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Today we see a half page letter from Helene to her children in San Francisco — she had already written a longer to her nephew Paul in honor of his 46th birthday. Unfortunately, that letter is missing from the archive.
Vienna, 2 October 1941
My dear children!
Since today I wrote to the birthday “child” first, this letter will probably be a little shorter than usual, because Papa is going to combine his walk to the post office with some other errands which have to be done at certain times, such as shopping. But that doesn’t matter—I’ll start by telling you what we consider important right now. If you need any documents, then we can only get them to you by telegraph since it’s questionable whether we can receive other news; for other important communications, please send them by post, and write to Olga every now and then. Our neighbors say hello to you. They are supposed to be moving tomorrow, but they’re not sure where. But otherwise, everyone is doing very well. Papa is impressing upon me that I should tell you that if you need photos of us, you should get them reproduced from the ones you took with you. I believe that you have thought of this yourselves, but I am obedient and I do what I am told.
Otherwise, I am dying to receive a letter from Everl again. I’m hoping one of those will slip through soon. But I have had to give up hope of ever getting a letter from Harry. I am fearful for you, but I have to call it a day. Papa is calling from the next room that he has finished shaving and he has to mail the letter. I will smooch more next time. Kisses and hugs.
Helen
Although only in her mid-50s herself at the time she wrote this letter, Helene often thought of Paul as another of her children – a few months earlier in 1941, she wrote to him recalling a time she was his babysitter. After Paul’s and Robert’s mother and step-mother died, she was the only connection hey had to their mother’s generation.
As we’ve seen, acknowledging birthdays was paramount for the family, regardless of circumstances. Whether in the army in World War I, as prisoners of war in World War II, or continents apart in the 1960s, Helene and her nephews made sure their loved ones knew they were thinking of and missing them.
Even in this brief note, we see how constrained life has become: Vitali must plan his errands to coincide with limited business hours; vital documents and photos are impossible to send, even if required to satisfy paperwork requirements to leave the country; friends continue to flee Vienna (or are being deported?). We see the need for economy in the letter itself – there are no margins and every bit of the half-page is filled with type.