WWII created both a figurative and literal divide between people. But amongst the divide, there are gleams of light amongst the darkened sky. This unity came in the form of letters. Letters provided both comfort and a sense of companionship to people who were far away from each other. The reason for the distance can be attributed to WWII. Letters are a glance into the lives of the people who wrote them, and it is letter writing that brought individuals together.
The first example of the good emerging through the darkness is a letter written by Tetsuzo (Ted) Hirasaki, a Japanese child living in a Japanese Internment camp. He, as well as a large number of Japanese children in these camps were corresponding with Clara Breed, an American librarian who kept childrens spirits high through writing letters and sending gifts. Through his communication with Clara Breed, Ted talks about all the exciting things that were happening within his internment camp. The things he was describing reminded me of summer camp. There were trends, crafts, and even game leagues at his internment camp. According to Ted, “During the latter part of July and up to last Monday we have had quite a thrilling finale to the first round of the Block League in softball. Our Block 322-323 team emerged the League Champions and then proceeded to take the trophy in a playoff among the four top teams of the League.” (Hirasaki). This is contrary to what I, as well as the average person would anticipate. I never expected that there would be recreations, such as a baseball team for example, at the Japanese Internment Camp. Being on a sports team is another illustration of what it means to be unified along with the sense of connection it brought for the communities of Japanese Internment Camps.
The next set of letters we read were the “Last Letters from the Holocaust.” They are a collection of final letters written by those of the Holocaust. After reading two “Last Letters,” I noticed a common theme of the desire to keep the children safe, both physically and emotionally. The adults in their lives had a tendency of glossing over the true horrors of what was really happening. Rosette Bomblat was a 19-year-old activist in the “Amelot” rescue organization in Paris–an organization that helped hide and rescue Jewish children (Yad Vadhem). In her letter addressed to her family, she said, “For myself, I hope that things will not become worse than they are in Drancy, and that will be for the best. The only thing that worries me is you. I would like to know that you are well and that you accepted the news of this new calamity calmly” (Rosette). She turned the focus off of herself and onto her family members. The selflessness she, as well as others in a similar situation yielded a common crux. Collectively, we all agreed that there was an unspoken agreement to protect the children. Throughout the Holocaust, there was unity with the shared idea to shield the children from the true horrors of what was going on around them.
Love Letters are another example of the unity that can come from letter writing. Listening to the podcast, Behind The Lines, the couple Sid Diamond and Estelle Spero stood out to me. The letter addressed to Estelle begins with Sid writing in a grammatically incorrect way. The connection between Sid and Estelle was evident throughout the reading of their letters. The concept of letter writing was, and still is simply a way to unite with someone who is far from you, regardless of the reason. Whether it be because of war or traveling, writing letters unified people
The exchange between Sid Diamond and Estelle Spero also shows the strong need for human connection – which was satisfied through letter writing. An example of this desire for human connection is in the letter titled, May 1943. It opens up Sid writing as though he is talking in a heavy New York accent. This playful manner by Diamond brought joy to Spero. And it is the joy that arose from these letters between them that increased their need for romance and connection.
Sometimes it is not just a group of people who need to unite in tough times, but major organizations as well. An example of this was in March of 1942. S.S. Struma was a boat that sank while carrying nearly 800 Jewish refugees aboard. They were trying to sail the refugees from the Axis member Romania to Mandatory Palestine. Shocked by its sinking, the leaders of several Jewish organizations were able to collaborate for long enough to file a joint protest against Great Britain’s restrictive immigration policy in Palestine. (Edward Pinsky. p. 479-480). The reason I say “long enough” is because Jewish Organizations tend to not collaborate, rather they would prefer to do their own thing separately.
