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Today we have a letter from Eva and Harry to their cousin Paul Zerzawy in New York. Paul wrote an illegible note in pencil at the top of the page – it appears that he received the letter on September 2. Eva wrote her part of the letter in German, while 15-year old Harry wrote his in English.
From Eva:
19. VIII. 39.
Dear Paul,
I’m glad there is someone who is even lazier about writing than the Cohen family. It can be nice to make yourself (seem) interesting by not writing, but too much of that is unhealthy. The reason I am breaking my long silence is: We want to announce our arrival to you. We will board the ship on September 1 and then arrive in New York on the 7th. I wonder if the Statue of Liberty will be so emotional about the fact that we are finally on American soil that she will no longer be able to stand. But maybe she has, by chance, already found out this news and can handle the great joy.
Everything is still the same here. The parents are still waiting for their visas. It will have to happen soon, though, since the process was started in Istanbul five weeks ago. I think they will leave Europe almost as soon as the children do.
Greetings and kisses,
Eva
In English from Harry:
Vienna, August 19th 1939.
Dear Paul,
I thank you very much for the letter you had in mind to write to us. Mother every day says; “What has happened to Paul, that he doesn’t drop us a line? Is he perhaps ill?” If you have been kidnapped by gangsters, please write us without delay and give us a detailed report. Yesterday I read in an English newspaper about kidnapping on light day. Thereof comes my supposition.
When I left Vienna for Turkey my weight was 75kg; on leaving Istanbul my weight was sixty.
“Ja, das macht die Luft Luft Luft“
Now I’m as slender as a racing horse. Can you imagine it? You’ll be astonished when you’ll see me.
Aren’t you thrilled by the speed we got our visa? It’s a record, indeed; it took only more than a year.
The American-Vice-Consul in Istanbul has been very kind; he even wished us a good trip and good luck. So the physician who examined us. I’ll write them a card.
Yours as ever
Your cousin clever
Harry.
According to Wikipedia, the song Harry cites is Berliner Luft by Paul Lincke. I would like to think that the family sang this song with cousin Paul accompanying them on the piano during their musical soirees in Vienna.
In German and English, Eva and Harry express the same sentiments with similar humor – the ever-present refrain about letter writing, the promise of America, optimism for the future. Eva sounds very grown up and responsible - she’s already had to manage the trip with Harry to Istanbul and back. It is wonderful to hear my mother’s voice in this letter — her wry sense of humor and huge sense of responsibility werre the same at 18 as it was at 80.
Harry’s English is very good, although not as good as in the letters he wrote in the army a few years later. In August 1939, Harry has not yet lived in an English-speaking country and has gleaned most of his knowledge from reading English newspapers and listening to the BBC on the radio. Throughout his life, Harry was fascinated by foreign language newspapers. Whenever my mother Eva traveled anywhere, she would bring him back a newspaper. He was thrilled when he got a computer and was able to read newspapers from around the world.
Although Eva sends the date of their anticipated arrival in September, they did not board a ship until a month later. Like their parents in 1941, there were multiple tickets and dates for departure. Fortunately for the children, one of the attempts was successful. Presumably each of these arrangements cost the family money, draining their ever dwindling resources.
We saw drawings and photos of Harry’s physical transformation in the June 6 post.