Preface: Our Last Letter From Szczuczyn |
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Our family's last letter from Szczuczyn
was written in Hebrew on November 15, 1938 by my first cousin, Yitzchak
Zimnowicz. This letter was written at a historically significant time, within a
week after the shooting in Paris of Ernst von Rath, the 3rd Secretary of the
German Embassy, by Herschel Grynszpan and the subsequent Kristallnacht
nightmare.
My father had over the years corresponded
in Yiddish with his sister-in-law Gushie Zimnowicz, Yitzchak's mother. I don't
recall when or how I began corresponding with Yitzchak. As indicated in his
letter, my family had begun efforts - alas, too late - to enable him to come to
the States. He refers to having heard that our cousin Gitl (Gloria Finkelstein)
- had an appointment to meet with the Consul to discuss her immigration. Indeed,
she did arrive in the States shortly afterward. He also refers to his (Polish)
friend Zygmund who later brought regards from our family in Szczuczyn when he
arrived in the States the following year.
I wish I had saved Yitzchak's earlier
letters. This last letter thankfully found its way into my family photo album,
and consequently survived. Its value and the emotion it evokes increase each
time I reread it. The events Yitzchak describes and perceptively interprets are
a prelude to the Holocaust and a permanent reminder of our family's connection
to it.
Helen Simon Lewis
Baltimore, Maryland
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Szczuczyn
15 November, 1938
My Dear Cousin:
Many thanks to God that your father is
already well and back home. We have enough troubles, and now we can already move
from [worrying about our family] to [the subject] of our enemies. Here we are
all well and hope only to receive good letters that your father is well and all
your family are well.
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Click on letter
for full image
of all four pages |
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I wanted to write this letter last week
but I did not have the opportunity because I had to go away to work for 6 days
because I have not yet gone to the army. The work went well for me. There were
many young men there, Jews and also Poles. The work was hard but jolly. [But]
just one thing was on my mind: for whom am I working? For the homeland that is
already following the paths of Hitler? You have surely heard and read in the
papers what Hitler (may his name be blotted out) did after the murder by the
young man Grynszpan who murdered the Nazi in Paris. Young Grynszpan had no
alternative since his cup of woes was full and he could not bear it. You cannot
guess the distress they inflicted there on the Jews. Refugees from Germany have
also come to our town and they tell of their plight. This atmosphere already
existed in Poland but now it is getting much worse. The Polacks are already
saying that even the Polish Jews must leave Poland while they can so that what
happened with the Jews in Germany will not be repeated. If they did this with
them who were not so numerous, how much more vulnerable are we in Poland where
there are so many more Jews! We are living through days of shame and disgrace,
not [our shame and disgrace] but [that of] the nations who are returning to the
time of the expulsion from Spain and the other expulsions that the Jews have
suffered. History will judge all. The day will come even for the Hitlerian
murderer because the people Israel is an eternal people. In every generation
they try to destroy us. But they will not succeed. We see the revenge now in
Spain where they are spilling blood like water. This is all because of what
Torquemada did to us. For the sins of their fathers, their sons are being
judged. The end will also come to Hitler, and soon. Now, as for us, there is
only one way: that we must request from the righteous people of the world such as
Roosevelt, Lehman and LaGuardia that they must request that England give us now
Eretz Yisrael. [May] our troubles end and the Redemption come, because until
now we have not had our own sovereignty, so every time a vermin such as Hitler
arises against us.
I am stopping this subject now because in
the next letter I will write more about it. I only ask that when Zygmund visits
you do not tell him what I am writing to you [about] Poland. Only give him my
regards. Too bad that my friend who is going to America is not going to Chicago,
only to New York. He received papers only after I received the papers from you,
and he has already received permission to leave because he already had
permission from previous years to leave and now that he has received [additional
papers] it was easy for him to get permission to leave. I heard also that Gitl
from Kurki, sister of Rochel and Sorke also received a paper from the Consul to
appear for a visa. I do not know if it is true, but tomorrow I will ride my bike
to Grajewo to meet her and I will ask if it is true. I also hope already to
receive some information about the second papers which you wrote that you sent.
But I ask you that as soon as you receive my letter, reply to me immediately.
From your cousin Yitzchak who hopes to
hear from you a letter that all of you are well. My family also sends regards. I
am sending a small picture of myself, my mother, my grandmother, my brother and
my sisters. You will surely recognize [us] and if not, ask Zygmund and he will
explain everything to you.
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Picture taken in Grajewo, March 17, 1939
Yitzhak Zimnowicz, together with his siblings and cousin Gitl
[L-R]: Yehudit Zimnowicz, Mordechai Zimnowicz, Gitl Finkielsztejn,
Yitzchak Zimnowicz, Chana Zimnowicz |
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Note: With the exception of Gitl, who
managed to emigrate to America in 1939,
the others in the photo were killed in the
Holocaust.
Translation from Yiddish by Helen Lewis.
Editor's notes are entered in [brackets].
Copyright © 2002 by Helen Lewis and Jose Gutstein.
All rights reserved to the original letter, pictures and the translation. |
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