Letter sent to Salomon Itzkowic from his children
Object numberM2002/019:004
TitleLetter sent to Salomon Itzkowic from his children
DescriptionLetter to Salomon Itzkowic, an internee in Argelès-sur-Mer Southern France, from his children in Antwerp.
In this letter Salomon's children explain that they have tried to send him a copy of his birth certificate and an attestation of domicile various times through different people Mrs Wiesenfeld and Mrs Bukofsa They hope that these documents have reached him. They inform their father that their brother, Arthur (born after Salomon was separated from the family) is starting to speak, and tell him: The whole day long he calls out 'Papa pum' (meaning daddy come). The letter ends with the children writing that they don't understand why their father can't come home.
Salomon Itzkowic was born in Wietrzychowice near Tarnow, southern Poland, on 1 March 1901. His mother died when he was young and he was looked after by an older sister. He went to Cheder until his barmitzvah and had no other formal education. Pogroms in the Krakow province in 1919 was possibly the reason he left Poland with his brother Nuta (Nathan) and went to Germany in 1922. In 1928 he married Esther Goldberg (born 21 October 1903 in Czechow, Poland). Nazi Germany pursued an aggressive policy of forced emigration for Jews, and Salomon and Esther and their two sons Achim (born 1929 in Berlin) and Berthold (born 1932 in Berlin) left in July 1938 for Belgium. Esther was pregnant at the time; Arthur was born in Antwerp in 1939.
In May 1940 the Nazis invaded Belgium, Salomon was arrested by Belgian authorities as he was a Jew of German nationality, and taken to a camp at St Cyprien in the south of France. After six months the disease-ridden camp was closed and he was moved to the camp at Argeles-sur-Mer. He was deported leaving Esther was alone with the boys, then aged 11, eight and one. Esther and the three children were deported from Malines to Auschwitz on 10 October 1942. Salomon never met his third child and he never saw his wife and children again.
In August 1942 Salomon escaped from the camp and with the help of a smuggler crossed the Pyrenees into Spain; from Madrid he went to Gibraltar and boarded a ship to England, arriving on 6 May 1943. In April 1946, Salomon made urgent requests to tracing services about the whereabouts of his wife and children, in the hope that they survived. Records indicated that Esther survived Auschwitz and was sent to Flossenburg (arriving 2 December 1944), and was then transferred to Mehltheuer subcamp. After receiving notification from the London Beth Din that he should be regarded as a widower, Salomon married Antonia Pressburger (born Vienna 1921), in St John's Wood Synagogue on 2 June 1946. They had a son, David, and eventually migrated to Australia in November 1948.
When Salomon died in 1981, David found letters in a wallet that his father had received between August and December 1940 from Esther and the boys. He donated them to the Sydney Jewish Museum. Salomon had never told David about Esther and the boys. The letters describe the heart-breaking difficulties Esther had with the children, her loneliness and desperation and details of attempts to arrange Salomon's return, without success.
In this letter Salomon's children explain that they have tried to send him a copy of his birth certificate and an attestation of domicile various times through different people Mrs Wiesenfeld and Mrs Bukofsa They hope that these documents have reached him. They inform their father that their brother, Arthur (born after Salomon was separated from the family) is starting to speak, and tell him: The whole day long he calls out 'Papa pum' (meaning daddy come). The letter ends with the children writing that they don't understand why their father can't come home.
Salomon Itzkowic was born in Wietrzychowice near Tarnow, southern Poland, on 1 March 1901. His mother died when he was young and he was looked after by an older sister. He went to Cheder until his barmitzvah and had no other formal education. Pogroms in the Krakow province in 1919 was possibly the reason he left Poland with his brother Nuta (Nathan) and went to Germany in 1922. In 1928 he married Esther Goldberg (born 21 October 1903 in Czechow, Poland). Nazi Germany pursued an aggressive policy of forced emigration for Jews, and Salomon and Esther and their two sons Achim (born 1929 in Berlin) and Berthold (born 1932 in Berlin) left in July 1938 for Belgium. Esther was pregnant at the time; Arthur was born in Antwerp in 1939.
In May 1940 the Nazis invaded Belgium, Salomon was arrested by Belgian authorities as he was a Jew of German nationality, and taken to a camp at St Cyprien in the south of France. After six months the disease-ridden camp was closed and he was moved to the camp at Argeles-sur-Mer. He was deported leaving Esther was alone with the boys, then aged 11, eight and one. Esther and the three children were deported from Malines to Auschwitz on 10 October 1942. Salomon never met his third child and he never saw his wife and children again.
In August 1942 Salomon escaped from the camp and with the help of a smuggler crossed the Pyrenees into Spain; from Madrid he went to Gibraltar and boarded a ship to England, arriving on 6 May 1943. In April 1946, Salomon made urgent requests to tracing services about the whereabouts of his wife and children, in the hope that they survived. Records indicated that Esther survived Auschwitz and was sent to Flossenburg (arriving 2 December 1944), and was then transferred to Mehltheuer subcamp. After receiving notification from the London Beth Din that he should be regarded as a widower, Salomon married Antonia Pressburger (born Vienna 1921), in St John's Wood Synagogue on 2 June 1946. They had a son, David, and eventually migrated to Australia in November 1948.
When Salomon died in 1981, David found letters in a wallet that his father had received between August and December 1940 from Esther and the boys. He donated them to the Sydney Jewish Museum. Salomon had never told David about Esther and the boys. The letters describe the heart-breaking difficulties Esther had with the children, her loneliness and desperation and details of attempts to arrange Salomon's return, without success.
Production date 1940
Subjectfamilies, children, signs of life, internment camps
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- whole width: 160.00 mm
height: 180.00 mm
Language
- German Antwerp, 8th December 1940
Dear Daddy,
Today we received a letter from you which you sent on 22nd August. We were overjoyed to receive this letter. You write about your identity papers. Everywhere we were told that the papers cannot be found. (the word corresponding to the last three words in English is then crossed out and he continues) accompanied you. Five months ago Mummy sent you a copy of the birth certificate and an attestation of domicile, and Mummy sent this through Mrs. Wiesenfeld. Then we had mail through Mrs. Bukofsa where you write that we should send everything through Mrs. Bakofsa (spelling variations of this name as in original). So Mummy immediately procured for you another attestation of domicile and a certificate of (this is not known to translator) and sent it immediately through Mrs. Bukofzer. We hope that these documents have already reached you and we ask you to please acknowledge receipt immediately. Don't think that here Mummy is not doing anything about this (in the original literally 'sleeps'). Mummy put everything in train in order to procure these documents. Unfortunately uncle Jacob is still where he was (this seems to be an allusion to something about which he does not want to be more precise). Auntie Anna is making a lot of efforts to get here. Arthur already understands everything we say to him and speaks just as well. The whole day long he calls out 'Papa pum' (Daddy come) [these are Achim's brackets]
Mummy cannot understand at all why you did not come with Mr. Zoldner. People come back everyday. We are very pleased that Uncle Schiehe (these last two words are crossed out) your brother is helping you.
Heartfelt greetings to you and a thousand kisses your Arthur
Illegible signature, presumably Achim
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by David Itzkowic, 2002. This collection is donated in memory of Anny and Salomon Itzkowic.