From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letters from Roman Jasinski (Lutek Lubetski) and Emilia Rosenberg, March - April 1944

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letters sent by Roman Jasinski and Emilia Rosenberg (nee Schumer) from Budapest to Schwarzbaum, March - April 1944. 7 pages, handwritten, original, in German and Polish Source file: 27250 Inventory: 1. Jasinski to Schwarzbaum, 14 March 1944. Roman specifies the address of the hostel in which he is staying in Budapest. He Asks Schwarzbaum to inform Julek Lubetski that his brother, Lutek Lubelski, is in distress, partly because of his recent incarceration, and needs financial support to save his son. 2 pages, handwritten, original, in German 2. Rosenberg to Schwarzbaum, 15 March 1944. Emilia specifies the address of the hostel in which she is staying in Budapest, the same as Roman's. She asks to send subsequent letters to Emilia Schwanka, apparently her assumed identity. She writes that she has two brothers in Palestine, Max Schumer and Wili Landau, and asks Schwarzbaum to inform them about her situation and ask them to obtain an immigration certificate for her. She adds that her brother is married to the daughter of [?] from Sosnowiec. 3 pages, handwritten, original, in German 3. Jasinski to Schwarzbaum, 11 April 1944. Roman complains that Schwarzbaum has not responded to his previous letter. He writes that he has only received a short report from Heniek Bar, who asked to correspond with him only by mail. He writes that Julek would move heaven and earth to save him if he only knew about me. He asks for help and reminds Schwarzbaum not to forget about Lutek Lubetski. He encloses a photo, allegedly to refresh Schwarzbaum's memory [actually, the reason is a request for foreign passports]. 2 pages, handwritten, original, in Polish Notes: 1. Letters 1 and 2 use the same handwriting, apparently Emilia's. 2. Jasinski is possibly Lutek Lubetski's assumed identity. 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.