Wartime Letters of Richard and Hilda Löbl 1939
Object numberM2021/036:004
TitleWartime Letters of Richard and Hilda Löbl 1939
DescriptionLetter from Richard Löbl, Berlin, to George and Dora Fekete (nee Löbl), 6 February 1939, Sydney.
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 1939-02-06
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Techniquetypewritten
Language
- German 6th February 1939
My much-loved children,
The impersonal nature of this type-written script should be counteracted by the affectionate greeting. I also hope that the coldness caused by the type-written script will be compensated by its legibility. This introduction I think is necessary.
So, in Aden you didn’t receive a letter from us. This distress is unusual, but we were not at fault. Unlike the list that George gave us regarding the length of time it takes for airmail letters to arrive, it takes longer, and we have to post the letters 3-4 days earlier in order for you to get them at the Post Office. The delay is therefore to be attributed to the Arabs’ postal regulations. Unfortunately I don’t make copies of my letters, so I never know what I have already written and what I still have to write. So it might sometimes happen that I write the same news twice, like Mama might make a mistake with her embroidery. So where did I stop last
time?
I think with the removalist’s, the container with your household goods left Berlin for the SS Lahn which is leaving from Hamburg, and should arrive in Sydney on 27th March c/- Grace Bros Pty Ltd Sydney. Schäfer gave us a copy of the receipt, which is not correct, as they forgot to include one line of writing, which was about items which had been packed and approved, and included in the foreign exchange inventory. The latter alone is of importance, especially for the insurance company. For this reason I went to Schäfer’s representative and as soon as I have his reply, I’ll send you the inventories by airmail.
Your amusing and interesting travel reports have gained attention in well-known circles, and are waiting to be printed and published. I can only concur with this judgement. One thing is certain; if we ever have the luck to be able to follow you, we could easily sleep the whole journey, for we would have been spared. However, we have the impression that for us it will no longer be possible.
Frau Kareis wrote to us from Prague that she has to leave within six months. People like her will be expelled on the grounds that on 2nd February, one of them, in the Prague newspaper, published an advertisement that said citizenship fails to work and the intervention by Dr Steinle was useless. The question about foreign-born Czechs is also made clear, but a corresponding decree has not come out yet. We can do mothing but wait.
Herr Krotachvil wraps himself in secrecy. A few days ago I asked him how the matter stands, but received no answer. For the foreign-born Czechs who went there before the critical time, like Alfred and Gustav, it seems the matter has been settled the best way.
Dr Lucas is going at the end of the month, either to England or Australia, just like Frau Hohbohm said.
Paul is seeing if it is possible for him to go to Manchuria, but he would have to leave on 20th February already. He booked to go to Peru, but needs the approval of the foreign exchange place to change his plans.
Just like we often had Max as a guest, now we have his mother. Similarly, this unpleasantness is bearable. [He wrote “these unpleasantnesses” but the plural does not exist in English.]
I am now learning English with the Linguaphone records method. By chance, I saw in the Markgraf-Albert Street, in a little bookshop, a poster about this method. These records can be borrowed from this little library for 7.50 Reichsmark a month, as many as you want. If you want to buy the course, it costs 120 Reichsmark. After that comes the conversation course. There is no other place in Berlin where you can borrow these records. And the manufacturer only sells them. Paul wanted to get a Spanish course, but despite all his efforts, was unable to get one. From my company no more were available, and they weren’t getting any more.
Anyway, by chance, from the Columbia Talking Machine Company, I was able to buy a demonstration model record player for a good price, for mains electricity, and I can connect my radio to it. With it comes three very helpful instruction manuals. The method of instruction gives me much more pleasure than with Fräulein Doctor, as I could look forward to uneasiness at every lesson with her. (Thank goodness it was only weekly.) She always said I was making giant steps forward, but I didn’t notice it myself.
Please forgive me that I often make mistakes, but at typing I am an absolute beginner. By the way, it is a Mercedes portable typewrite, bought for 130 Reichsmark.
We received another letter from Leon. He only wants us to be patient. As soon as the resolve of the new regime is firm (which won’t be possible till the middle of February) he will set about putting things in motion to do something for us.
Frau Steinbach is going this week to Czechoslovakia to stay with her sister for a few months. In the meantime, the time should come for her to see her sons. From Brussels she doesn’t have good news from Edith. She suffers from sciatica, from an eye infection and her previous complaint.
Recently we had a big fright. In order to make a proper tax declaration, I sat with my accountant and worked on it at our house for several hours. He took the material back to his house to make a proper copy. That was on the Friday before last. I should pick up the documents with the completed work from him on the following Monday. For safety reasons, almost the next day, I rang him up to ask whether he had finished it yet. He said that to spare me the journey had had posted it the evening before, and I could expect to receive it by the second post. However, it came by neither the second nor the third post. Nor did it come the next day or the following few days. The accountant said that he had brought the rather large envelope to the Post Office and I had no reason to deny this. The letter must have got lost in the mail or fallen into other people’s hands. The documents were included with the work, and without a new balance sheet, it would be very difficult to work out again., so I had a few sleepless nights. We decided that he should come again the next Monday, namely today, to try to work on it again. However, on Saturday, with the last post, the postman brought a registered letter, inside of which was the original letter from the accountant. You can imagine my joy. And the solution to the puzzle was this. He had addressed the letter to Löbl, 67 Konstanza Street, and the letter had to do the rounds of several post offices.
We are assailed from many sides, not to leave any stone unturned before the Prague regulations have been sorted out. Naturally that would be what many people would wish for. Still, we can’t put out heads through a wall. Where should we go, seeing the thing about Chile is deferred? Before one can make a request, one has to have a firm floor under one’s feet. Maybe our migration will be in that direction. And a passage is only possible when a definite goal, and exact support, such as visas, permits and things like that are in front of you. Whether it’s to Holland, England or other countries, it is the same. Krenitze is absolutely for Latvia. But without money and without knowing exactly how long we can stay, it is hard to come to a decision. Also, Rudi swears to high heaven not to worry, but the papers say what the situation is really like, and paint quite a different picture.
Frau Melkenstein’s marriage will be of little use to her, according to the directives now published in Prague. At Weils’ house there is also great concern now.
Now I have to close, otherwise this letter will not get away promptly. Until I hear otherwise, my letters will be addressed to you c/- GPO Sydney.
Many, many greetings and kisses,
Papa
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.