Djurin, 2/XII
My beloved father,
At last a sign of life, I can not describe the joy, I think you can imagine, a letter after 7 weeks. I noticed you only received postcards, but we also sent several letters. I think you know that we left Radauti on Tuesday evening and arrived in Ataki on Thursday morning. There were carriages there and of course we paid the 1200 Lei. We were there for about 5 days. I forgot: when we arrived, Sorim sent you a letter through a soldier, he gave him 250 Lei and it said in the letter that you should give him another 250 Lei on delivery, but I realize that he did not hand over anything. We were 21 people in the carriage and traveled beautifully, the best of all the transports. I must write about the other things. In Ataki we lived together with the families Hoffenberg, Rosenthal Adolf and Schmerter. Next to us ran the Nistru, where we washed ourselves. After five days our four families shipped to Moghilov, where they called us Transnistrians and we were told that there would be no connection to Rumania after that. We were very unhappy at first because we thought that we would not be able to communicate with you any more, but thank God it is possible. When we arrived in Moghilov, we saw Mr. Ringhel, his wife was shot and Bruno is somewhere in Balti and surrounds. Because we are 4 families with a lot of luggage, they took us to a camp where I never want to return to. After a night full of suffering God helped us and we were moved away. We stayed eight days in Moghilov and then went to Djurin by car, that cost us a few thousand per person. We have a small room here like our small room in Dornesti. There are seven of us living here, Mrs. Kahen with daughter and us. We are very content all the same and I pray to God that it will never get any worse. Mother, Jenica and I sleep in one bed made of a door, but it works well. Sorim sleeps in the same way only better. He sleeps with Nitsi on two tables and a board, but is happy. Jenica is good, only he does not want to understand
and asks for food like he had at home. I eat like a wolf. Do you remember when Dutu wrote how hungry he is, it is like that for me now and no one has to ask me to eat and there is nothing I would not eat. I have one request, if possible, send me a pair of my sportsshoes, one sole has to be renewed, if you find one there, that would be good, if not, then I have a piece of sole from home here and a pair of slippers, I am cold on my feet. Here I wear a pair of shoes of mother, but they are broken. I think today I wrote in detail. Iosel and Rubin are in Morava, 12 km away from us. I even spoke to a man from there, who said that they are very well, they even found work and earn enough that they can eat. Many of them are lucky and they earn a bit. Sonin was lucky too although earned very little. Mrs. Glatter went mad and was given an injection and died after a few days.
Dear Father, how good it would be if you could take us away from here. You are alone and need us with you. It is six o’clock now, it is late, and we go to bed at 8 at the latest and get up at 9 in the morning. Life is quite expensive here, especially for us as we pay 40 Lei for the Rubel, but now we changed for 8 Lei. As you can see it is a sort of market. I wonder whether you are going to read this. I am so happy to be working at the office then it is not so boring for me. It would be very good if you could contact Mr. Margulies, he is a civil servant at Rudich. He could help in some way. Again please send us my, Jenica’s and mother’s boots, we are so cold. Mother is wearin gyour boots those with the cloth lining. It is half past six, Jenica is asleep and dreams of castles and the like. The lady living next door is telling us of al the things she had to leave behind. Mother is by the stove to warm herself, Nitsi and her sister are lying next to each other on…