Wartime Letters of Richard and Hilda Löbl 1939
Object numberM2021/036:003
TitleWartime Letters of Richard and Hilda Löbl 1939
DescriptionLetter from Richard or Hilda Löbl (nee Gerstl), Berlin, to George and Dora Fekete (nee Löbl), 2 February 1939, Sydney. The final page (p. 3) is missing.
Part of a collection of letters written by Richard and Hilda Löbl (nee Gerstl) from Berlin and Shanghai to their daughter, Dora, their son-in-law, George Fekete, and their granddaughter, Susie, who were in Sydney, between 1939 and 1941.
George Fekete was born in Hungary in 1901. Anti-Semitism at Budapest University forced him to study civil engineering in Berlin. There he met Dora Löbl, born in 1902. They married in 1927 and in 1932 their daughter Susie was born.
According to the donor, "George did not want Susie to go to a Jewish ghetto school, nor did he want her to go to a school where they espoused Nazi principles, so they decided to emigrate". The Feketes fled to Budapest and later to Australia, arriving in Sydney on 10 February 1938.
Although Dora's parents, Richard and Hilda Löbl, were booked to travel to Australia on the RMS Strathmore on 6 November 1939, their landing permits were cancelled with the outbreak of World War II.
The 38 Berlin letters, written during 1939, are a record of correspondence between Richard and Hilda who were stranded in Nazi Germany, and the Fekete family who were newly settled in Sydney.
Richard and Hilda managed to escape to Shanghai in April 1940. They were on the final voyage made by the SS Conte Rosso, one of four Italian ships which carried Jewish refugees from Trieste to Shanghai - prior to Italy joining the Axis alliance.
The 53 Shanghai letters follow the narrative of the Löbl's lives in Hongkew between 11 July 1940 and 15 November 1941. They provide political commentary of the German-Jewish experience in the Shanghai ghetto during World War II. The letters also provide first-hand social commentary on the intersection between Eastern and Western cultures. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, it became impossible for Richard and Hilda to send letters to Australia.
Dora and George had no further correspondence until May 1945, when a note arrived from Richard via the Red Cross; "Since July 21 1942 am alone. Mama died of typhus without suffering. Her thoughts were always with you. Your good news is my only comfort."
Richard arrived in Australia in 1946 and lived with the Feketes. He passed away on 2 August 1964.
Dora and her parents were prolific correspondents, writing almost weekly. Dora wrote long letters, sometimes nine pages in length, detailing the lives of her family in Sydney. The letters that Dora wrote to her parents have not survived, however, the letters which they wrote to her mostly did. Richard and Hilda's letters were much shorter due to the 5-gram weight restriction, having to pay more if the letter exceeded that weight.
As far as is possible, the English translations of these letters are an accurate record of the experiences shared between family members separated by long distances.
Part of a collection of letters written by Richard and Hilda Löbl (nee Gerstl) from Berlin and Shanghai to their daughter, Dora, their son-in-law, George Fekete, and their granddaughter, Susie, who were in Sydney, between 1939 and 1941.
George Fekete was born in Hungary in 1901. Anti-Semitism at Budapest University forced him to study civil engineering in Berlin. There he met Dora Löbl, born in 1902. They married in 1927 and in 1932 their daughter Susie was born.
According to the donor, "George did not want Susie to go to a Jewish ghetto school, nor did he want her to go to a school where they espoused Nazi principles, so they decided to emigrate". The Feketes fled to Budapest and later to Australia, arriving in Sydney on 10 February 1938.
Although Dora's parents, Richard and Hilda Löbl, were booked to travel to Australia on the RMS Strathmore on 6 November 1939, their landing permits were cancelled with the outbreak of World War II.
The 38 Berlin letters, written during 1939, are a record of correspondence between Richard and Hilda who were stranded in Nazi Germany, and the Fekete family who were newly settled in Sydney.
