My dear Lorle,

Hugo brought me your letter from last week with the description of the excursion.  I am always happy that you are able to spend such pleasant hours and days in addition to your work.  Now it seems that a change occurred with him.  Friday night we talked to each other at the gate.  He said that if he does not come anymore, he will have been shipped off[1] Yesterday, Saturday, all I heard was that the singles[2] from his work unit were taken back to the camp.  I don’t know more than that right now.    Even though it only took him a few minutes to get here, he couldn’t come here anymore and Mama hasn’t been here either because the Camp is still locked up.  Today I wrote a letter in which I made the suggestion, since one hears that one is not allowed to take everything along, that she send the surplus to Albert or to you.   At your place it would be neutral ground.  Yesterday Lotte Samuel’s husband was here to visit Kirchheimer.  The latter and the other Jewish orderlies were shipped off today.  One does not know yet what else will be.  Also a few married men were shipped off.

On Saturday I received an answer to my Red Cross letter to the international (organization?): mailing has been confiscated by the provincial office and the enclosed fee confiscated according to the official decree.  Therefore it is superfluous to talk about it any further.  Chin up and hold your temper.  The worse it threatens to become, the more one has to attempt to keep an inner peace.  Things will change again.  A letter came again from David Maier[3]..  They write that they are very satisfied.  They made new papers again for Max.[4] How surprised they will be when they learn that he is gone and that the papers are of no value.

Today I received a package from Margot with potatoes, cheese, apples and a sweet nourishing tonic.  I had these with the tomatoes (now frs. 1.70 per kilo).  It tasted wonderful.  Every day I eat 2-3 kg grapes which cost 11.30, peaches 14.-, apples 9-14.  These things are of course better, but too expensive for my purse.  Margot seems to be homesick.  She does not like to be by herself, she wants to go back to the colonie.  I wrote to her that she is best off where she is for the time being as I don’t know if those over 18 haven’t been picked up from the Homes.  I’ll write to her again this week.  Why don’t you write it to her too.

From Mama I have no news since last Sunday when Hugo was there.  I hope that she is still able to work in the OSE kitchen.  Now I am curious to see whether Manfred will be able to visit Albert in September.  The child in your place is probably not gone yet and even if it transferred out in the meantime, the spot is probably reserved already.  Recently I read the employment wanted ads in a Swiss newspaper.  They are looking for quite a few girls for house cleaning and for cooking.  There would be something there for Margot.  But in any case it will be next to impossible to get an entry permit.  Since you have some Swiss people where you are, perhaps they know something about that.  But I believe that if it were possible, a lot of people would have crossed the border into the beautiful Swiss country.  Bertl Wolf and her husband are also gone.  The brother here has not received anything[5].  He does not have any exact news from his wife either.

You could not meet Liselotte as she left the day that your letter arrived.  A letter came from Uncle Sally too. He writes that he understands that, because of the present decrees, the matter of our liberation cannot go forward.  He hopes to be spared from the present decrees as – apparently – those who volunteered for the Prestataires [6] in 1939 would not be apprehended.  It seems, however, that this is not implemented in the same way in the different departements.

Dear Lorle, I thank you for your constant good wishes and I reciprocate them with my kindest regards and kisses

Your PAPA

Aug 25 This morning I received the news that Hugo and Mama were shipped off.  They received food for 5 days.  Apparently in the Paris area into a collecting Camp.  They say that little by little we will also end up there even if one is presently protected because one is sick.  The selection of those that are shipped off follows no definite plan, so that one
cannot say that this group or that group will be next.  Could I send you the superfluous things which are packed in the bag and the box.  I should receive them here, re-pack them and forward them to you or to Albert.  Keep your chin up and trust in G’d, everything will turn out well again.  Regards and kisses

Your PAPA

Do you need money?

[2] Bachelors

[3] From Philippsburg, living in Vineland, New Jersey at the time.

[4] Mrs. Maier’s brother.

[5] Any news

[6] Foreign volunteers attached to the French army as non-combatant workers.