Category Archives: Prisoner Mail and Packages

August 30 letter/Gena

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Katrina Shawver

Auschwitz, the 30. August 1942 

 

My dear mother!

What’s new with you my dear mother. I am anxious because I haven’t received a letter. I am healthy thank God but I don’t know how your health is. Please answer every letter I send because every message from you makes me really happy.

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Henry’s First Letter from Auschwitz

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Katrina Shawver

When Henry showed me his camp letters I was so surprised. Why?  Because I’d never seen or heard of these before. But then think about it – Jews were never allowed to write home, just political prisoners. How many Holocaust memoirs or history books really cover the non-Jewish experience? I can’t name a single well-known one. Or, how many Jews are fully aware of the non-Jewish experience?

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Letters from Auschwitz

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Katrina Shawver

After Henry and I had met a few times, we were quickly becoming friends. Our standard interview spot was on the screened-in patio behind a sliding glass door.  He always made sure his wife couldn’t hear most of the stories of what he endured – some he’d never told her. In a sense I began to feel entrusted with this man’s compelling story – as no one else was. He used to say in surprise ‘But you’re so interested.  Are you sure you want to hear more?‘  I always did.

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