The following letter illustrates the harassment Jews suffered and the effect of laws introduced by the Nazis in 1937/38. In order to leave Germany, Jews needed a new passport, a certificate from the police noting the dissolution of their residence in Germany, an itemized list of all gifts made to third parties after January ’31. They also had to pay 25% of their assets if they exceeded a value of 50,000 Marks, offer proof that there were no outstanding taxes to pay, and file a customs declaration dated no earlier than three days before departure. Emigrants could only take along 2,000 Marks, the remaining assets had to be transferred to a bank account with restricted access. Emigrants also had to show that they had made travel arrangements to another country and obtained entrance visas for that country.
Thursday. My dear Gretel, your postcard and letter of Tuesday and Wednesday both arrived today, and now that my sweet Hedda has left, I am getting around to answering you. We spent a couple of comfortable hours together and are both of the opinion that none of you is correctly informed about all the things that need to be done, as Paul explained to me yesterday on my request. Nobody can do the least thing, neither J.H., nor P.S., nor I, nor Hedda or anyone else until the permit arrives, and only when one has that in hand, is it possible to set everything else in motion. The passport is the last thing to be obtained, and you keep writing that I should make that happen. Indeed, as soon as you have the passport, you have to depart, as Gustel [married to Emma’s uncle Ferdinand], who is sometimes intelligent, has told me a long time ago. Presumably she knows that from Milly [Emma\s sister] as well as from her own experience. On my request Paul [banker, a relative] explained to me everything I have to do: the English consulate, the Department of Finance, confirmation that all taxes have been paid, and so forth, and he is of the opinion (which I second) that I can’t do everything myself and absolutely must have a capable person, and so he highly recommended to me the former mayor Dr. Kraus, an especially agreeable person and exceptionally effective, as tax consultant, in property administration, etc. He says I should use Dr. Kraus for everything, including the house. I therefore think that P.S. should hand over to that man the power of attorney he has from you – don’t you think? You could enclose a few lines to him about this matter in a letter addressed to me. That way you save the cost of stamps. Also, the man has a crazy amount of work to do over the few days during which he is still around, so that he might miss or forget something. It will be safer if the message goes through me. That’s all I can report to you about the matter at this time. It is very kind of H that they want to help me, but they are in no position to do so. Perhaps they can be of help later on. Nor has he been at S. L.’ place so far, who was quite surprised that he wants to cross his threshold, and hopes that he will do so only in the evening. When you see the visitors you encounter there, you will understand [cryptic -- perhaps he was under observation]. You write to me about the suitcase and sending it ahead – imagine, I said the same thing yesterday to Mimi [Emma’s sister]. At this point I’ll inquire into it. Mimi is already worried about her things and afraid of losing them – well, then she will have to tie her future to that of her children. Jenny [Emma’s sister] worries as well because Willy [Jenny’s son], it appears, has nothing left, but that is not believable. George will leave tomorrow, probably with a large transport of children to Switzerland – that’s it for his school. The end. And now I want to write to my dear Ernst [probably Gretel’s youngest son], whom I almost forgot – that’s because after the 10th [the date of the Kristallnacht rampage] I no longer noted things down in my calendar – I just can’t manage it. Or else I would not have forgotten that date. I enclose a little letter to him, please send it to him from me in your next letter. And so Good Night now, my dear child. All the best to you and all the loved ones and heartfelt greetings and kisses from you loyal E.
I am sure Lilly has written an airmail letter to me which unfortunately hasn’t arrived yet. This morning I missed Adele (because I was at the doctor’s) and also the mother of G.W. who has gone to Lilly. She told Adelheid [Emma’s maid], that things were much worse in their place than in ours. They had a flood, and she and the maid had to bail out the water for hours. Nicolai, of whom she writes, is terribly overworked. He has been in Gustel’s employ for a long time, but she keeps complaining that he does everything so slowly, and she probably wants to use the above-named gentlemen for her affairs.
Alright – she will probably go to the theatre tonight, since her subscription is for this evening. So, now you know everything about my sisters. This morning I was with Dr. G., who was very charming and declared that my leg is no worse and I could easily make the “little journey” [ironic reference to her planned emigration to England]. I just have to take the Rheingold train at 2pm, around 7pm I arrive in Amsterdam, there I must stay overnight and wait for nice weather to cross over. That’s a dreamer for you! I told him, that a man like Dr. G. can manage that perhaps, but not a woman like Mrs. N [i.e. herself]. Hedda advises me to fly, but I don’t dare to do that, although it would be fabulous to get there in such a short time. You can see from all of this that I comply exactly with your wishes and have quite familiarized myself with the thought of seeing you again. I could almost enjoy the thought if the reason for the journey wasn’t so sad. I feel very sorry for Mimi, it is difficult for her to do without me, and I too am already sorry. If only all of us weren’t so old, so that we could still achieve something, but there isn’t much doing in that respect. Are the Salas and Lolas [unidentified] from here? I assume they are. I am still tearing up a lot of old letters from all years and of course I don’t keep the recent ones either – I say this to reassure you. Renate will…[text missing] spoke with Director Dietz about the future and how everything is supposed to proceed. And it occurred to me that you should look after all the matters I now transact with D[ietz], for example, concerning the bills (checking income and costs) and all the rest that must be dealt with. – Change tenants? Or tell me what you think. There is really no one here, with whom I can discuss all these matters. All that has been weighing on my mind for a long time now, so that it would be very unreasonable of you to reply “We still have a lot of time for that.” That would annoy me terribly. Lilly is too far away, or I would mull it over with her. But you have many friends – Lilly…etc. who would surely lend you the 15 Pounds. I am not allowed to send them to you. And I assume that you will have to pay more customs fees the longer the [furniture] sits there. It hurts me to think that you have once again embarked on a terribly rushed life. I can hardly understand (nor can anyone else, apart from me) why you don’t do your work leisurely and make time for something else as well. Why do more than your duty and go beyond your obligations? Unfortunately, you can never understand that you are burning the candle at both ends, and that this cannot end well – and so you are my greatest worry and will remain so until the end of my days. I will feel easier about you only if you give me your sacred promise to change in that respect.
And so it is now Wednesday morning, and you can tell from my handwriting that I once again write while lying down. In the morning I suffer the greatest pain, but it lessens if I lie down. Earlier on I had a letter by ship from Lilly [Emma’s older daughter]: Once again, unfortunately, she has not heard from you in a long time. I can’t understand that. Don’t write to her about me, I will do that myself in the next few days, via airmail. On Sunday afternoon a gentleman visited me, who was in Britain [?] in October and greeted you on my behalf through… [illegible]. At the time they visited me especially to see what my place looked like…[illegible] the gentleman wanted to report only orally. He said some very nice things about that place. He finds Lilly’s home, the apartment, and everything charming. He is from “the other faculty” [i.e. not Jewish?], but nevertheless wants to move there permanently.
In the meantime evening has come. Mimi and Gustel are away just now, the latter went to see the Consul in Frankfurt today and has everything now to enable her to make the journey. Next week things may look better again. For today accept only many heartfelt greetings and kisses. Your m[other]
FOR MORE LETTERS SEE MY NEXT BLOGPOST. For the originals
see LBI Archives AR 7167/MF 720.The translation is by Erika Rummel
and Susi Lessing.
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