Letter from Regina Herrmann to Inge Herrmann on 23 January 1939
ObjectnummerM2020/023:068
TitelLetter from Regina Herrmann to Inge Herrmann on 23 January 1939
Vervaardiger Regina Herrmann
BeschrijvingLetter from Regina Herrmann to her daughter Inge Herrmann on 23 January 1939. The letter talks mostly about Regina's hopes for the permit Inge may be able to attain for her through the sponsorship of some Australians. Regina asks for their sponsor's address so she can write to them herself. She states "We wish and hope to G-d that it all works out with the permit, otherwise we just don't know what we will do."
Regina also speaks of the many people leaving town, listing off many names. She finds herself jealous, but says "I do not begrudge them, if they can get away earlier, our turn will come, don't you agree, my dear child?" She also speaks of the difficulties of eventually immigrating with their growing lack of funds, "it is becoming more and more difficult from day to day."
There is an associated letter from Otto Herrmann on the same date (M2020/023:069).
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.
Regina also speaks of the many people leaving town, listing off many names. She finds herself jealous, but says "I do not begrudge them, if they can get away earlier, our turn will come, don't you agree, my dear child?" She also speaks of the difficulties of eventually immigrating with their growing lack of funds, "it is becoming more and more difficult from day to day."
There is an associated letter from Otto Herrmann on the same date (M2020/023:069).
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.
Vervaardiging plaatsGermany
Datum 1939-01-23
Onderwerpfamilies, loved ones' contact, immigration
Objectnaamletters
Materiaalpaper
Formaat
- width: 292.00 mm
height: 204.00 mm
Taal
- German My deeply beloved, sweet
.
Yesterday, Sunday, we received your so dear letter. I am unable to describe to you with how much fear we expected it, I was so greatly worried, that I was unable to sleep. In these difficult times a letter from you is the greatest joy. We wish and hope to G-d that it all works out with the permit, otherwise we just don't know what we will do. As you can only believe half of what you are told, they are supposed to have the sponsorship and the number of the permit, when we asked who the sponsors were, he told us
[2-3 words illegible] which I find very curious, I do not begrudge them if they can get away earlier, our turn will come, don't you agree, my dear child? We are unable to go to another country unless we have something in our hands and who is going to pay for our living costs? It is becoming more and more difficult from day to day. M
.. M
have gone, Dr. Goldstein, Dr.
, Dr.
., Oppenheimer there are fewer and fewer
,
., Rosenberg, ? Liebschutz ?,
. will leave in February. Ruth was very happy about your letter, she doesn't know where to go and is greatly worried, because everybody has to leave. Today the Sch
has/have also received the rejection, she is/they are unable to get a work permit. On the 18 January Albert
had his birthday, Daddy and I went over there, they were delighted to see us. Daddy will write to you about them in detail, they are putting all their hopes into you. What you are all supposed to fix, my dearest? We were overjoyed that you received such a fine ? coat ? Please write to me the address of the people who sponsored us and where we will be staying, so I can write to them all. Miss Adelson has also written to me
. did Mister A. pay you a visit, she wrote that he was going to. ? Berthold ? Herzberg has got a permit as well, he will be travelling away soon, we are going to invite him and his family for coffee soon. [3 lines illegible]
. terribly nice of Miss ? Whitner ? to turn to you and I think that will have an influence on the official and that thereby you will get the permit quicker. [9 words illegible]
..my handkerchiefs, which I had planned to give as presents, I am now going to use myself ? E ? L ? has also already left, didn't say goodbye either to us, so be it. My beloved child, many thanks for your little picture, it is not easy to make you out, the picture is too small. What sort of position has Gisela got and do the two of you get together a lot? Now my beloved dear child, farewell and write again soon,
Embracing you, greeting and kissing you many thousand times,
Your you dearly loving Mum
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.