Gisela’s Third Trip to Palestine (1935)
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February 20, 1935
In the train from Eschwege to Zebra
Personal!
Dear Maudi,
In this second, exactly 5.5 hours after the departure, I remember the first (and I pray it will be the last) thing I forgot: Aunt Frieda’s bracelet that I wanted to put in my little handbag. I am truly hopeless and realize that I should thank you on my knees for every single piece that I actually took. Everything “in order” has passed through your fingers and my admiration for your tireless willingness and self-evident effort is deep and grateful. I am justifiably cursing myself for every sharp, unjustified word with which I have tormented you and made an already ghastly work more difficult for you by my unthankfulness. The most shameful is your magnanimity with which you have already forgiven me. So, angel, once again self-reproach and thanks!
That elderly gentleman has already got off in Celle. I am all alone in the coupe, have read the Juedische Rundschau, father’s and Eric’s letters, something in Buber and now “The Blue Horizon” by James Hilton. You had a second copy. It is among your unread English books. Same author as “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.” I HIGHLY recommend it to you. It is a heavenly sunny spring day and I am beginning to realize that I am traveling…
Enjoy the quiet time and the painting, but know that there is someone thinking of you,
your missing you so much
dirty little sparrow.
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21 February 1935
Dearest family,
Everything went according to program. Uncle Felix and Aunt Frieda at the railroad station. While we had wind force 12 at the station, they have had only sun and glassy sea. Here it rains, but the carnations bloom. The reunion was heartfelt and lovely. Aunt Frieda plans to leave Palestine on March 16.
Yours sincerely,
globetrotter.Many thanks for the telegram!
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Tiberias
March 2, 1935
Beloved family,
I feel as if I have not written to you for centuries, so full am I again of new, deep impressions.
As you can see, I am in Tiberias since this afternoon and until tomorrow morning. I left the day before yesterday afternoon with Nebi Samuel on a 3-day car tour through the country.
Our route had to be pretty much based on the drivable roads, because even though the day of our arrival was the last rainy day, the mud roads leading from the shiny main roads to the colonies of the Emek are still in indescribable condition. Besides, Nebi had something to do in Haifa. We therefore left the day before yesterday afternoon in the direction Haifa. The most beautiful spring weather, bright sun, temperature wonderfully warm, not too hot and the fields in really juicy green, or indescribably strong purple, red and white, because everywhere anemones bloom. It is commonly said here that the fields have not been this green for decades.
Our first stop was Ginegar, a Kwuzah in Emek, not far from Afulah, where we had tea and chatted with some particularly fine Chaluzim. At 7 o’clock we arrived in Haifa and stayed in a small, really decent hotel in the German colony. Yesterday morning Nebi had to perform check-ups in Haifa port, I went to Bardin. He has his school in the Technion. It’s a trade school that the boys go to after Elementary School. It is a 4 year course. In the morning 4 hours of theory (social history, that is, geography, history and economic history, Hebrew literature, including Literature in Hebrew, English and Technology), in the afternoon in the first 2 years practical work in all metal work and carpentry, in the last 2 years specialization, in locksmithing, mechanics, carpentry, etc..
I spoke with several boys from Germany, most of whom came over with their parents, so were not on any new-settler-program, but fit in amazingly quickly despite initial difficulties, mainly with the language. One of the boys, whom I asked if everything was as he thought it would be, said very nicely, “We always imagined Palestine as a paradise. We know now that it is not on the moon, it has the same problems as everywhere and maybe some more, but that is why it is beautiful!”
Among these boys was the son of the writer Kasten.
Two of these boys had been at Biram and transferred to this school. They claim that capitalists are being bred there to prepare them for Oxford. They are not allowed to be in any political party, must keep politics out of the school, which for these boys means losing contact with their comrades. I tried to speak to Biram, but he was not there.
Listened to a lesson by Bandin, on the subject of “France: Saar vote.” The high “yes” number determined by imponderables, parallel the immigration to Palestine. (If this should not be completely clear to you, I’ll tell you verbally in detail). A part of the children came with the youth Aliyah. They are mainly religious, since the only proper place in the country to receive them - Kibbutz Rodges - has already taken people “to its utmost capacity,” it leaves only the Ahawah Heim in Haifa to accommodate them.