Richard and Hilda managed to escape to Shanghai in April 1940. They were on the final voyage made by the SS Conte Rosso, one of four Italian ships which carried Jewish refugees from Trieste to Shanghai - prior to Italy joining the Axis alliance.
The 53 Shanghai letters follow the narrative of the Löbl's lives in Hongkew between 11 July 1940 and 15 November 1941. They provide political commentary of the German-Jewish experience in the Shanghai ghetto during World War II. The letters also provide first-hand social commentary on the intersection between Eastern and Western cultures. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, it became impossible for Richard and Hilda to send letters to Australia.
Dora and George had no further correspondence until May 1945, when a note arrived from Richard via the Red Cross; "Since July 21 1942 am alone. Mama died of typhus without suffering. Her thoughts were always with you. Your good news is my only comfort."
Richard arrived in Australia in 1946 and lived with the Feketes. He passed away on 2 August 1964.
Dora and her parents were prolific correspondents, writing almost weekly. Dora wrote long letters, sometimes nine pages in length, detailing the lives of her family in Sydney. The letters that Dora wrote to her parents have not survived, however, the letters which they wrote to her mostly did. Richard and Hilda's letters were much shorter due to the 5-gram weight restriction, having to pay more if the letter exceeded that weight.
As far as is possible, the English translations of these letters are an accurate record of the experiences shared between family members separated by long distances.
Production placeBerlin, Germany
Production date 1939-02-02
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Techniquehandwritten
Language
- German 2nd February 1939
My dear children,
Punctually on the day, we received via London, your third report, which told us many interesting things. I am very glad that we did write already in February. It seems to us therefore, that your arrival in Sydney is not so far away, as we know already the destination that we need to write to. You will be glad that it is over, even if you had a nice time travelling on board ship. I am sure that Sydney made a good impression on you, as others have reported. Now we can only wish that you new country will fulfil all your expectations, and that you will be as happy there as you and we think you will be.
You will not be disappointed when you find things a bit different from what you hoped for. You are already lucky to be able to enter the country, something which has been denied to thousands of others. That alone gives you power and hope to withstand all challenges. You have to be patient with your courage and endurance. Perhaps you have to begin with a little roughness, maybe many paths must be taken in vain, perhaps, or even probably, every penny has to be spent carefully, but with a sense of humour you will manage.
It is easy to write here from the green table, but it is not all theory. In my life Ai have been in many terrible situations, from which I knew no solution, but in the end, one was found. And I did not have the wisdom and learning that George has. Perhaps after ten unsuccessful tries the eleventh will work. These things will give us experience to overcome other challenges ahead of us. But why do I tell you this? You are both strong enough to take things as they come, and to stay optimistic. I was also an optimist and I will stay that way till the end.
Now, both your rooms are empty, and our living room looks strange without the piano and the big table and chairs. The days of packing were exciting. The packers came, but not the customs officer. Lots of telephone calls were made without success. Nevertheless, the packing began without a rush, because the arrival of the officer was expected hourly. He came the next day at 9.00 a.m. with his uniform buttoned up to the collar. He wanted us to unpack two suitcases, which were, of course, in order, because the packers wrote down all the contents. We were in the front room, waiting patiently. Then came a knock at the door and the customs officer stood there with the list in his hand, to ask us politely to include the hand mirror, which was in the suitcase, but not on the list. Mama pointed out to him that the mirror was on the list, which caused him some discomfort. There were no further problems. They weren’t finished on Saturday, and the two locks were sealed. On Monday the packers came with the container and the work was completed in the presence of the officer. It was 4.00 p.m. and then 5.00 p.m. and it became pitch dark. During the day, the packed things were put in the container. When the last things were put in, the container looked a bit empty, with some space in between the boxes. Mama was worried that the ship’s movements would cause some damage, and it was hard to calm her down, even though the packers reassured her, that the containers were always packed that way.
Later, a confirmed message said that 1500 containers were already transported by ship and to expect from you an equal confirmation.
P 3 is missing
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Hazel Hillier
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.