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Nr 75 Vienna, 21 February 1941
My dear children! I am sorry to have caused you dark hours by my telegram and you may believe me that I did hesitate about this quite a long time, maybe too long. For the moment I only need to know that my telegram did arrive and it would not surprise me in these agitated times if it had not arrived. Papa wanted to send the following cable to Oncle Isaac, but it was not sent because transmission for private use is closed off right now: Urgentez accellerez intervenez reglement Beyanname reussissez avisez [in French and Turkish: “urgently speed up your interventions Affidavit advise of success”]. Since we do not know Yomtov’s address, please telegraph this information to him so that if we do get an affidavit we will have everything in order. So that would be all I have say on this subject.
Yesterday a letter came from Bertha Schiller from the 21st of January. I was almost happy to see that the answer to one of my letters must have been lost - I have this fixed idea that Bertha must have something against me but this letter fills me with satisfaction that she did in fact answer me. The tone of her letters is really not the same tone that she used to take with me. The clever deception that age makes people more weary and indifferent really can’t apply to her because Bertha really is not that old. Certainly not old enough to be so resigned. George’s illness must have taken a lot out of her, but I understand from all reports from everyone else that he seems to be doing pretty well. I know only too well where the wind blows, but I ask you not to worry about it. I will have a talk with this wind when we are so fortunate to be reunited with you.
Robert’s arrival is something you seem to be expecting pretty soon as I could read in Bertha’s letter. We are happy and hope that we will get some positive news about that in the next letters.
Everl’s hospital work seems to be mentioned as very praiseworthy and this certainly makes me proud. Just keep it up. Letter #1 has not come yet and that’s unfortunate. #2 from January 14 is the only letter that we have from you.
That’s all for today. We are doing well with our health. As the days grow longer, also our hope to see you again soon grows. I am going to write to Bertha next and to the Zentners as well. I do want to say a few words to Hilda today as well. Greet Paul and all those I mention above from me and hugs from
Helen
This letter continues the story of the last few days. Helene and Vitali realize that their window of opportunity to leave Vienna may be closing quicker than they anticipated. They have been packed and ready to go for months, yet have not been able to get all the details in order. Vitali has been running from consulate to post office to telegraph office, trying to understand and obtain what they need.
Eva and Harry never told my cousins and me much about this time. I had always wondered why their parents hadn’t followed them to the U.S. and had harbored ill will toward the relatives who did not seem to help. After Roslyn translated letters from 1940-1941, I suddenly had a completely different view of that time. Relatives in California and Istanbul were (perhaps reluctantly) willing to help but Helene had been too proud to ask for any more assistance than she’d already gotten to secure her children’s safety. It was only when she realized that times had become desperate that she asked for assistance. And unfortunately by then it was too late. One question from a recent letter gets answered by inference: Onkel Isaac must have been a relative of Vitali’s in Turkey - the unsent telegram uses the Turkish word for “affidavit”. Yomtov is another relative in Turkey - we’ve seen letters from him in January when he was trying to help Helene come to the U.S. after being released from Ravensbrück and sent to Istanbul at the end of the war.
We see that Paul Zerzawy’s brother Robert had been trying to emigrate to the U.S. from England. I don’t know what prevented him from doing so. All we know is that he visited California once after the war, but spent the rest of his life in London. What a different life they would have had if their efforts had been successful – Helene and Vitali being reunited with their children, as well as Helene’s nephews Paul and Robert being nearby.