Suddenly a teacher approached me and asked me if I knew Hanna Bernhard and if I wanted to see her. She is Anita’s friend, whose household we helped auction in Berlin. She, like so many others, ended up in the city secretly engaged to this teacher, but probably can’t get her divorce from the “Scheniche” for another 2 years. Then I called Ilse Warburg from the Children and Youth Aliyah, who came to me and told me many interesting things about her work. She is intensely flirtatious and recently made herself light blond hair, but she has accomplished a lot.
For lunch again with Nebi at our Windsor Hotel. Afterwards to the Haifa Bai.
Ah, first of all I have to tell you that you would not recognize Haifa. Houses after houses are built and every day new ones are built. The bay is completely populated, except for the new gasoline towers of the Iraq Line. Further out along the bay we visited one Czech couple. Eric and Helen Moller, friends of Nebi. He has a large textile factory in the Czech Republic, close to the German border, and is now building a factory in the Bai. The iron carcass of the building is already in place. They live in 2 wooden barracks with 12 workers, brought from their homeland and some other local workers.
I have never seen such real democracy as this relationship between him and his workers - and such culture in extreme simplicity. When we arrived, he was in work clothes on the construction site, she in training pants, polo shirt and cap in the barracks. The couple lives in a tiny room, dorm beds on top of each other, but everything so refined and tasteful. She is something type Irma Rosen, much prettier, but the same harmonious, balanced nature. He the same in masculine, only much more spirited. They speak a lovely Viennese German, and already amazing Hebrew. He was a prisoner in Siberia with Professor Hans Cohn for 5 years until 1920. Their place is in a real sea of blooming anemones, besides they have found a fantastic ancient vault in the rocks, which they are looking forward to excavating, like children. He persuaded us to come with them to a fisherman who, quite hidden half an hour away, has created carp ponds for himself. A fabulous type of a man, came from Yugoslavia 12 years ago. In the beginning he lived in an enchanted old Arab house, right next to his fish, but now he had to move to the city because of his malaria and is only outside during the day.
From there to Akko, you know, the old Arab town at the other end of the bay, the only fortress Napoleon could not take.
There is one of the oldest mosques there with a beautiful courtyard. The old fortress is now a prison with a beautiful garden. Under the prison is an old church of the crusaders, of which only the roof vault can be seen. One does not dare to excavate further, because then the prison would collapse.
From there, together with Mollers, we went to the workers’ kitchen in Haifa, where, after a long wait, we finally found a place to sit for supper.
Last year 1,000 people a day ate there, today 4,000! Before tables still to the Ahawah Heim, which lies high on the Carmel. (I can’t write about everything in detail, it would be too long, so forgive me if I sometimes just throw in some key words that are only meant to serve as clues for verbal explanations).
Met with Mollers this morning at 8:30 and went with them to Mishumar Haemek, a kwuzah that also hosted a group of the children and youth aliya. Mollers have there, as long as they are in construction, their adorable 11-year-old boy, who led us as if he owned everything himself.
For lunch in Nachalal, also there everything has doubled, and it attracts me damn much more than Reading, especially since there is a very similar, excellent training with less theory. Will tell you more in person about it as well.
Shortly after, Nazareth, where Nebi again tried to contact the authorities.
Galilee was, after all, his District last year and it is a real joy to be shown everything by him.
He knows every stone and its history and loves his “children” more than anything.
Around 3 o’clock in Tiberias, unloaded things in the hotel (a German hotel of the Templars) and with bad conscience, because Shabbat started immediately in this very orthodox city out the lake along after the Kwuzah Kineret. Here again, a group of the children and youth Aliyah. Long conversation with some settlers. The colony is particularly beautifully located and again, wonderful types of people. As we were going there, one of their settlers born there (who had just returned from studying philosophy in Paris) was giving a lecture for them about Kant!
Back to Tiberias, we drove along the lake almost to Magdiel. Directly at the lake the president of the YMCA, Mr. Hardt (who knows you, father) has built himself a house, which is tastefully and stylishly decorated inside with old Arabic things.
He happened to be standing in front of his door, so we went inside for a moment.
Back to the hotel, where I decided to swim in the lake. For Nebi it was too cold. It got dark in the meantime, but a fantastic starry sky, and I enjoyed it indescribably.
Now after supper Nebi has another meeting, hence my free time to write to you.
