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Albert SZYMKOWICZ was born on October 11, 1928, and his
brother David, on April 28, 1931,
both in Paris. Their parents, Israel and Sarah, were deported before them (on
convoy 13 of July 31 and convoy 14 of August 3, 1942); their little sister,
Annette, age 4, was also deported. The children left on
convoy 24 of August 26, 1942. They lived at
34 boulevard de la Villette. This is what Albert wrote several days before
deportation: Pithiviers, August 15, 1942. My Dear Little Aunt, I've already
sent you many letters and you haven't yet replied. I'm afraid something has
happened to the family. I sent you a letter on the 12th. Didi, Annette and I
are still here in Pithiviers. Last Thursday, there was a departure. They took
me. I spent the whole day in the sun; they shaved our heads. That night they
sent me back, because they had too many from my section. They picked us at
random. I was inside and they sent us back. But we're certain to leave if
there's another departure. I already wrote you that they took Papa and Maman to
an unknown destination. Little Bene is all alone; they took his mother. Dear
Aunt, I wish you would send me a package. Every time Annette sees someone
receive a package she says, Albert, why doesn't Chiffrale send us a package? Go
check with the Red Cross. When she sees someone eating a piece of fruit she
wants some too. I wish, dear aunt, that if you sent us a package you could put
some food in it. Some fruit, or matzot, onions, carrots, jam, peas, fish,
bread, tomatoes, etc. Dear aunt, I really want you to send us something,
because here they give us barely a pound of bread per person every two days and
the bread is hard, and every day at noon and in the evening we have some
cabbage soup, and cooked vegetables. We get 30 grams [about 1 ounce] of
meat a week, and 30 grams of jam; also 40 grams of cheese and 10 of butter. So
you can see, dear aunt, that if you don't send us a package we are sure to die
of starvation. Didi asks for food every half hour. As to myself, I force myself
to hold back my desires. A lot of people have been trying to pass into the
Unoccupied Zone. Dear aunt, if you send me a package, ask Albert, Fayde's son,
to help you pick some good thick books of adventure stories that you could buy
and put in the package; I would like to have a lot of books because I'm bored
all day here. Try, dear aunt, to send me enough soap and little soap bars and
also a brush for washing, because we have nothing to wash our face with or for
doing our laundry. We miss Maman and Papa, but we have to get used to it. Maman
sent you 15 hundred francs; she left me 500 francs, but they take everything
here, so I spent 70 francs on a pair of clogs because I have no more shoes. I
gave someone 100 francs to smuggle you two lettters, the one before and one on
August 13th,
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FRENCH
CHILDREN OF THE HOLOCAUST A memorial
Serge Klarsfeld
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