Print - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network - Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : beige ; Ht: 11"5/8 in. x W: 7"5/8 in.

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : beige ; Ht: 11"5/8 in. x W: 7"5/8 in.

Notes: 1 page letter, typed on both sides. Letter was written by Pesach Mandel with a note from his wife and daughter Elfi at the end. Narrative: The donor's father Pesach (Ferdinand) Mandel was originally from Stanislau (Poland). His family emigrated to Austria where he became a dentist. He married Sarafina and they had two daughters, Elfi and Ilse. The Mandel family lived in a suburb of Vienna. In the 1930s there were rumors of war and they wanted to leave. Pesach's sister Margit, her husband Alfred Beck and their son Robert left for New York but it was hard for them to find work and support themselves. Pesach's brother Hermann emigrated to Palestine where he also had problems finding work. Pesach was interned in concentration camp Dachau (Germany) but was released thanks to his connections to Christian friends in the military. Following his release, the family was able to go back to Stanislau (Poland) where they moved in with relatives and worked making tombstones. In 1941, after Germany attacked the USSR, the Mandel family was interned by the Russians and deported to Siberia. From there they were moved to the Ural district and later to Karagandy (Kazakhstan). Persach died at the age of 39. The rest of the family was released in 1948 and was able to move back to Vienna.