My Hebrew, to my own gross amazement, is going quite well. I understand almost everything if one speaks slowly to ME, not if it is a general conversation, and I can make myself understood if one has patience with me, like Nebi, who speaks to me twice a day for an hour.
Fizzy left yesterday morning. Frieda has Kisch and all sorts of people, and persuaded me to quietly leave her alone, which I did not want to do at first for her sake. Thursday morning I was with Miss Szold, with whom I am going to Jaffa on Monday morning, to pick up a group, the Children’s and Youth Aliyah, take them to Giwat Brenner and stay there overnight.
Wednesday evening we were at the High Commissioner’s. I sat next to the new, very nice Aide de Camp and Shertok, Arlosoroff’s successor, who I do not like. Too arrogant, conceited and careerist, as they all unfortunately become in this position. After the table I was the first victim to have 5 minutes special talk with the High Commissioner, but shared it with Julius Simon, who did not let me open my mouth at all. The High Commissioner had been in Giwat Brenner the same day and was all ignited by the Kwuzah spirit.
Morning in Rechovot. Since I first went to see Maya Kloss Oppenheimer and gave her my packages - her daughter is sweet and her apartment modern and pretty, her garden will be beautiful, her husband was not there - I missed half the tour to Chaim’s Institute, but what I saw was royal!. All the most complicated, best devices and machines, as far as a layman can judge. Charming is a building called The Club, where all the staff of the Sieff Institute and the Agricultural Experimental Station come to eat, it has a living room, a courtyard and a roof garden. Besides, in this building there are 2 sleeping-living rooms for professors who are invited to give lectures. Chaim and Vera’s bungalow is tremendously tastefully decorated, a large living room, 2 tiny bedrooms, dining room, bathroom, kitchen and a gorgeous garden with the most incredible Marechal Nile roses and bougainvillea all around the house. But this is only temporary. Mendelsohn builds them a house in their Pardes not far away.
Noon in Fridaflixens Pardes. Both are beaming like children. Afternoon - with Fizzyz’s personal physician Dr. Epstein in the old city.
Although Fizzy was quite exhausted after the first day, he has amazingly picked himself up again and enjoyed everything despite Alkarar program.
I have a great desire to go to a Kwuzah again for a few days, which Frieda is very much encouraging me to do. I just can’t decide in which one, at the moment I want to go to 3: Miahmar Haemek, Kineret and Gewa (the last year’ one).
Will you meet Fizzy? Are you going to America?
Mother, I could not see Oswald Burchard in Haifa, since your letter arrived the day before I left and was of no use to POB, but I will write to him and if I go there again, I will see him.
Yesterday was your wedding day, I thought of you very much, that’s as far as it went! At Mea Shearim!
Love me as much as I love you!
Your best
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King David Hotel,
Jerusalem,
March 7, 1935
Dear family,
Tomorrow you will be with Fizzy, and I am looking forward to the telegram in which you decide about me.
Heartfelt thanks, Maudi, for your sweet letter. I was touched by the way you consoled me that Auntie will be so far away from us. For you it is at least as hard!
I last wrote to Eric from Tiberias on Saturday evening, so I will continue with a chronological report.
Sunday morning I plunged again into the waters of Lake Genezareth, this time alone, because for the inhabitants the temperature of the lake is still arctic. In the morning I spent some time alone in the picturesque old town of Tiberias, whose beauty is reminiscent of the old town of Jerusalem, and some time with Nebi, who had a meeting in the meantime, and with whom I had to admire the promenade he had laid out along the lake, the trees he had planted, and the names he had given to the streets.
At 2 o’clock we lead off from Tiberias and I drove all the way to Jerusalem, 4 hours. A flat tire was fixed in first-class-repairs in 5 minutes. On the way we picked wonderful bouquets of wild cyclamen and anemones. In the evening Magnes’ parents and David were here, and I sank into the flap early to leave Monday morning at 7:30 with Miss Szold to Jaffa by bus, where we were to pick up 44 children of the Children and Youth Aliyah. When we arrived at the harbor, our astonished eyes were met with waves as high as a house - not a ship in sight far and wide. The boat had to go directly to Haifa, but it could not leave Jaffa in such weather. Que faire? By cab to Tel Aviv, where we found out that we had missed the train to Haifa, so by cab to Haifa. A 3.5 hour ride, the first part of the trip was downright bad. But the chauffeur also drove like a savage on the better road, an average of 100 km.
