April 1941

• April 41 Dear Parents and Ingrid 
  Unfortunately I haven't received any post again, so there's nothing to answer. How are you? Are you weIl? Haven't you heard anything from Dr. Gerson? I wrote to him once about emigration but didn't get an answer. I'll send money for Ingrid starting school, for school things and new clothes, because after all, I do have custody of the children. I regularly get RM 15 a month from the community and I only use RM 5, so I'm sometimes able to contribute towards the children but not for the savings bank. Have you now been getting my letters intact? Affectionate wishes for Herta's birthday, and likewise for Father's and Mother's Day, many kisses from your Irma. If you go to the birthday, pIease get Herta and Lilly to write a few lines and give them to me with your letter. One more request: can you pIease describe to me what the children look like now, whether Ingrid still has curls and if Irene looks like me, at all? Now, stay weIl, greetings to all and to you, with kisses, Irma. 

Explanation:

•  "With rnoney which could be sent frorn horne, it was possible to pur- chase in the prison' s canteen supplementary food, toiletries and for each category of prisoners, the specially stipulated letter forms for the monthly allowed letter. Since the beginning of the war, this had been reduced to 16 lines." [Studien zur Geschichte der KZ, Schriftenreihe der Vierteljahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Stuttgart 1970, S. 111]  

The mother received the money frorn the Jewish Gemeinde (community) and instead of buying extra food, she saved most of it to send home for the children. This letter, particularly, is a document of cruelty. She had had to leave the children three years before. She never received pictures. 

The Jewish Gemeinde in Hamburg did not only support the mother in concentration camp in times of great need, but also Irene when the Socia1 Ser - vices stopped paying maintenance. 

And then the Jewish Gemeinde did not ask if they were practicing Jews, baptised or agnostics.