The Hours After by Gerda Weissmann Klein

Author:Gerda Weissmann Klein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2009-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

Munich, November 22, 1945

My dearest Kurt,

I know that today’s letter will not make much sense. Forgive me, but here it is. First, concerning our situation: Wherever you look, whatever you read, the word “help” jumps out at you. Yet all the organizations you approach seem dedicated to anything but rendering information or help. Starting with the Polish Legation and Consulate, which is in operation, to the Red Cross and UNRRA,* no one can help me to obtain a certificate of my Polish citizenship. The Polish Committee is again closed for several days, and I am supposed to write to Bielsko, although no normal mail service exists as yet. They do claim that the city hall or Bureau of Vital Statistics will have my birth certificate. Personally I wonder whether those records were destroyed or not. The officials make everything quite difficult under those circumstances. They know very well what the situation is, that we got out of camps, that so much was destroyed. They can question me in the language, in history, or whatever. It really is upsetting, but there is some hope along another avenue. As I told you, one of my coworkers here in the diplomatic section is a Swiss citizen and can travel back and forth to Switzerland—lucky man! He told me that I could get a transit visa through Switzerland because they do have an American consulate.

As you wrote, my uncle has my birth certificate. How wise my father was to have had the foresight to send it to Turkey. With that in hand, and if my uncle could deposit some security funds for me, that should make it possible to get permission to enter Switzerland. He has been offering financial help all along. Naturally I won’t use the money, it’s just so the Swiss have the assurance that I shall not become a burden. But I’ll need to see the American consul in order to get a visa for the United States. With your papers, stating that you will marry me immediately, there should be no trouble. I am told my stay in Switzerland would only be for a few days. If that should work, I pray it may take only four to six weeks until it goes through. Although I don’t dare to let my hopes go too high, I foolishly do so all the same. Please cable Uncle Leo and send me the papers. I think my birth certificate should also allow me to obtain a Polish passport. I am so sorry to trouble you with all that. You have enough to do to find a job, to get back to civilian life and have some rest, instead of taking care of all the details concerning me. I hope that I will be able to make it up to you.

Now another chapter: I heard that some girls who were in camp with me have found temporary shelter at the German Museum. They were the ones from the transport that split from us last January 29.

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