MZ-441-D

Letter from Zygmunt Zylka Königsberger of Deggendorf, Germany, to the Liebermann family in Oświęcim, 1947. My Dears! Since I have not heard from you for a long time, I wrote a letter to Mrs. Druks and also to Lotusia. In this letter I asked for advice about leaving with ‘alija “b”‘. This letter, which I received today, only confirmed my decision. I want to start travelling at the end of April or the beginning of May, because I see no other possibility for me to finally begin a normal life, since the life in suitcases, which I have led almost since 1939, has already become very boring for me. […] My Goldberg cousins will certainly leave in one transport, earlier. […] At present, I’m already preparing myself for the departure, and here I’m taking care of medical matters, fixing my teeth. With the last marks I have […] I am making strong clothes for myself, so that they can withstand the hardships of the journey, as the two I brought with me from Poland are already heavily worn out, having been made from material used during the war. […] On the occasion of the approaching holidays, I wish you all the best. At the Seder, during the first glass of wine, my thoughts will be with you. Concluding this chat I send you all my warmest greetings and wish you once again all the best. Always the same Zylek. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the Liebermanns and related Druks were co-owners of Emil Kuźnicki’s roofing felt factory in Brzezinka (founded in 1888). In 1939, both families fled to the East to escape the impending war. Their odyssey led through Lvov, labor camps in the depths of the USSR (Kozmodemyansk in the Mari Republic and Omsk in Siberia), to Uzbekistan (Tashkent and Samarkand). The Druks – Iro, Łucja and their children Adam and Elinoar – landed with General Anders’ Polish Army in Teheran and Baghdad. They finally reached Palestine on December 31, 1942. Due to their advanced age, Joachim (1876-1950) and Józefina (1879-1958) Liebermann remained in Samarkand and returned briefly to Oświęcim after the war. They finally joined the rest of the family after the war in 1947.