Letter
Object numberM2020/033:004
TitleLetter
DescriptionHandwritten letter in German dated c. June 1939. This letter was written by Leopold and Cacilie Nachemstein in Gniezno, Poland, to their son Herbert, his wife Ingeborg, and their grandson Peter in Shanghai, China.
In this letter Leopold and Cacilie enquire after the health of the family as they have not received a return letter. Cacilie encourages the family to drink chamomile tea to reduce fevers and seek help from the Jewish Relief Committee if they need it.
This letter is part of a collection donated by Peter Nash (Nachemstein). The letters document his family's migration to Shanghai, where approximately 18,000 European Jews relocated from 1938 to 1941. Many of these refugees continued on to Australia and the United States at the end of the War.
Peter's maternal grandfather refused to leave Berlin during Hitler's rise to power. As a World War I veteran who had fought for the former Kaiser, he firmly believed that the Nazis would never harm him. Soon after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, Peter's parents, Herbert and Ingeborg, received an eviction notice from the owners of their apartment in Berlin. It stated, "Under the principles of the Nazis it is not acceptable for Aryan tenants to live under the same roof with Jews. We therefore demand that you vacate the premises."
The family chose not to vacate immediately as they were unable to obtain entry visas to another country. On hearing that Shanghai did not require an entry visa, Peter, Herbert, Ingeborg, her parents Isidor and Alice, and her brother decided to leave Berlin. The family travelled by train to Genoa, Italy in April 1939, before boarding the German steamship SS Scharnhorst. Peter recollected that his maternal grandfather was devastated to leave Germany, but that unlike dozens of other family members, their lives were saved by their decision to leave. Sadly, Peter's grandfather died one month after reaching Shanghai, after suffering complications from a heart attack before the journey.
Herbert's parents, Leopold and Cacilie were still living in Poland in 1939 and did not want to emigrate. Soon after Germany occupied Poland, Peter's grandparents were sent to Piotrkow Trybunalski ghetto, along with over 300 other Jews. Herbert and Inge exchanged letters with them throughout 1940 until April 1941, after which they never heard from them again. In late 1942, all the remaining inmates of Piotrkow Trybunalski were transported to Treblinka and murdered.
"My parents rarely spoke about Europe or our lives there. What I know I mostly learned from many artefacts they brought with them to Shanghai, then to Sydney, such as letters, certificates and photos. My father also made carbon copies of his typed letters, from which I learned about myself in Shanghai to the age of six. One of his parents' letters suddenly had a different return address, which meant my grandparents had been sent to a ghetto." - Peter Nash
In this letter Leopold and Cacilie enquire after the health of the family as they have not received a return letter. Cacilie encourages the family to drink chamomile tea to reduce fevers and seek help from the Jewish Relief Committee if they need it.
This letter is part of a collection donated by Peter Nash (Nachemstein). The letters document his family's migration to Shanghai, where approximately 18,000 European Jews relocated from 1938 to 1941. Many of these refugees continued on to Australia and the United States at the end of the War.
Peter's maternal grandfather refused to leave Berlin during Hitler's rise to power. As a World War I veteran who had fought for the former Kaiser, he firmly believed that the Nazis would never harm him. Soon after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, Peter's parents, Herbert and Ingeborg, received an eviction notice from the owners of their apartment in Berlin. It stated, "Under the principles of the Nazis it is not acceptable for Aryan tenants to live under the same roof with Jews. We therefore demand that you vacate the premises."
The family chose not to vacate immediately as they were unable to obtain entry visas to another country. On hearing that Shanghai did not require an entry visa, Peter, Herbert, Ingeborg, her parents Isidor and Alice, and her brother decided to leave Berlin. The family travelled by train to Genoa, Italy in April 1939, before boarding the German steamship SS Scharnhorst. Peter recollected that his maternal grandfather was devastated to leave Germany, but that unlike dozens of other family members, their lives were saved by their decision to leave. Sadly, Peter's grandfather died one month after reaching Shanghai, after suffering complications from a heart attack before the journey.
Herbert's parents, Leopold and Cacilie were still living in Poland in 1939 and did not want to emigrate. Soon after Germany occupied Poland, Peter's grandparents were sent to Piotrkow Trybunalski ghetto, along with over 300 other Jews. Herbert and Inge exchanged letters with them throughout 1940 until April 1941, after which they never heard from them again. In late 1942, all the remaining inmates of Piotrkow Trybunalski were transported to Treblinka and murdered.
"My parents rarely spoke about Europe or our lives there. What I know I mostly learned from many artefacts they brought with them to Shanghai, then to Sydney, such as letters, certificates and photos. My father also made carbon copies of his typed letters, from which I learned about myself in Shanghai to the age of six. One of his parents' letters suddenly had a different return address, which meant my grandparents had been sent to a ghetto." - Peter Nash
Production placePoland
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 216.00 mm
height: 273.00 mm
Language
- German Gniezno to Shanghai
Letter #5
Undated c. June 1939
My very dear children and Peterchen!
Hoping you are all well, as we are dearest Herbert it is now a long time that we have not heard from you did you receive the 11 Coupons in the first three letters? which I sent to Leopold Steinhardt's address, please confirm in the 4th letter I did not send anything and today I will enclose 4 Coupons. Please confirm you received them. Dear Herbert I asked you if you already have employment and if you can sustain yourself. And are you getting help from the Relief Committee? Write us about it. We hope for a letter every day and meet up with the postman every day, but sadly nothing. Please write precisely about everything as we are very worried about you.
Best regards your Father
Many greetings for our dear Peterchen and the Lewin family as well as Steinhardts
and my sisters.
My very dear children and Peterchen!
We got your letter, and are very worried that you are not well, as the climate does not seem to agree with you. You must drink healthy fruit juices. Camomile tea is very good against fever. But you don't care for those sort of things. Dearest Herbert you must be on your feet so much to get such pain in them, so don't work so hard, because you are not a well person, and have stomach problems we got all your letters the first took 14 days the second 16 days, did you get all of ours. Maybe it is possible you can go somewhere else where the air is better and the employment opportunities are better stay well and lots of best wishes and kisses your Mother
Many greetings and kisses for Peterchen
Wishing better health for Mr. and Mrs. Lewin
Notes:
Coupons: could mean Reply Paid Coupons (like pre-paid stamps), sent by Herbert's father to help save expenses.
A letter from the Relief Association for the Jews of Germany (Hilfsferein der Juden in Deutschland e. V.) in August 1939 confirmed that Herbert was sent $125 from their Paris office
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Peter Nash
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.