Munich, March 27, 1942. My dear ones, please excuse me for making you wait so long this time before I confirm the beautiful package, which already arrived safely in our possession on Tuesday. We were, as always, very happy with it and thank you most warmly for it. Likewise for your dear letter and the package, [we] express heartfelt thanks. It also arrived in good condition and brought great joy. Now the weather has become so beautiful that one gets a great longing for peace. We already had bad news this week. Our [dear] aunt [and] relatives from Darmstadt and Nürnberg had to go away. One has no news at all from the other dear ones. For several days now there has been a district ban [Bezirksverbot] for everyone in the entire home — even the women whose husbands are here cannot [continues on next page]
Handwritten letter
Handwritten letter
This letter contains critical historical testimony. The phrase "Verwandten aus Darmstadt u. Nürnberg müssten weg" ("relatives from Darmstadt and Nürnberg had to go away") is a direct reference to deportations — Jews from Darmstadt were deported to Piaski (in the Lublin district of occupied Poland) on March 25, 1942, just two days before this letter was written. The "Bezirksverbot" (district ban) refers to the increasingly severe movement restrictions imposed on Jews, confining them to their immediate area. The euphemistic language ("had to go away") reflects both the censorship of mail and the writers' own uncertainty about destinations. By this time, Julius and Elsa were likely confined to a "Judenhaus" (Jewish house) or similar communal living arrangement, as indicated by the reference to "im ganzen Heim" (in the entire home).