What about a lack of divide, despite having different religions, and thus differing opinions on the world? That was the case for Emil Sold, a Catholic, and Paul Friedhoff, a Jewish man, as told in That Time Cannot Be Forgotten. Within the collection of exchanged letters between a Catholic and a Jew, there is a 50 year recess with the letters due to the war. When they did eventually reconnect, they discussed the various issues of the war including racism and hatred. As stated in That Time Cannot Be Forgotten, “Their discussions often lead to conflict and only sometimes end in resolution, for theirs is not a genteel rehashing of generally accepted views on human rights. Rather, Sold and Friedhoff tackle difficult issues and do not blunt their arguments for fear of offending the other” (The Time Cannot Be Forgotten, p. viii). Even though they have dissimilar faiths that would result in disputes, they were able to come to terms with this and find companionship once again.
Rudolf Schwab was a Jewish man who had placed a brief advertisement in the local newspaper. He was looking for answers as to what had happened to his father, who had gone missing. In postwar Germany, “the dire conditions had led many opportunistic “witnesses” to offer information about former Jewish residents in the hope of receiving food parcels” (Shirli Gilbert, p. 88-89). One of the first responses he received was in a letter from Karl Kipfer, who was described as his “best friend, a former fencing and drinking pal.” (Shirli Gilbert. p. 87) Kipfer replied to the advertisement with both a slight lead on Rudolf’s father as well as providing support for his friend. After not hearing from one another for 15 years during the war, they reconnect through letter writing and becoming friends again, without truly knowing that Kipfer served as a Nazi in WWII. Despite this difference, Schwab and Kipfer were still able to connect with one another. This establishes that unity is a human agreement–that there is this “unspoken agreement” between people to remain loyal to one another. And in Schwab and Kipfer’s friendship, there is power in knowing a situation. That is why acquiring knowledge can be impactful. But that does not always affect the perception towards the other person and you can still have a strong connection. Just because you knew someone well previously, does not guarantee that they are going to have a total resemblance to who they were 15 years later for example.
Letter writing was, and still is a form of making lasting connections and relationships between people. From Clara Breed, a librarian who wrote to kids in Japanese Internment Camps, to lovers declaring their marriage over letters, there was always a connection. It can sometimes be massive organizations, like the conflict surrounding the sinking of S.S. Struma. Or the mending of friendships that were damaged during the war. Regardless of the “who” or the “what,” letter writing provided people with a feeling of connection.
Works Cited
Bomblet, Rosette. “10 June 1943.” Last Letters From the Holocaust, 10 June 1943,
www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/last-letters/1943/bomblat.asp. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.
Diamond, Sidney. “Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero.” American History, 1493-1945, May 1943,
www.americanhistory.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/SearchDetails/GLC09120.227?SessionExpired=True. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.
Gilbert, Shrill. From Things Lost: Forgotten Letters and the Legacy of the Holocaust. Detroit:
Wayne State UP., 2017, muhlenberg.on.worldcat.org/search/detail/987794965?queryString=%28su%3A%20Personal%20correspondence%29%20AND%20su%3A%28holocaust%29&sortKey=LIBRARY&scope=wz%3A526&clusterResults=true&expandSearch=true&translateSearch=false&groupVariantRecords=false&databaseList=1708%2C63.
[Letter to Clara Breed From Tetsuzo (Ted) Hirasaki, Poston, Arizona, August 27, 1943].
janm.emuseum.com/objects/18334/letter-to-clara-breed-from-tetsuzo-ted-hirasaki-poston?ctx=ba1db5de66bc99bd4b0e5c6aa4ed35f6d201cae3&idx=22.
Pinsky, E. (1983). American Jewish Unity During The Holocaust – The Joint Emergency
Committee, 1943. American Jewish History, 72(4), 477–494. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23882508
Sold, Emil, et al. That Time Cannot Be Forgotten. 1st ed., Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2002,
muhlenberg.on.worldcat.org/search/detail/49852166?queryString=%28su%3A%20Personal%20correspondence%29%20AND%20su%3A%28holocaust%29&sortKey=LIBRARY&scope=wz%3A526&clusterResults=true&expandSearch=true&translateSearch=false&groupVariantRecords=false&databaseList=1708%2C638.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Japanese American Internment | Definition, Camps,
Locations, Conditions, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Oct. 2023, www.britannica.com/event/Japanese-American-internment. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.
