Letter from Bertha Gottlieb to Mrs. Haigh, October 28, 1945

  Bertha Gottlieb 41-42 66th Street Woodside L.I. New-York October 28th 1945 Mrs Haigh Overseas Settlement Department, Bloomsbury House, Bloomsbury Street London W. G. Dear Mrs. Haigh

To introduce myself, I am one of the many people for whom you arranged passage to the USA. Actually I left London last Pessach [deleted] March 29th 1945 Here I am staying with my sister Mrs Flora Shmidt and her husband we re are very happy to be together again. I am studying k now and prepare myself for the Hate-Board [?] examination and it this takes all my time otherwise I would have written to you long ago to thank you for what all your [?] have done for me

Now I am writing to you in behalf of my two nieces who are staying in London now. During my stay in London I inquired about my sister and her family who were deported to France from Germany. Miss Ruth Fellner whom you surely will know found out that my little nieces Beate & Suse Stern were found in France and in care of the OSE. Miss Fellner also was so kind and got permits for them to come to England. Before I left for New-York I arranged with the children uncle Mr L. H. who is a brother of the childrens father, that he should take care of them if they should arrive while I am on the journy[?]  

2 and till I had the affidavits ready. But they only should stay for a short time. I have not been here very long when we got a call from the OSE in Paris, it would be advisable that the children go temporaly to England, since later on the Autorities may not give Exit permits to any of the children. After connecting[?] the OSE Committee here and the Hias we agreed to have them sent to England temporaly. The children arrived in London at the beginning of July. We sent the Affidavits to London about the same time.

But then Mr. and Mrs. Stern wrote that they wanted to keep the children. Then they said, that the children want to go to Palestine. Our nieces have only written once while they are in London; but from France the wrote we had letters from each of them regularly.And as[?] they are only 10 and 13 years old they really don't know what will be the best for them. My sister had the affidavits ready for the whole family and it was her plans were to come the U.S.A. Furthermore the childrens father wrote in his last letter from a camp in France that to my sister here should take onthe children care of this little daughter since his wife, our sister had been deported already. We both here could take good care of them and make them happy first as their parents would have done. We also have wealthy relatis relatives here who would him them proper education. Our nieces know us because we helped to bring them up and cared for them since they were born, while their uncle in London didn't know anything about them.

Through the Refuge your Committee, dear Mr. Haigh, he found out my address. Otherwise he would not know anything about his brother and his family.

 

My sister and I are very worried Because it is the future of the children we are thinking of not selfishness.

Dear Mrs. Haigh, If you will speak to Miss Fellner she will tell you how worried I was about my nieces and now I am still worried. It was Mr. Grossman of the who suggested I should write to you. He also will (write) send a letter to you.

I wish you could help us in this matter. Perhaps you could persuade Mr. Hern to get the Exit permits for our nieces.

Another relation Mr. Heinz Gordon who lives in St. Albans intends to come to the the U.S.A. Maybe he could bring the children along.

Dear Mrs Haigh I apologize for writing you such a long story. But I don't know anyone else who could help.

Please give my best regards to Mrs Fellner Miss Grodoschin and also to Miss Pulzer Th