Letter from Betty Caspari to Heinz and Inge Poppert (nee Herrmann)
Object numberM2020/023:009
TitleLetter from Betty Caspari to Heinz and Inge Poppert (nee Herrmann)
Creator Betty Caspari
DescriptionLetter from Betty Caspari in Sweden to her niece Inge Herrmann and her new husband Heinz Poppert, in Sydney in March of 1947. Betty writes her congratulations on the marriage of the two, seeming to state that she received the news of their engagement around the time they were to marry. Betty states that she is very glad with Inge's choice of partner, emphasising her assumed role of mother due to the death of Inge's parents in Auschwitz. She wishes she could embrace them both "as your parents surely would have done."
Betty emphasises her desire for Inge to live a good life given her diminished family, and references another letter that spoke of her attempt to establish a professional connection with higher status employment via Betty's friends.
She goes on to request more information about Heinz' life in Sydney, his family and connections.
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.
Betty emphasises her desire for Inge to live a good life given her diminished family, and references another letter that spoke of her attempt to establish a professional connection with higher status employment via Betty's friends.
She goes on to request more information about Heinz' life in Sydney, his family and connections.
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 1947-03-23
Subjectpostwar family interactions, establishing new life, refugee experiences in Australia, Australian link to Holocaust, marriage
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 340.00 mm
height: 290.00 mm
Language
- German To: Dear young couple.
This was indeed a happy surprise on Sunday just as your wedding
. ? with news of your engagement arriving here. For a start I will pray all the blessings from Heaven for your happiness and want to embrace both of you with all my heart as you parents surely would have done. I am so happy that Inges choice has fallen on such a
.? man who surely will appreciate the trust in him that unfortunately such a child without parents confronted
.? him. You would really have to know Heinz that Inge was to only and
..? child of her parents who would always given everything they owned to their dear child. And since I am the only one still alive of 6 Herrman siblings I would have of course had Ingelein close to my heart, I now feel the
? Obligation to be concerned about her (?) and when
..? a small part
..? fate. Dear Heinz you would have seen, reading German, my correspondence with Inge as I am now trying to make contact for her with a lady in Sydney, a lady from Vienna, But, as encouraging as was your news I am missing out on details about your present existence.
? and what your household
..? you would know that all manner
..? belongs and I cant think that you will let your little wife go to a factory. Will you now let me know in detail about your career and what employment you have got after 5 weeks stay in Sydney. I am assuming that as Inges mother
I can ask you for this information since as mother feel towards Inge as her parents, as, in their letters from Theresienstadt they have been very close to my heart . You have relatives in Sydney, perhaps they were the Rosenberg family, would they be the only relatives? And the only Family? Have you got anybody who survived the terrible times? After all we lived
.? In Hamburg. In Hamburg there was also a Mr. I
.? He had a
.? Jam-marmalade (?) shop and had a Christian (damaged letter
) shop
.? And two Aryan nieces in charge as he could not enter his shop
.(missing signature, no further page )
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.