From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter from Eliezer – Leon Rechnic, the Bedzin ghetto, May 1943

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Letter sent by Eliezer – Leon Rechnic (b. 27 January 1903) from the Bedzin ghetto to Abram Liwer, Switzerland, 3 May 1943.* 1 page, handwritten, original, in German Source file: 24048 Rechnic expresses his surprise at Schwarzbaum's failure to reply. At Schwarzbaum's request, he writes his and his wife Gitta's year of birth (1903).** He reports that everyone is well, and that his father is working. He asks about Alfred, Ewa and Jadzia. He also asks him to write a few words to Motczadzki*** who had done a lot for him (Rechnic). Rechnic expects a reply and sends his regards. Bedzin, 3 May 1943**** Notes: * The letter, addressed to Abram, was sent to Schwarzbaum in Switzerland. See also file 2047 in the Collections Section and files 41499, 2048 and 39758 in the Holdings Registry. ** This information was probably meant to help Schwarzbaum obtain foreign passports for the couple. *** Motczadzki means "death". This was possibly a code word for grave danger. Eliezer and Gitta perished a few months later at the liquidation of the Bedzin ghetto in the summer of 1943. **** Next to the date, Schwarzbaum added a handwritten note in Polish: received 11 May, replied 13 May, Rechnic - Juedische Kultusgemeinde (Jewish community). Eliezer – Leon Rechnic (B. 27 January 1903) married Gitta – Gucia Liwer (b. 8 October 1903), daughter of Chaim (b. 5 October 1867) and Rywka (b. 6 July 1868). They lived in Bedzin. Gitta had four siblings: Abram, Szmuel, Szymon (who married a woman named Regina) and Reizale (b. 1897), who married Mosze Schmid and lived in Monaco before WWII. Only Abram and Szmuel survived. The other family members perished. 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.