In 1980 when my maternal grandfather Abraham Jaeger died, four letters were found in his wallet. The letters, from his older brother Sam (Schmiel), describe the worsening situation in Poland throughout 1939, his desparate economic position, and his vanishing hopes for saving at least some of his family by emigrating. The letters are written by a man who knows he is finished-- there is a pathetic, pleading tone to them which must have been jarring to my grandfather and his sibilings coming from a man who by all accounts was a confident leader of his community, domineering and more than a little vain.

The First Letter:  January 1939

The Second Letter: Mid 1939

The Final Letter:  September 1939

Sam in his Austrian Army uniform, 1913

Why didn’t Sam emigrate to America with the rest of his sibilings (including my grandfather) during the 1920’s? Growing up, we heard several stories: that Sam’s service in the Austrian army during WWI had made it impossible for him to emigrate, that he hadn’t wanted to leave the flourishing meat-shipping business he had inherited and grown, and my grandfather’s oft-repeated assertion that he had “wanted to be a big fish in a small pond.” For whatever reason, he stayed, they left.

After the war all that was known for sure was that Sam and his entire family were dead. Many, many stories circulated about when and how they died, some more plausible than others. It was partly to see if we could find out what happened that we went to Bolechow.

Sam, his wife Ester, Ester’s brother Bruno Schneelicht,Sam’s 4 daughters: This picture was taken in 1934. At left, a portrait of the 3 youngest daughers taken in Schneelicht’s Stryj photo studio. Below, Ruchel Jaeger, Sam’s third daughter.