash. Hedel could not join them because of her asthma. The family was together until one year ago, but then decided to split. They haven't heard from Leo and Frieda for ten months. Herta and her mother were shot in a car. Max and Romek are missing. She asks why Dolly cannot communicate with Harry and asks about Ernst and Heinz. The trip to Budapest was very risky, and most of their possessions were stolen. She and her husband were imprisoned in Slovakia for four weeks and arrived in Budapest with nothing. Emma's heart condition prevents her from working. She asks Dolly to try and contact Harry, Ernst and Heinz to help her and her family. 1 page, typewritten, original, in German Source file: 27250 Note: on 1 November 1943, several letters were sent to Schwarzbaum in one package. All are typewritten and signed in first name only, with a handwritten side note containing the author's full name. Most were cut to small pieces. One letter was written by Georg - Jerzy Kuenstlinger, who reported about the 1,800 Jewish refugees from Poland currently in the camp in Budapest and their living conditions, compared to the Polish refugees. He refers to the local Polish committee and its treatment of Poles and Jews, and writes about Polish activists and their treatment of the Jews. See files 40281 and 27046. Another letter was written by Emma Kuenstlinger, a relative of Jerzy – Georg Kuenstlinger, to a woman named Dolly in England. The letter was sent to Schwarzbaum, asking him to forward it to England and inform her son Harry. See file 41257. The third letter was written by Henryk Miller. See file 40279. 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.