Miss Szold enviably managed to sleep.
At 1.30 a.m. we landed at the port of Haifa. Our permission to go into the harbor and onto the boat was only for Jaffa, which meant that we stood at the barrier for 3 hours in pouring rain. I was freezing like a dog, as I had completely adjusted to the summer temperature of the last days.
At 3:30, Miss Szold finally had the good idea to eat something, but that didn’t mean going to a restaurant, she sent a boy to get us a sandwich. At 4 o’clock a Mr. Tanne from the Hichtadnth Ole Germania managed to get us into the harbor, which means we now stood together with the children under one roof for another 2 hours while the luggage search was going on.
The children are not children at all. They are all between 15 and 17 years old and look very grown up. Some of them are very good people, especially among the boys. Due to this delay and disembarkation in Haifa, the children did not reach their destination (35 to Giwat Brenner, the rest to Dagamar and Kineret) on the same day as planned, but had to spend the night in Beit Olim (immigrant house) in Haifa.
Every immigrant who does not immediately know what to do with himself is allowed to stay here for 8 days. Among the arrivals was a young woman, maybe 22, with a 7-month-old baby. I asked her where she was from, if she had relatives here, what her plans were. She said she was German, but spoke like a Pole, she and her husband don’t know a soul here, don’t know where they will end up.
The only ray of hope is that her husband is a bricklayer and there is work for them. But imagine this daring and optimism, dive like that into the blue!
At 6 o’clock we happily landed at Beit Olim with the children. Miss Szold called her pension, where she always stays, to see if there was room. Only a double room. She immediately said, “Do you mind sharing a room with me?” We drove to the boarding house with a cab driver, over whom miss Szold got such a tropical fever and tantrum, because he didn’t understand her, that I thought she would kill him on the spot. Landing at the boarding house, we fell on our beds and slept until 8 o’clock, ate at monkey-like speed, and went back to the Beit Olim, where the dining room was by now made very festive with oranges and candy, and a little reception party was made impromptu, as a substitute for the reception planned at the colony, and to give a festive ending to the first evening in Erez. Miss Szold made a speech, as did Tanne and a settler from Giwat Brenner who had come to pick her up. A gal answered very nicely in Hebrew. Then there was singing and dancing hora until they were completely exhausted. At 11 o’clock to bed.
Miss Szold was just sweet. She said, as we lay in bed in the dark, that she couldn’t remember when she had last slept with someone and really felt the need to chat. When I asked her to wake me up in case I snored, she asked me to watch out if she did, she was interested to know if she did. She has a soul of gold, but she is as stubborn as a donkey. If you think this 73 year old woman will allow me to carry her bag, you are wrong. She gets really angry. Just imagine what an exhausting day it was. She gets up every morning at 5 a.m., washes herself again and again, does gymnastics, washes her clothes, darns her stockings, reads the newspaper, writes down her expenses and, mother, combs her hair 50 times!
