From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Three letters and a postcard sent by the refugee Rachel Cwilich, Bex and Basel, Switzerland, to Alfred Schwarzbaum, December 1944 – July 1945

From the Alfred – Alf Schwarzbaum collection: Three letters and a postcard sent by the refugee Rachel Cwilich, Bex and Basel, Switzerland, to Alfred Schwarzbaum on December 1944 – July 1945 Original, Polish (Handwritten), pages: 7 Notes: 1. See also file no. 41618, Holdings Registry – letters and postcards sent by Sara Cwilich - Rosental, Rachel Cwilich's sister, to Alfred Schwarzbaum, May 1944 - May 1945. 2. Source: 27194, Holdings Registry. Inventory: A. Letter sent by Rachel Cwilich, Bex, to Alfred Schwarzbaum, 19 December 1944, in which she thanks him for the package of cloths he had sent her. She tells him that she does not have a permanent place of residence. Original: Polish (Handwritten), two pages. B. A postcard sent by Rachel Cwilich, Bex, to Alfred Schwarzbaum, 20 December 1944. Original, Polish (Handwritten), Two pages. C. Letter sent by Rachel Cwilich, Basel, to Alfred Schwarzbaum, 13 January 1945, in which she tells that she has returned to Basel and it hospitalized at the hospital. She thanks Schwarzbaum for his assistance. Original, Polish (Handwritten), Single page. D. Letter sent by Rachel Cwilich, Basel, to Alfred Schwarzbaum, 4 July, 1945, in which she writes that she is waiting for a letter from her sister, Sara [Sara probably reached Mandate Palestine]. Among others Segal from Lodz is mentioned in the letter. Original, Polish (Handwritten), Two pages. 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.