Last letter from Yaacov Schwartz
During our examination into letters from the Holocaust, I found a letter from a young man, Yaacov, to his younger sister, Rochcze. The two, as well as their other four siblings, were separated due to the war, but eventually made contact with each other again. In this letter, Yaacov is expressing sadness for not being able to be there to witness his sister growing up. He wishes her the best of luck on her new journey and reminds her to be grateful no matter. He tells her, “You know, after all, that this stormy war raging in the world has overturned many people’s plans.” Although it may be harsh to hear during a rough time, I think its important that we all remember that we aren’t alone in difficult times and that life goes on. Its just how we handle it that matters most.
Isabella Fodor’s Last Letter
The second letter I read was from a mother, Isabella, to her daughters’ soon to be adoptive parents. Isabella and her mother had found somewhere for all three of them to stay, but they were found and had to escape. Isabella knew that she couldn’t continue to bring her daughter along on this dangerous journey so she made the tough decision to give her up for adoption. Isabella explains in the letter how this war is ripping her life away from her and how it breaks her heart to do this. She begs the adoptive parents to care after her daughter like their own and to convert her to Catholicism. Its heartbreaking to know that this was the reality for many parents during this time. So many lives were torn apart because of a difference in religion. It makes me think about how far someone/a group of people will go to get their point across. Whats enough? What makes them think “okay, I won”?
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