By 7 o’clock the next morning we were both ready to go again, met the children at the station at 8 o’clock. Since Miss Szold had a meeting in Jerusalem in the afternoon, she rode with us as far as Lidd. There were 2 policemen on the train with 2 Arabs who had handcuffs on. I found out that they were illegal immigrants from Egypt who will be jailed for 4 weeks and then pushed back across the border. The children were fascinated. The Arab policeman, who knew 3 words of English and 2 of Hebrew, took the handcuffs off the Arabs and had to put them on every kid. The kids were having a wonderful time. At Lidd we were delayed for an hour for mysterious reasons, landing at Rechovot at 12 noon. There was Sereni at the train, who immediately fell around my neck and said that I had to go to Chaim immediately and persuade him to come with me to Giwat Brenner for the celebration evening. Chaim, however, had visitors that evening and visibly did not even feel like going. Sereni claimed that the women were always crucial, that one only had to persuade Vera. Before I knew it, I was on a bus which, to my great astonishment, was not going to Givat Brenner, but to Tel-Aviv, where Vera had a WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) meeting. We then found her and of course got the same answer from her. Then I raced in 100 km speed behind Sereni through the streets of Tel Aviv, he peeked for a second into 2 offices, and suddenly we were sitting in a vegetarian restaurant. My appointment with Frieda had been 2:30 in Giwath Brenner, thinking that I would have entered Giwat Brenner in the afternoon of the previous day and spend the night there. So I had to call her from Tel Aviv in Rechovot, where she was sitting with Chaim, and tell her I would pick her up there at 3 o’clock, which was initially 2 o’clock… So she sat there for already an hour, mad and irritated. Lawise, who was with us, managed to put me up in Giwat Brenner for the night and for the celebration, only I had to go back to Tel Aviv, where I, really Gisela, and Sereni, had left my bag. From Tel Aviv, Auntie went back to Jerusalem, I went by bus back to Giwat Brenner, where I landed at 7:00. At 7:30 the celebration started. Giwat Brenner now has 330 souls, with the children 385. Some of them still live in tents, although many new houses have been built. For example, a house with a music room, a library and a club room. Imagine this idealism, they prefer to have music rooms and continue to live in tents. The children from Germany live for the time being in very decent wooden barracks, the houses are already under construction. Besides, a huge new dining hall has been built, for 300 people. That evening we were more than 400 people. The hall was beautifully decorated. On the walls there were photographs and very artistically arranged statistics, how many settlers from which country, how many workers in which activity, how many children, when born, how many cattle, how the budget is distributed, and so on. I sat next to Mrs. Sereni who is a fabulous woman, and unlike most Kwuzah women, looks ladylike and well groomed, as if she lived in King David. She is the head of the “wardrobe” and dresses the 300 members of Giwat Brenner at 1.5 pounds per person per year!!!! Sereni gave a speech. After the meals there was dancing around a big open fire in free hora. By the way, about 10 friendly neighbor Arabs were invited, who seemed to enjoy themselves very much and did not at all understand the demand for exclusively Jewish work in one of the speeches. At 9 o’clock they gathered again in the cleared dining room for the concert. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart. Hats off to these Chaluz musicians! Then some speeches, also by Ben Gurion, the leader of the Labor Party, who was the Guest of Honor.
Then an excellent film about Giwat Brenner. The most charming were the children of Kwuzah, 8 of whom (between 5 and 8 years old) were allowed to participate. At everything they saw, they shouted with enthusiasm what and who it was, and when the first water from the newly drilled well was shown, they went straight into ecstasy.
We have no idea what water means here.
In the meantime I found 2 people I kind of knew from Hamburg and we had a chat. Then danced Hora again. A really festive evening. At 11:30 I decided to cut off some slices of sleep. I was staying with an American teacher from WIZO she was here, teaching a 3 month diet cooking course. This meant that she had to sleep in the same bed with her boy. The washroom and toilet were in a separate house miles away. That’s something you have to get used to.
Next morning I waited for bus from 7:30 to 8:15, to Tel-Aviv and from there by bus to Jerusalem. Washed myself and slept. At noon Nebi, in the afternoon with Auntie in Ben Schemen, where the bad impressions of former Pessach riots are as of now, thank God, finally faded out. You would hardly recognize it, how it has grown, talking about 100 German children alone!
When I came home, Sylva Gelber was already there, Lionel’s sister, who has been here for 2.5 years now, after she simply stayed here after a visiting trip, to never get away again. She was in a kwuzah for 8 months and is currently working as a social worker for WIZO. Miss Szold is training her as a social worker and believes she will be the best in the country.
She has done what I unfortunately lacked the resoluteness to do so far, but I know that at least I landed here.
Last night at Schockens’. Frieda and I particularly like them. A tasteful house and maintained in Mama’s sense, since their cook had poisoning, she did almost everything herself, and Mrs. Fischer could not have done better. Magnes and wife, Halpern and wife, Schmarya Levin and the Schockens’ son were there. Papa Schocken takes Hebrew lessons twice a day with two different teachers. In the morning from 8-9, in the evening from 6-7. Their son is already learning Arabic.
In the meantime Lola’s and Fizzy’s telegram arrived. Had you asked Lola to telegraph me out of fear that I would stay here, or is she really not coming? I wonder why it took Fizzy’s persuasion to get Anita to get married in Hamburg. I don’t understand what she could have had against it.
Irene (?) is coming Monday, so maybe I’ll escape to a colony again.
Imagine, poor Arnold Schlüter has died. I feel terribly sorry for the parents, even if it is a relief for him.
