Moghilau, December 14th, 1941
My Well-beloved!
Albert arrived yesterday, what joy! A thousand thanks for everything. It´s sad that Bubi is not here. I´m expecting him for tonight, he might still arrive before Albert leaves. I saved correspondence for you since November the 15th and I sent you everything through the director on December the 12th. Hopefully, he delivered everything. Teiti left today but didn´t want to take anything with him. It´s our greatest joy that you, dear little children, are well. We received the following delivery from you so far:
1) through the dir[ector]: 20 banknotes , 7 packets of Dorobanti , 1 pack of Nationale cigarettes, 9 matchboxes, 150g of Britten , 1 small bottle of Kardiazol , 1 packet of Coramin , 25 capsules of antibiotics .
2) through major Rosenthal: 20 banknotes, 10 packs of Nationale cigarettes, 5 Testa , 5 Jawol and 1 Cadusin.
3) through Bridiks´ courier: 100 banknotes.
4) through Albert: 50 banknotes and 3 packets (original). One packet of medication as well as 10 banknotes and 20 banknotes for Schlaimd did not arrive.
You should not entrust banknotes or even less so packets to anybody, as much gets misappropriated. Concerning the 300 banknotes that are with Adolf in Buc[arest], dispose of them as you wish, as any arrangement would be unreliable from here. Bubi is staying and living in Dziurin. I almost envy him; he lives more quietly, more cheaply, more comfortably. I´m still here because that way I can keep up the connection with you. If only for the reason that he doesn’t have to live with our sister Salie, Bubi is enviable, well, he doesn´t even want to breathe the same air. It is very sad that, on top of everything, I have to afflict you with such unpleasant matters at such difficult times – however, there are no limits anymore! Salie is the most horrific fiend the world has ever seen. The embodiment of hell and mankind! All you can hear from her are the curses and reproaches that we have eaten her out of house and home, although I´m contributing 33% to all expenses. Poor, sick mother hears nothing but reproaches and curses from her and you can imagine poor mother´s exasperation, when I am telling you that she swore to not even forgive her on her deathbed. At first, that is to say at the departure in Radauti, Markus and Salie promised to take in Berta and Josef and to provide for them for the whole time. Josef and Berta made a sacrifice, rescued all their money, more than 1 million, and all the luggage for them. Regardless of that, I contributed a third to all the expenses right from the beginning, which means that I paid for all of Berta´s and they paid for Josef´s costs. Now Salie wants me to pay half of all the expenses. I decided to provide for us myself, Berta and Josef included, so we are living together now but separately. Subsequently, Salie wanted to throw me out of the flat, oh, she even said I should take mother with me and leave; Berta and Josef should sell her jewellery and clothes and live from that, she´d no longer want to provide for them. After that I told her I want to stay put where we are, as poor, sick mother is no longer able to take 3 steps and that she should look for another room. Unfortunately, there is no room available, otherwise I would rent it for whatever price and move out together with sick mother, Berta and Josef. If I wrote 10 times for 48 hours, I could not describe to you a tenth of all the disgrace and humiliation we have to endure because of her. Melitta and Markus are siding with her. She already got into a row with Bubi too, but not because of us. He explicitly explained that he is neither able to nor does he want to share a flat or live with her. I´m writing this letter on behalf of all of us and it is our fervent [wish] that you simply do not worry about the bloody lot of them, they don’t deserve it. Besides, they do not refrain from repeatedly flinging mud at you either. Enough of that!
If the mountain boots are ready and there is an opportunity for you to send them, please do, because a pair is worth 10 banknotes here. I can easily sell them, exchange two of them for food. The bakery is completed now, one associate has a share of 40%, another one has 20% and Markus 30%, myself 10%. I suspect that they will get rid of me completely though, something Markus and Salie are capable of doing I´m afraid. It doesn´t mean much to me anyway; one cannot get much out of it, as you cannot get anything for money anymore. And if so, it´s 3-400 leu for 1 KG.
Now the bribe-money is already approx 100 banknotes. One ought to get coal through the prefecture but things are getting tough here: It would be good if the prefecture prescribed a maximum price for bread again. You might have heard that the ruble will be exchanged for the mark, the rate is 20 ruble for 1 mark. This decree was passed 5 days ago and since then you cannot get anything at all for money any more. We already pay 500 leu for a bread of 1-1.5 kg, 1 kg of corn flour, if obtainable, costs 200-300 leu. 20-30 people are dying from hunger every day. Since Bubi is again not here today, Josef went to their place in order to squirrel away some food.
December 15th
Albert tells me that he is leaving today, so I´m hurrying to finish this letter.
Dearest Gerda! Today is your birthday. I sent you congratulations by telegram and I hope it reached you in time. I´d also like to wish you with this letter all the very best, good health and much happiness. It would be nice, of course, if you surprised us here!
Ask Dr Twers to tell you about the journey and the crossing (customs control). By the way, Albert hopes to be back very soon. If you cannot come, present us with a packet again. It would be best if you packed an extra little suitcase, as it has already taken spring with customs authorities here and they are getting an easy ride. What we need most urgently: butter, cheese, smoked sausage, washing soap (the regular sort too), some saw blades for cutting wood, 4- and 6-inch triangular files, wire nails, Tex nails , also 2-3 kg of baking soda, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, Potasch , pearl barley, including some of the coarse-grained stuff, semolina, jam, sour salt, tea, lard, sugar (not at all obtainable here), bacon, Farfel, 1 hot-water bottle, olives, tinned food, pepper, spices, Sali Kali , 1 iron for maintaining hygiene, so that we won´t get lice. 95% alcohol, cough mixture for our mother, cough tablets, codeine tablets, circulatory stimulant, coramin , antibiotics , aspirin (Bayer), shoe polish, brown and black, red too, and other things as you see fit. Only send as much as you can and only send it through a reliable courier.
Don´t be annoyed if I´m perhaps asking for too much. Describing our life to you would be sheer madness, but thank God we are still alive. Our dear mother is just a shadow of a human being, I´m suffering terribly from my ulcer myself. Unfortunately, a diet is completely out of question here. My most fervent wish is to come back home once again, taking our dear mother with me, as even dying is downright nasty here; people are building mass graves and you get buried just the way you die, that is to say, in the same clothes and without being washed. Now, my dearest ones, I´m going to sign off by sending you warm hugs and thousands of kisses to you all, including the little brats too. Yours Berku.