Object numberM1999/046:001
DescriptionNewspaper article of a letter written by Anke Fischer to her cousin Franta Justitz in New York on 24 November 1945. Her cousin was so moved by the letter that he had it printed in the Czech language newspaper in New York on 26 March 1946. The letter contains details of the horror experienced by Anke and her sister Vera and the difficulties they faced following liberation, including antisemitism when they returned home. It also describes Anke's experience on the death march, "without shoes, without a coat, no undergarments and no food or water. We were made to walk for 6 weeks through Poland and Germany, criss-cross for days and days and countless kilometres, from 2 February until late March. We walked through heavy storms and snow. Finally we were allowed to rest overnight in the open before arriving in Bergen Belsen the death camp."
An English translation is available in the External Material folder (pdf M1999/046:001) in the Adlib folder.
Vera Meyer neé Fischer was born 24 February 1915, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her father Bohumil Fischer (born 25 December 1879; murdered 1942). Mother: Ludmilla Fischer (nee Popper) (born 12 August 1881). Older Sister: Anna [Anka] Glaesner (born 1908, died 1989 Sydney).
An English translation is available in the External Material folder (pdf M1999/046:001) in the Adlib folder.
Vera Meyer neé Fischer was born 24 February 1915, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her father Bohumil Fischer (born 25 December 1879; murdered 1942). Mother: Ludmilla Fischer (nee Popper) (born 12 August 1881). Older Sister: Anna [Anka] Glaesner (born 1908, died 1989 Sydney).
Production placeNew York, New York, United States
Production date 1945-11-24 - 1946-03-26
Subjectliberation, testimonials, antisemitism, death marches
Object namearticles
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 440.00 mm
height: 565.00 mm
Language
- Czech Excerpts
“You could not possibly understand the way we felt when we saw your handwriting after so many years. We are unable to comprehend that there were some lucky people who lived in other parts of the world and were spared the horrors of humiliations which are beyond description.”
….
“This is over now, but our minds are burdened with bad memories and they linger on. We would like to describe our sad fate to you but it is so very painful, since it all happened only a short time ago. Our health has not improved to a normal state yet. … Regarding our health, I can only say and tell you about Vera, who returned in a terrible state. The doctors did not give much hope for her recovery, they thought she could only last 2-3 days. She had jaundice, her entire body was covered with horrible boils and she looked like a skeleton. You cannot possibly visualise how she looked; her weight was only 30 kg. Yet, being in such terrible condition, she had the strength and courage to escape. Many years ago I had a friend I studied with, a wonderful person Jarmila Cizova nee Klozova. Maybe you remember or know her, she is a red headed woman. When Vera escaped, she sought help and refuge from Jarmila who looked after her and brought her back to life. Today Vera is an unbelievable and wonderful person, relatively well, she just turned 31. My heart aches to tell you about this 31 year old. She has great difficulty getting up from a chari, she looks somehow odd, like a disabled cripple. She suffers from severe rheumatism, this being an everlasting memory of the past. I wonder whether you remember me? I too, like Vera, was in many concentration camps. I was in the ‘so very famous’ death march, without shoes, without a coat, no undergarments and no food or water. We were made to walk for 6 weeks through Poland and Germany, criss-cross for days and days and countless kilometres, from 2 February until late March. We walked through heavy storms and snow. Finally we were allowed to rest overnight in the open before arriving in Bergen Belsen the death camp. There they had a motto which said: hey! You! Rot in your own dirt! Hundreds and hundreds were shoved and pushed into wooden barracks. To sit or lie down was impossible. Upon our arrival many were trampled to death and many suffocated. That was our so-called accommodation. We were kept there for one month, 4 – 6 days without any food or water. The worst was that when we were stricken with dysentery and we had no toilets. The sad fact is that we had no control over our bowel movements and we were virtually drowning in our own faeces and urine for the entire month.
Then came the lice. I was covered with thousands of them and typhus raged and took over. Masses of tortured dead bodies were lying next to us.”
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Helen Thal