The day must have 48 hours here, and I must stay here for months! Otherwise, I’m damn well and I still love you. Please show this letter, like the previous ones, to Dachi, Ingrid and Lola, whom Schmarya and Sereni asked me to give their warmest greetings to.
Sincerely,
Your Gisi
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King David Hotel
Started on March 14, 1935
Beloved Family,
In the meantime we have exchanged telegrams. Your reply was very fair and touching, only it showed the inadequacy of any exchange of telegrams about such crucial matters. - “but we are asking you to return home” could mean so many things, old and new reasons. I wish I had the toughness to say “I am staying after all,” but I don’t have it and now I would rather discuss everything with you verbally in peace, because I am convinced you will understand my new plans, which, however, are very different from what they were when I left you and they have also changed several times in the course of my being here.
March 19, 1935
In the meantime we are in Naples. I have sent another telegram to you, because I do not know if and when you will come to Paris, or if I should come directly to Hamburg. I hope very much to see you in person before this report reaches you. But before the last days of my stay in Palestine fade away - and they seem to be very far back today already - I want to tell you again in detail, so that you can at least on paper experience everything with me.
Chronologically I can hardly do it any more. During the 2 days in Jerusalem after the excursion with Miss Szold I went one afternoon to Ain Karem for tea with Dr. Kleeberg, from Hadassah Hospital, and his sister, Mrs. Prof. Tannenberg. This is a Greek Orthodox monastery no more than 20 minutes from Jerusalem. It is surrounded by cypress trees, and we were lucky enough to see THE most fantastic sunset from there that I have ever experienced. Even the unique sunsets in Sweden and Finland pale next to this fiery sky against the dark mountains. Every minute gives a new absolute wonder of color play.
In the evening the American consul Palmer and his wife and son visited us at King David, and we went to a really excellent concert with them. The public in its composition quite unique. From full dress and decolteed evening gowns in the party of the High Commissioner and the haute voleé of Jerusalem, to Chaluzim in shorts all together in the highest harmony. It is not about class differences in our sense, because the so-called “haute voleé” basically looks up to the Chaluzim, who do envy the “rich” at all.
The next afternoon Aunt Frieda had to plant a tree in Kiryat Anavim under several solemn pronouncements. The Hadassah planted 100 trees there in her honor.
For tea - at Bounés. He is quite confident, and the Business Archives seem to be doing better in every way since they were moved to Rehavia.
In the evening I was alone, for Friday night at Magnes, which was as always festive and full of real atmosphere.
The next day we could finally make our long planned trip to Emek, because the roads finally dried from rain. Our first stop was Gewa, the colony where Peeper and I stayed for 3 days last time. My “co-sleeper” is now married and has a kid. The biggest […]
[…]
Am Charod, which you also saw then, now has 900 inhabitants and one of the largest groups of Children and Youth Aliyah.
From there to Heftziba Beth Alpha to visit Dr. Marx (the former chairman of the Hamburg Zionist Association), with whom I talked for a good hour. He is completely happy, despite heavy, for him completely new physical work, so content with his chosen Chaluz life that he has turned down a permanent doctor position in the hospital in Afuleh.
Auntie went (this was Saturday) to Haifa, where she stayed until Monday to pick up Irene Wale, and dropped me off in Mishmar Haemek, where I stayed these 2.5 days. You may wonder why I wanted to stay there. I had already seen this colony a few days before with Nebi and his friends Mollers, who have their 11 year old son there. Eric Moller had arranged it for me. By the way, in this colony also lives Mrs. […], whom you remember. She is currently in America, but as soon as she returns in May, she will become a real Chaverah (comrade) of this Kwuzah. This colony has the biggest, best and newest school in Hashomer Hatzair, which has taken in about 30-40 German children. (Unlike Children and Youth Aliyah, whose groups consist of teenagers between 15 and 17, these are really kids between 8 and 14.) Hashomer Hazair will be a new term for you. There are, apart from the Mizrachim, 2 large Zionist non-religious, or rather non-traditional youth alliances: the Habonim (literally “the builders”) and the Hashomer Hatzair (literally “the youth watchers”). The former is united in Erez to form Kibbutz Meuchad, the latter to form Kibbutz Arzi. Their essential difference is that the former is in favor of unlimited expansion of the kwuzah (indeed, they see their duty in always taking in new ones and in being so strong in themselves that each element must adapt and assimilate into the community. Besides, they believe to avoid many problems of human relationships by the sheer size of their community - example: Ain Charod Giwat Brenner […] Hashomer Hatzair imagine only 120 people as the maximum number of a real kwuzah, that is, a real living community. individual plays a much bigger role. There is more sifting in the admission process. EVERYONE must share in the responsibility of the community, and have worked in EVERY area. Self-education is taken very seriously, but also the education of children plays an even more important role.
