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Author(s) / Origin of Letter
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Recipient(s) / Relationship to Author(s) / Destination of Letter
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Summary
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Karl Jellinek (brother) |
Max does not write as lengthily and with as much anguish here about the calumny
against him by unknown slanderers in Shanghai, as in his May 1946 letter. However, he is still
concerned with finding the source of the false 'collaborationist' defamation and with the possiblilty
of the ruinous lies following him to Australia. Max has less energy to deal with the treachery against
him because of his latest attack of dysentery, and less time because of his anticipated departure from
Shanghai for Sydney. |
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Beloved brother!,Shanghai, July 6, 1946 I am only now answering your letter of May 30, which I received on June 20, not only because of my ever increasing laziness about writing, but rather because of the apathetic state in which I find myself because of my new attack of dysentery. What I had so feared has happened. The terrible heat had barely started when my diarrhea began. What that means can only be gauged by someone who also suffers from this. This time, my amoebic dysentery is even more stubborn than usual and even though I have now completed all of my emetin injections, there has not been any notable improvement. That means that although I no longer have diarrhea, I have no appetite and am correspondingly weak. Yes, this time it really wiped me out. In addition, the hot weather started even earlier than usual, and the unbearable humidity accompanied the heat. Thank goodness, I now have the visa for Australia and am only waiting for an opportune ship. I can safely assume that I will be able to leave at the end of the month. I have an hysterical fear that I will not be halfway well by then. The examination by the physician from the consulate fortunately took place two days before my newest illness. Can you imagine what a great stone has been lifted from my heart. Thank you for your information in regard to Buchwald.1 However, it did not do me much good. Although I am reasonably certain that I know from which Austrian association the calumnious letter came, I cannot do anything about it because I have no proof that the report came from the Austrian Residents Association, and especially because I don’t know who signed it. At the moment, this situation is not particularly interesting to me because I am not physically able to undertake anything now and because the hopefully short time remaining to me in Shanghai would not be enough. Obviously, it would be very important to me to follow the matter further and to clarify it for future reference. Perhaps you can still manage to get Mr. Buchwald to send a useable report to the Austrian Community, since I will remain in contact with them. Perhaps one of these scoundrels will come to Australia and start the same game there. Anny has also informed me that her mother-in-law is coming to Sydney. That is certainly not good, and I am afraid that her presence will again lead to quarrels and anger. This old woman has always been a mean -spirited intransigent. Maybe she has improved in the meantime. On the other hand, one can’t blame her for wanting to be with her son. Let’s go! [written in Italian] Anny also wrote me that she has already sent the permit for Erich to Paris. O.K. so where does the youngster go?2 — There is at least one ship to Australia every week, and if I had paid the fare, I could have left already. This way, I have to wait till the end of July, beginning of August. In my present situation, that is quite all right with me. It is true that many want to return to Austria, probably 2000 of 4300. However, that is a recent development, as people are beginning to despair of going anywhere else. At the beginning of the year there were only a few more than 200 who wanted to return to Austria. Now there are many; even those who have affidavits or who previously desperately wanted to go to Eretz [Israel]. They have given up hope of being able to get to the USA or Eretz in the foreseeable future. And since everyone urgently wants to leave here as soon as possible, one can’t blame anyone for preferring to return to Austria rather than remaining here where the situation is deteriorating daily in all respects. Not only do the diseases make life here so precarious.- This is presumably my last letter from Shanghai. Please do not write to me here anymore, but rather to Sydney. Are you all healthy? Thanks for giving Sultan3 the Heine books. How is your business doing? [The rest of the typed letter is in English] I hope everything is okay and you make a great deal of money. It’s my sincere wish. My love and fondest regards to Karla and children. Affectionately, Max4 [Handwritten in German] Many thanks for the three packages of newspapers. |
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Translated by Esther Bates; footnotes by P. Jellinek
Footnotes
1. Max J. referred to the “ . . . insufficient or incorrect information, [that Karl J. received] in large part from Mr. Hans Buchwald,. . . ” on pages 1 and 3 of his May 10, 1946 letter to Karl. Hans Buchwald probably also found refuge in Shanghai during the war, as Max J. did, but had managed to gain entrance to the US (and reside in NYC) soon after the war ended. I ( P. Jellinek) remember Mr. Buchwald’s name spoken by my parents, Karl and Caroline J. and from the phone messages I took from him when I was growing up and living at home. He probably was one of my father’s fellow refugee, insurance customers. Unfortunately, Hans B.’s report and Karl J.’s letters to Max J., which gave information on the report, are not extant, nor do we know whether the “calumnious letter” writer’s identity was ever discovered, or whether or what were any further outcomes of the slander.
2. Max is referring to his nephew/Siegfried and Marta H. Jellinek’s son, Erich Jellinek, and probably alluding to Erich’s brief return to seek vengeance in Austria after his liberation from Auschwitz-Birkenau. .
See Siegfried Jellinek’s Bio. page for more information.3. We do not know why Max used the term “Sultan” here and at the bottom of page 2 in his May 1946 letter. Sultan is usually associated with an Ottoman Empire or other Muslim country ruler. It is possible that Max was using the term sardonically to refer to someone that he (and Karl) felt exerted strong power and control. It seems less likely that Max was referring to a common acquaintance or friend named Sultan.
4. Max probably learned English in Shanghai. It is interesting that even with his imperfect command of the language and in just these three sentences, there are hints of an elegance of language, akin to his erudite German writing.
