Marx, Hermann

[Top of page damaged/torn, text begins mid-sentence] ...unfortunately, God willing, in recent [times] ... changes have also occurred here in our family. Aunt Frieda and Gretel departed last Thursday to an unknown destination, along with many others. Such arrangements are also being prepared here. How long I will remain here, I unfortunately cannot yet say. From your dear mother and all our other relatives, I hear only through the Red Cross. They all write that they are well; unfortunately, from here any help is impossible. Hermann Marx and his wife will probably have already arrived in Cuba as an intermediate stop by now. They firmly promised me to do as much as possible to at least ease the situation of the poorest through financial contributions. Hopefully they will keep their word. Here in Hannover there is nothing new to report. From Munich you will be kept up to date by Uncle Julius. Margit already returned about 6–7 weeks ago to Stuttgart to her mother; all of this was under the old [arrangements]. Please contact, with reference to me, Dr. Breuer in Princeton, N.J., 24 Wilton Street. This gentleman is the son-in-law of a family I am friends with —

[Top of page damaged/torn, text begins mid-sentence] ...leider Gottes wird in jüngster [Zeit] ... Veränderungen auch hier in unserer Familie vorgekommen. Tante Frieda und Gretel sind letzten Donnerstag unbekannt wohin mit noch vielen anderen abgereist. Auch hier sind derartige Anordnungen vorbereitet. Solange mein Bleiben noch hier ist, kann ich leider auch noch nicht sagen. Von Deiner lieben Mutter und allen unseren anderen Angehörigen höre ich nur über das Rote Kreuz. Sie schreiben wohl alle, dass sie gesund sind, leider Gottes ist von hier aus eine Hilfe unmöglich. Hermann Marx und Frau werden wohl bereits jetzt schon in Kuba als Zwischenlandungsort eingetroffen sein. Sie versprachen mir fest, soviel als möglich zu tun, um wenigstens den Ärmsten durch finanzielle Zuwendungen ihre Lage nach Möglichkeit zu erleichtern. Hoffentlich halten sie auch Wort. Hier in Hannover gibt es Neues nicht zu berichten. Von München wirst Du von Onkel Julius laufend unterrichtet. Margit ist schon von circa 6–7 Wochen nach Stuttgart zu ihrer Mutter zurückgefahrt, dies betraf in Altem alles unter D. Nahren. Wende Dich doch unter Bezugnahme auf mich an Herrn Dr. Breuer in Princeton N.J. 24 Wilton Street. Dieser Herr ist der Schwiegersohn einer mir befreundeten

This fragment is of exceptional historical significance. The passage about "Aunt Frieda and Gretel" who "departed last Thursday to an unknown destination, along with many others" is a direct reference to deportation. The phrase "unbekannt wohin" (to an unknown destination) was the common way Jews in Germany described deportations — they did not know where the transports were headed. Simon's ominous statement "Such arrangements are also being prepared here" and "How long I will remain here, I unfortunately cannot yet say" reveals his awareness that deportation from Hannover was imminent. The mention of communication only through the Red Cross, the impossibility of help from Germany, and the reference to Cuba as an "intermediate stop" (Zwischenlandungsort) all reflect the increasingly desperate and isolated situation of Jews remaining in Germany in late 1941. The systematic deportations from Hannover began on December 15, 1941, when approximately 1,001 Jews were deported to Riga.