The school and everything that belongs to it, the children’s community and the adult community, actually have their realm all to themselves, in which I was accepted. Gera Schliesser, a comrade who currently works in the school’s office, was actually at my disposal for these 2 days, from morning to night, and when we were not with the children, or watching the business in detail, we talked about all the issues that concern these people. And the astonishing thing that makes one respect and awe them more and more - the more one delves into these people and their problems - is the breadth of their horizons. There is really nothing in this wide world with which they do not occupy themselves - that they read German, Russian and all other European newspapers is a matter of course, but in their genuine and uncompromising and in the truest sense religious lives, the distance to the things of the world, which we sometimes find difficult to cover, seems to vanish almost by itself. Gera Schliesser told me a true story that bears witness to this convincing sincerity and authenticity of their life and their lived-through worldview.
A few months ago, a man appeared at their gate and asked if he could live with them for some time and participate in their life and work. As always, he was happily allowed to. After a week it turned out that he was a missionary who had come with the intention of converting. That is, he told them himself when he left. But he said that he had found that he had nothing to give, what he wanted to preach is simply being lived here. This is so astonishingly true and it was recognized by this missionary. Here true Christianity is being lived.
We also talked for a long time about the problem of the next generation, especially of these children who are being brought up there, and they are very much aware that they have to give these children other, but equally strong values that bind them to this country and this life. Europe, big cities, cinema - these must inevitably be an abstraction and a temptation for these children, because they don’t know it.
Their intention with this community of children is to make a trip to Europe in a few years, and they are convinced that if they show the kids Europe, when they have this experience as a community, then the kids will feel that their air is freer. Besides, they believe that these kids would be able to give something to the European youth. He says that it is already the case today that when individual children go to Europe to visit relatives who were born in the country, they feel crossly unhappy. They speak another language, just as Mattanya speaks another language in a certain sense. About the community of these children I have to tell you a lot, but better in person.
On Monday afternoon I returned to Jerusalem with Irene and Frieda via Nazareth (lunch). Actually, the next day I wanted to go again with Miss Szold to the colonies, which are getting the next batch of the children- and youth-Aliyah. A 3-day tour. But I had to take care of my American and Egyptian transit visa by myself, and since I literally struggled with the latter for a whole day, it turned out to be only too good that I had stayed. You only have to deposit 30 Pounds at the German consulate to board the Rex in Port-Said, whereupon you can go to the Egyptian consulate with a letter from the German consul, which asks in Cairo whether you are not on the list of “undesirables,” and only then you get the visa. In my case it was still connected with endless complications, which I must tell you verbally, because it would simply fill pages and pages.
One morning I picked up Sylvia Gelber (Lionel’s sister) at the WIZO, where she is currently a social welfare worker. There came the most miserable and at the same time most amusing types of people in here, who got bundles of laundry and had to pay a ridiculous pittance for it for purely educational reasons. They all claimed they didn’t have a penny, whereupon Sylvia told them with the iciest expression that she was very sorry, but then she couldn’t hand it over to them. After a few […]
We then went to the oldest poorest Bochara and Ashkenazim neighborhood where up to 10 people live in one room. Sylvia deals with these people just fabulously , which is not easy at all, because they are very mistrustful. You have to treat them like children. In one family, the woman had just had a baby, and the numerous other children were all sitting on the dirty street without pants, Sylvia scolded the woman and said - if she came back tomorrow, and the children were clean and properly dressed, they would get something for Purim. That worked then. We went to see a family where the husband has been unable to work for 5 years because of tuberculosis, they have a 2 year old baby, the wife feeds the family. Sylvia gave them a lecture about the irresponsibility of such bringing children into the world. I was amazed and delighted to understand every word in these insults.
