An ordinary Austiran family and their less ordinary letters…..
“moving and valuable”, “rare and poignant”
What follows are digital copies of two letters written in German gothic script, with their envelopes, sent by members of the Flussmann family from the Theresienstadt Ghetto to a relative living in Vienna, Austria. The letters are dated 8 May 1943 and 3 June 1943. In addition to the letters, a family photograph dating from the c. 1920 can be seen above. The family photograph is also set next to an extract from Totenbuch Theresienstadt Deportierte Aus Osterreich (Death Register of Theresienstadt Deportees from Austria) that gives details of three family members’ deportations and, for two of the three correspondents, deaths or murders. This is below. Also included are scans of more less ordinary letters from Rabbi Hugo Gryn, dated 28 May 1985, and historian Martin Gilbert, dated 28 May 1987, with their comments and impressions of the Flussmanns’ letters.
Biographical Notes
The two letters were written by three members of the Flussmann family following their deportation from Vienna to Theresienstadt in 1943. The letters were sent to a relative who remained in hiding in Vienna and who survived the Holocaust. Not much is known about the correspondents.
Sidonie Flussmann (née Spitzer) was born on 18 June 1863 in Tobitschau/Tovačov in the Czech Republic. She was married to Hermann who predeceased her. Sidonie died on 3 September 1943 in the Theresienstadt aged 80. Family lore relates her death in Theresienstadt as the good news because, had she not died there, she would have been transported onto Auschwitz and murdered there.
Ernst Flussmann was born on 1 March 1895 in Vienna. His profession is given only as werkmeister (an employee). He died on 19 October 1944 in Auschwitz aged 49.
Rudolf Flussmann was born on 3 August 1900 in or near Vienna. His profession is given as the rather generic Werkmeister. Rudolf was transported to Auschwitz on 18 December 1943. He was later transported to Sachsenhausen where he also survived. However, he took his own life on 1 March 1960 aged c. 59 at Baden bei Wien, Austria. Family lore relates a troubled soul and asks what it meant to have survived and if Rudolf ever really did.
The letters’ recipient, Mitzi or Maria Shorny (née Flussmann) was born on 18 October 1903 in Vienna and married to Franz or Ferdinand. Maria survived the war and Holocaust in hiding in Vienna where she died on 18 October 1984 aged 81. While in hiding she had her first child.
Rabbi Hugo Gryn wrote on 28 May 1985 of “precious letters” the copies of which “touched” him and of which he thought “there could not be many such documents”.
Martin Gilbert, the British historian, wrote on 28 May 1987 that the letters were “moving and valuable” and a “poignant reminder of life at Theresienstadt before the final deportation”.
Here is the first of two letters, in German and then in translation. If you right click on an image it should be possible to open it in a new tab where a larger image may be viewable. If you stay on this page, be prepared to scroll a lot….
Thanks and credit go to the staff of the Wiener Library in London for the high quality scans of the delicate letters.
Here’s the second letter…..
A footnote: Rudolf survived Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen but took his own life back in Vienna in 1960 aged 59 years. Family lore relates a troubled soul and asks what it meant to have survived and if Rudolf ever really did.
