Rosenthal, Dr.

None

ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE DEPARTMENT AND NOT TO INDIVIDUALS JEWISH REFUGEES COMMITTEE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT. TELEPHONE No.: BLOOMSBURY HOUSE, MUSEUM 2900 BLOOMSBURY STREET, LONDON, W.C.1. CODES: REFUGEES, WESTCENT, LONDON Ref. No. SL/JH/RN 5th December, 1939. Miss Mina Kaufmann, 143, West 86th Street, NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. Dear Madam, re: OPPENHEIMER, Julius & Elsa. M/26906. At the request of Dr. Hans L. Lehmann, we send you herewith our cheque for £266: 11: 1d being refund in full settlement of the amount deposited by him. Kindly acknowledge receipt on the attached form. Yours faithfully, Financial Secretary. Encl:

This letter from the Jewish Refugees Committee at Bloomsbury House, London — the central hub for Jewish refugee assistance in Britain — confirms the refund of £266/11/1 previously deposited on behalf of Julius and Elsa Oppenheimer (case number M/26906). The refund was requested by Dr. Hans L. Lehmann, who had originally deposited the funds as a financial guarantee for the Oppenheimers' stay in England. The cheque was sent to Mina Kaufmann in New York, connecting the London and New York branches of the family's rescue network. This letter is the companion document to the receipt in 0002, which records the same amount. Bloomsbury House at Bloomsbury Street, WC1, served as the headquarters for multiple Jewish refugee organizations during the war years, coordinating transit, sponsorship, and resettlement for thousands of refugees. The reference number M/26906 and Dr. Lehmann's involvement suggest a structured process through which guarantors could reclaim deposits once refugees had moved on from Britain.

Receipt. Miss Dr. Mina Kaufmann paid for 5 months [storage of] the luggage of her uncle Julius Oppenheimer for the period from May 1 to October 1 [in the amount of] $10.— hereby confirmed Fanny Hausmann Forest Hills, May 30, 1940 6229 [or 6299] Elwell Crescent

Quittung. Frl. Dr. Mina Kaufmann zahlte für 5 Monate das Gepäck ihres Onkels Julius Oppenheimer für die Zeit vom 1. Mai bis 1. Okto- ber mit $10.— wird bescheint [bescheinigt] Fanny Hausmann Forest Hills, den 30. Mai 1940 6229 [or 6299] Elwell Crescent

This receipt documents that Fanny Hausmann of Forest Hills, Queens, stored Julius Oppenheimer's shipped luggage for five months (May 1 to October 1, 1940) at a cost of $10, paid by Mina Kaufmann. The address at Elwell Crescent in Forest Hills matches the Fritz Hausmann address on the Bowery Savings Bank letter (0020), confirming that Fanny and Fritz Hausmann were likely a married couple who were part of the extended support network. Mina Kaufmann is referred to as "Frl. Dr." (Fräulein Doktor — Miss Doctor), indicating she held a doctoral degree — an unusual distinction for a woman of that era. Julius Oppenheimer is described as Mina's uncle ("ihres Onkels"), confirming the family relationship. The fact that the luggage arrived in New York by April 17 (see 0016) but the Oppenheimers themselves had not yet arrived by May 30, 1940, underscores the agonizing gap between rescuing possessions and rescuing people.

hopefully everything arrives safely and doesn't cost you too much in repairs. Never mind about that. If we could now finally get the people themselves out, those are the great worries. By the way, enclosed is a letter from Munich for you. Write to me soon about how the application went, so that I can report back to Munich. Warm greetings, Arth[ur]. My telegram address: Colbois R'dam April 2, 1940: The inventory lists concerning [the shipment] are still pending, I'll send them along quickly. Enclosed is a copy of a letter from Munich. If you want to know something about us, contact Mr. and Mrs. Bernhard Gröschel from Forchheim in Bavaria, address: c/o Silberberg, 3675 Broadway, Apt. 4. H., New York. The suitcases/crates can probably only be dispatched from here in about 14 days. April 4, 1940: Dear Mina, the Gröschel family is now taking the things there with them. Get in touch with Mr. Gröschel immediately in order to be able to receive the things, specifically [regarding] the papers, if such have been issued [?]. The freight there cost approximately $70 — and has been paid by me. Mr. Gröschel declares the things [as his property] as his own property and contents. [Additional annotations with dates and signatures]

hoffentlich kommt alles gut an und geht du nicht zu viel Reparaturen. Auf geben damit. Wenn wir jetzt auf mal endlich die Menschen selbst heraus bekämen dann das sind große Sorgen. Übrigens anbei ein Bf. von München für Dich. Schreibe mir bald, wie es mit dem Gesuch erging, damit ich nach München berichten kann. Hrzl Grüße Arth. Meine Telegramm Adresse: Colbois R'dam 2.4.40 Die Inhaltsverzeichnisse betreffend ist noch frei, lasse solche rasch folgen. Anbei Abschrift eines Briefes von München. Wende Dich event. wann du etwas über uns wissen willst an Herrn, Frau Bernhard Gröschel aus Forchheim i. Bayern die Adr. c/o Silberberg 3675 Broadway Apt. 4. H. N. York. Die Koffer/Kisten können vermutlich erst in ca 14 Tagen hier abgefertigt werden. 4.4.40 L. Mina Familie Gröschel nimmt nun die Sachen dort mit, setze Dich sofort mit Herrn Gröschel in Verbindung um die Sachen in Empfang nehmen zu können und zwar K.G. [?] die Papiere, wann so solche gesetzt [?] haben sollte. Die Fracht dorthin hat ca $70.— betragen und ist von mir bezahlt. Herr Gröschel deklariert die Sachen [several annotations and signatures] als sein Eigentum u. Inhalt [Additional handwritten annotations with dates and signatures, partially illegible]

This continuation letter, with its cascading postscript entries over several days (April 1, 2, and 4, 1940), captures the rapidly evolving logistics of the Oppenheimer property shipment. Arthur Baer's emotional aside — "If we could now finally get the people themselves out, those are the great worries" — reveals that while possessions could be shipped, the people themselves were still trapped. The plan evolved: rather than using the Holland America Line freight service alone, the Gröschel family (Bernhard Gröschel from Forchheim, Bavaria, now c/o Silberberg at 3675 Broadway, New York) would personally accompany the crates and suitcases, declaring them as their own property to avoid customs complications. The freight cost of $70 (about $1,500 today) was paid by Baer himself. His telegram address "Colbois R'dam" (Rotterdam) and the 14-day shipping estimate place this firmly in the final window before the German invasion of the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. The Gröschels were themselves recent refugees from Forchheim in Bavaria, now part of the broader network of German-Jewish émigrés helping each other from New York.