Letter from Betty Caspari to Inge Herrmann
Object numberM2020/023:008
TitleLetter from Betty Caspari to Inge Herrmann
Creator Betty Caspari
DescriptionLetter from Betty Caspari in Sweden to her niece Inge Herrmann in Sydney in December of 1946. The letter contains thoughts on the news of Inge's operation, as well as information on Betty's own well-being and family.
Most relevantly, Betty speaks on Inge's well-being as a refugee in Sydney, suggesting she gets in contact with a friend of hers with business connections also in Sydney, Dr Sperber(?). She has interest in assisting Inge to increase her social standing by no longer having to work in a factory. Betty describes Inge's current factory work as "horrible" and contrary to the plans her parents had held for her. Betty emphasises that even if Inge can earn more money through the factory that the social standing of a job through her friends is worth more. She staes that "in the whole world there is no other person that means so much about you than myself." She emphasises that Inge is one of the last surviving Herrmanns and she holds the obligation to honour her family.
Part of a collection of over 60 letters to Inge-Ruth Poppert (nee Herrmann) from 1937 to 1957, as well as memorabilia and personal documents that detail the Holocaust experiences of the Herrmann family, and the establishment Inge's life in Sydney, Australia.
Inge was born on 12 October 1922 in Wolmirstedt, near Magdeburg, Germany to Otto and Kate-Regina Herrmann (nee Manneberg). Inge lived in Wolmirstedt, but attended school in Madgeburg from 1933. The family relocated to the city of Magdeburg in 1935 where Otto owned two shops. Due to anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish legislation, Otto had lost his clothing business in Wolmirstedt. However, from 1937 with the increasing Aryanisation of Jewish assets and property, the Herrmann family again forcibly lost their remaining businesses and way of life.
Despite the worsening risk to all Jews in Germany, Inge's parents initially resisted emigration, though in 1937 they decided that their daughter should leave. Inge was approved to go to Australia after being assessed in Berlin. She arrived in Sydney via London in September 1938.
Otto and Regina lived in increasing poverty and anxiety. Otto was arrested in 1938 and sent to Buchenwald for a brief period before being released. In October 1942 they were deported to Theresienstadt. Inge received no sign of life from her parents from 1944 and only learned years after the war that they were deported to Auschwitz in October 1944 where they were murdered.
Most relevantly, Betty speaks on Inge's well-being as a refugee in Sydney, suggesting she gets in contact with a friend of hers with business connections also in Sydney, Dr Sperber(?). She has interest in assisting Inge to increase her social standing by no longer having to work in a factory. Betty describes Inge's current factory work as "horrible" and contrary to the plans her parents had held for her. Betty emphasises that even if Inge can earn more money through the factory that the social standing of a job through her friends is worth more. She staes that "in the whole world there is no other person that means so much about you than myself." She emphasises that Inge is one of the last surviving Herrmanns and she holds the obligation to honour her family.
Part of a collection of over 60 letters to Inge-Ruth Poppert (nee Herrmann) from 1937 to 1957, as well as memorabilia and personal documents that detail the Holocaust experiences of the Herrmann family, and the establishment Inge's life in Sydney, Australia.
Inge was born on 12 October 1922 in Wolmirstedt, near Magdeburg, Germany to Otto and Kate-Regina Herrmann (nee Manneberg). Inge lived in Wolmirstedt, but attended school in Madgeburg from 1933. The family relocated to the city of Magdeburg in 1935 where Otto owned two shops. Due to anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish legislation, Otto had lost his clothing business in Wolmirstedt. However, from 1937 with the increasing Aryanisation of Jewish assets and property, the Herrmann family again forcibly lost their remaining businesses and way of life.
Despite the worsening risk to all Jews in Germany, Inge's parents initially resisted emigration, though in 1937 they decided that their daughter should leave. Inge was approved to go to Australia after being assessed in Berlin. She arrived in Sydney via London in September 1938.
Otto and Regina lived in increasing poverty and anxiety. Otto was arrested in 1938 and sent to Buchenwald for a brief period before being released. In October 1942 they were deported to Theresienstadt. Inge received no sign of life from her parents from 1944 and only learned years after the war that they were deported to Auschwitz in October 1944 where they were murdered.
Production placeSweden
Production date 1946-12-10
Subjectpostwar family interactions, establishing new life, refugee experiences in Australia, Australian link to Holocaust
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 225.00 mm
height: 285.00 mm
Language
- German From : Betty Caspar Uppsala,Sweden, 10/12/1946.
To: Inge-Ruth Herrmann. Sydney.
My Dear Inge-Ruth. Have received your last letter sent 19. October and was very sorry that you had to undergo such a difficult appendix operation. Thank God, everything seems to be in order again. Be very careful now with your health for any later developments. We too have now had some difficult months with Harriet. She was operated for stones in the gall bladder, had 31 gram (?) stones and for some months floated between life and death. Now, after 2 weeks in Stockholm Hospital, after 2 weeks in a Convalescence Home she returned to husband and child in A
..? a few days ago in an ambulance and is still very weak so that she cannot run her household alone, for some to come and therefore I am not travelling to our children at Xmas and am staying here in Uppsala alone. You
..? that your aunt is thinking of you with love, I have included a handcrafted (?) handkerchief (?), which will hopefully safely arrive. Hoping the small gift will give you pleasure,I have already given pleasure to many friends here and in Germany. And now .....? A younger friend of mine from Vienna, Dr. Kollscher, a few days ago had a nice letter from Sydney. The writer is an earlier student of Dr, K. and her sister Dr. Sperber(?) who is supposed to be a very special endearing young woman. I have asked Dr. K(?) to
? for her and her parents get involved, they are from Vienna too, and have nice business in Sydney and hopefully, through her, will find another and better existence position. The mere thought that the only dear child of my youngest brother, that far away in Australia
.? is working in a factory is horrible and I could not die in peace if I had not done everything humanly possible through you (?) to bring about a better social standing. So if this lady should either ring you or write to you, I am asking you to everything possible that she will suggest, already, in memory of your dear parents you should and will have to get out of the factory. Mrs. Dr. K (?) for sure will think (?) that Mrs. Kerfter (?) will get in touch with you. Some (?) lack in your qualifications will be patched up, with the help of these good people. After all, how your dear parents had such wonderful plans for their only child, But it is not too late in honour of
.? to strike out in a new direction. Who is this your friend with whom you are living together with, a German too ? A factory worker too. I believe you will have to find some new surroundings. It is of course possible that you can earn more in the factory, but money is not the main thing in life. You would know, my dear Ingelein that in the whole world there is no other person that means so much about you than myself. After all you are, apart from
.? who is living in her first house in Sweden, the only one from the large Herrmann family, the only one still alive, so you have the obligation to observe this honour. It would be nice too if you would write to Heinz and Harriet. Address: Dr. Heinz Caspari, Kyriko (?)
.?,
..? Box 669. Your mentioned snap has not arrived yet. Apart from that only best wishes, and wishing a Merry Xmas and a happy and healthy New Year. With love your faithful aunt, Betty Caspari.
Address, Mrs Elly Kofter (?), 12 Holdsworth Street, Neutral Bay, Sydney.
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Kim Poppert
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.