November 15, 1947

Dear Mrs. Hilda,

I am sending you a package today with the cloths of poor Grete Neumann:
1 black winter coat with a fur collar
1 black silk dress
1 red dress in two pieces
1 skirt-pant
1 summer dress

Ernst Bettelheim (now Dr. Roberts), California, gave me your address and asked me to send you these things. I hope they are still useful to you, although these last eight years in storage have certainly not made them new and they are also out of date. But anyhow they are a reminder of them and must remain in the family… Since I assumed you will need to fix them, if they can still be used, and since I heard that thread and other things are scarce in Vienna, I also send you two spools of thread.

 

I don’t know if you still remember me, I am one of Silberer´s daughters (Rasumofshygasse). We were all lucky enough to get out in time, but unfortunately our parents died. My father died in London in 1940, my mother four weeks ago. We miss her very much. Unfortunately, my siblings and I are all dispersed, which hurts us deeply.  After many years of hard work we managed once again to have a roof over our head and to begin a new existence, but we work arduously. This is a nice country and the people are extraordinarily kind and generous, so even though it is not our country we would not exchange it for anything. However, though we are now British, we are quite alone, without family and without old friends. Although, of course, my husband is my best friend. My sister lives in Scotland, my brother in the United States and no one remains from our family. But we know we are lucky to be alive and to think freely, still with a great grief for the terrible pain of those poor people who died in such a cruel way.

All these years we have spoken once and again of the Bettleheim and Neumann families. What we heard at the end of the war from Mr. Hans Kuffler was unfortunately very, very sad. I hope that you are now happier, you deserve it, after all the hard years of your youth! Your girl will surely help you to forget the sad past and to live in the present.

I send our best wishes,

 

Grete Raudnitz