On the last day we went to the Dead Sea, where I finally swam for the first time. It is really quite a funny feeling to have your legs, especially your feet constantly sticking out of the water […]
[…]
On Friday the 15th - by train from Ludd to Kantara, on open desert track 50 m from the rails there was a heavily wrecked plane and a man signaling our train to stop. I was asleep and, like most, I rushed out, thinking that it was a station and an airplane that had been in an accident for a long time. It was the Jerusalem-Cairo plane that had tried to make an emergency landing here 30 minutes ago. 2 passengers were dead. The pilot had a fractured skull, blood flowing, and moaning so horribly that it was no longer a human sound. A young Englishman had his leg cut clean through, he too was in agonizing condition. Two passengers were only slightly injured, but also completely immobile.
All passengers were loaded on our train and an Egyptian doctor tried to bandage and treat the poor ones with non-existent utensils and everything he could find on the train. The two seriously wounded - the pilot has died in the meantime - were lying in our neighboring car, and this agonizing, animal-like moaning was the most horrible thing I have ever experienced.
[…]
I don’t know if I will ever be able to forget it.
In Kantara I saw my Arab friend, only very briefly, because he had to carry the wounded to the hospital. But he sent me another telegram on board. To a certain extent, the passengers still had luck in their misfortune. 1) that they had landed so close to the railroad. 2) that we arrived half an hour later. On this route there is a train only every 24 hours and not a soul far and wide.
The Rex is almost more fabulous than the Conte. Anyway, it has a fabulous squash court and swimming pool. I won the ping pong tournament and I am bringing you a silver cup as a trophy!
So this is another book, sorry. Please give it to all siblings, Dachi and Ingrid.
Sincerely,
Your Gisi
P.S. We went to Rhodes instead of Athens […] because of the Greek riots.
Ah I could write volumes more!
-
Dear Maudi,
just now we reach Marseille, and the night is over, thank God. The fat old chap soon gave up all hope with me after a few footy footy attempts but I was envious that he had a whole bench to himself. I had to share mine with a very peaceful gentleman, which meant I had to twist legs in a knot. It was not cold at all, rather too warm. Even though I slept every now and then, the night seemed endless. Now we have a wonderful ride directly on the Riviera. Sunshine, but icy cold. I had bought this card for you in Naples. It is my favorite painting from the museum.
It was wonderful to be with you and I don’t want to see you stay behind!
** Let Eric explain to you what that means.
P.S. your Gisi loves you warmly!
Imagine that Aunt Frieda never received my telegram, wrong hotel. You can imagine her despair!
Yours sincerely, Gisi
-
April 4-5, 1935
Conte di Savoia
Dearest Parents,
Well, I sent my telegram to Frieda to the Hotel d’Angleterre, and she was staying at a completely different one. I had found this address in Marion’s suitcase, but I asked Mother again and she confirmed it for me. Now the poor thing was completely without news and had no idea if I would show up. We are a beautiful family. I just don’t understand why the telegram didn’t come back. In any case, we met on the street in Villefranche when I was on my way to the hotel.
Mother, I now understand your dislike of French Riviera. I think Nice is awful beyond all measure. I have rarely seen such horrible hotels. I saw a good part of the city on the way to the bus to Villefranche, which, however, is much prettier, smaller and more peaceful. Even though it is cold, the vegetation is fantastic. Matthiolas in full bloom. The Conte was an hour late, so we don’t get on board until 3 o’clock. It is super full. Do you know who is on board: Riedemann. I have only spoken 3 words with him so far, but he has already threatened to chaperone me.
Aunt Frieda is full of her grandchildren and has rested well this week.
Maudi, why don’t you choose your next maid by a”sympathetic” criterium? I would never have taken this toilet woman, even with so many royal references, for the simple reason that she is unpleasant to me. If you get a nice, willing one, who laughs a lot, but can’t do that much, she will be happy to learn with you. I wish you now to finally find a real pearl. You deserve it, and you will be a free person.
Tonight we are in Gibraltar, then there is no turning back, and I must volens nolens swim further and further away from you.
Riedemann is with his son and son-in-law. I clarified to him about P. this morning. We tease each other incessantly. He raves about you, father.
Keep me in your heart as I keep you in mine.
Heartily, Gisi Child.
This letter is too stupid to circulate, but please give my kiss to all siblings, Dachi and Ingrid and Hoff.