F02_P06: Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen; Subcamp Schwarzheide
1944 December 9, Front side - Envelope addressed to Josef Weintraub at Schwarzheide concentration camp.
Tan envelope with printed handwriting in German using black ink. The bottom right has a purple "Postzensurstelle" stamp from Sachsenhausen. At the top right is a cancellation stamp from Prague dated 1944. Directly to the left is a red marking of the number six. At the bottom left is the number two circled in black ink.
Name/Title
F02_P06: Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen; Subcamp SchwarzheideEntry/Object ID
2007.2.6.a-bScope and Content
1944 December 9, envelope addressed to Josef Weintraub at Schwarzheide concentration camp.Context
Although huge numbers of Jews were held captive in concentration camps, mail to and from Jewish prisoners is seldom seen. Restrictions were severe and few examples survived. In the summer of 1944 1,100 Jews were transported from Auschwitz to the Schwarzheide subcamp of Sachsenhausen where they became slave laborers at the BRABAG Werke (the Braunkohle-Benzin AG synthetic petroleum refinery). On December 9, 1944, Benno Weintraub wrote from Prague to his Jewish father Isr[ael] mohrer Weintraub at Schwarzheide subcamp, lamenting that it is difficult to find warm clothes to send, and asking if sending shoes is allowed. The Sachsenhausen camp censor removed the stamp to search for messages that might have been hidden beneath it, and the letter was doused with a chemical to check for invisible ink. The first page in the letter references Josef Weintraub's letter sent to Benno Weintraub on November 19th, 1944. We know the two have been in contact via postage prior to this exchange. Additional Context: *According to researcher and professor, Kevin Ostoyich, the reverse side of the final page of the letter exhibits cursive handwriting in Yiddish, as a hidden message written.Collection
Nazi Scourge I: Primary ExhibitionCategory
Cover, Registered Letter
Philatelic Material