From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Two postcards from J. Raufman, Kielce ghetto, 1942

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Two postcards sent by J. Raufman from the Kielce ghetto Poland, to Schwarzbaum in Lausanne, Switzerland, 1942. The postcards concern the delivery of food and clothing. 4 pages, handwritten, copy, in Polish Inventory: 1. Postcard sent by Raufman on 20 March 1942, concerning her disconnect from Schwarzbaum and packages that failed to arrive. She describes the hardships of life in the ghetto and reports that she has only received a single, small package (containing two boxes of sardines). She urgently asks for his help. 2 pages, handwritten, copy, Polish 2. Postcard sent by Raufman on 3 July 1942, confirming the reception of six 400gr boxes of sardines. She thanks Schwarzbaum and asks for pepper, cloves, unroasted coffee, suger and hygiene products. She also mentions her need for clothes and asks about the recent relation between Cesia [?] and Schwarzbaum. According to Raufman, Cesia can contact Zosia Lubliner to investigate the option of sending second - hand clothes. 2 pages, handwritten, copy, in Polish Notes: 1. Both postcards mention Cesia with regard to relief for Jew in the Kielce ghetto, but does not add information. 2. The stamps on the postcards are from the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (Generalgouvernement). Source file: Collections 2128 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.