Rivesaltes, April 28, 1942
Dear Manfred,
Just now Mama brought some started letters. I am supposed to write to you first, however. This week the weather has been pretty bad here. Rain and storms. Because of it, we are not allowed to get up. Therefore I haven’t been to see Mama since Monday. Starting today she does not get a food supplement from the comité but from the Sec. Suisse. I believe that this will be better. What kind of food do you get? In our Swiss barrack the food is very good. Yesterday there was noodle soup with some rice, carrots, cabbage and leek, in addition cooked carrots and meat. Do you still get only turnips or other vegetable? On Sunday we got 2 bars of good chocolate. We usually get halva 3 times a week. One could eat much more of it and more often. You know how good it tastes. Did we write you already that Lorle’s directrice was here? She said that one could see how Lorle was gaining weight, that she beat the record. So that is enough prattle. The others want to write too. Many regards and kisses from your brother HUGO
Dear, good, little Fred,
I did not receive any mail from you this week. Maybe we get something tomorrow. I want to send this letter together with all the others to Papa and let him handle the forwarding. He will write how to handle this difficult problem. We did not get a detailed letter from Margot, only a letter saying that she arrived well and that the food is good. I talked with Lorle’s directrice, I believe that I wrote you about it already. It is very unfortunate that you don’t hear or see anything Jewish. G’d willing, this will change again. You will not forget whatever you have seen in your parents’ house. We hope, dear little Fritz to be able to offer it to you again somewhere, because you, as the youngest, did not benefit from it the longest or to say it better, you enjoyed it only for the shortest time. What do you get to eat at present? How is school? How is your French? I also wrote to Albert this week. On Friday the Bierig children came, they look great. Because Hannele is 12 years old, they could not make it to the U.S.A. as Germans and Austrians cannot be over 12. The rumor is that the next transport will include older children. Perhaps you will be included, if not Gam se le tovo.[1] Then we’ll settle somewhere else. The world is so big that there will be a little place for us. Hopefully we’ll get mail from you tomorrow as that will give pleasure to
your MAMA who greets you and kisses you tenderly.
Dear Manfred,
Today I received letters from Mama to forward to you children. I will write how we are going to handle this in the future. Everything is satisfactory with me. I could almost always eat more than I have. I received a package from Margot yesterday with bread, cheese, cookies, 1 egg, nuts, chocolate. It was very good.
Regards and kisses from
your PAPA
[1] It is for the best.