Letter from Robin Hartle to Mr. Wiesel regarding his story and courage

This letter, dated June 8, 1986, is from Dr. Eli Pepperkorn of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council to Benjamin Anolik of the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum in Israel. Pepperkorn, involved in planning the new Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., requests permission to access and document (photograph catalog cards and models of materials) the museum's visual archives, especially documentary films, for use in the upcoming museum's exhibitions. He explains that this initial documentation will be followed by formal discussions between the institutions regarding acquisition or reproduction rights. Pepperkorn emphasizes the critical need for these materials for the project's progress and expresses confidence that Eli Wiesel, who heads the museum's establishment, will appreciate their cooperation.

This document is a short, handwritten note from Colin L. Powell to an individual named Elie. The note expresses gratitude for a received note and thanks Elie for their "love and confidence." It concludes with a personal closing, "All the Best," and a signature from Colin L. Powell. The name "COLIN L. POWELL" is pre-printed at the top, serving as a letterhead.

Betty Grebenschikoff was born in 1929 in Berlin, Germany and shares her childhood memories of life in Germany and their relocation to Shanghai. She recalls fond memories of family and synagogue life during her childhood. She describes changes that started in the mid-1930s: former friends, now Hitler Youth members attacking her and her sister, having to change schools, and decreased freedom to travel. She describes the difficulty her father had finding a country of refuge and also describes some family members staying behind because they thought things would not get worse. In 1939, her family, and an aunt and uncle left for Shanghai. Betty details the long voyage. She describes Hongkew, a very poor section of Shanghai where they lived in a one room apartment. Aided by ORT, the American Joint Distribution Committee and the Sassoon and Kadoorie families, they attended Jewish services and enjoyed Yiddish cabarets. Betty attended a Kadoorie school and the Shanghai Jewish School. She details the wartime difficulties, when she was ill with hepatitis and her father suffered from malaria and later when her mother had an intestinal parasite and she quit school to nurse her. In 1948, she married a gentile Russian teacher. They had five children and emigrated to Australia, aided by Sir Horace Kadoorie. They moved to the United States in 1951 and settled in New Jersey. Except for three survivors, all of Betty’s extended familywho remained behind died during the Nazi regime. In her interview, Betty says she was born in 1939. However, her memoir, Once My Name Was Sarah (Original Seven Publishing Company, 1993) states that she was born in 1929.

Hanna Seckel1, nee Dubová, born July 22, 1925 in Kolin Czechoslovakia, grew up in Prague in a middle-class, secular family. Her father was a doctor. Hanna describes her early childhood education, getting involved in a Zionist Youth Movement, and the German occupation of Sudetenland including school closings and restrictions imposed on Jews. In October 1939, when she was 14 years old, she was sent to Denmark as part of a transport of children from HashomerHatzair sponsored by the Danish League of Peace and Freedom. Hanna describes her life and work in Denmark in great detail. She worked at two farms under harsh conditions. One was near Gørløse,the other near Næstved where she had contact with other children from the transport.Through letters from her family she learned about worsening conditions of Jews in Prague. In 1942 her parents wrote that they would be deported to Auschwitz and she attempted suicide. She briefly mentions the Danish underground. Hanna recalls working as a chambermaid at a Danish boarding school in exchange for her tuition there and also for a family in Næstved after she quit school in 1943. She details her feelings of being an outsider and her financial difficulties. She discusses the fates of some of the other refugee children—some reached Palestine, some were caught, some were sent back to their original countries by Denmark and sent to concentration camps. She also describes her rescue by the Danish underground and the harrowing journey to Sweden hidden in a fishingboat. The Chief Rabbi of Copenhagen, Rabbi Melchior, was part of the group. She details the warm reception by the Swedes and aid from the Red Cross. Hanna describes her life in Sweden working as a maid for room and board at two different nursing schools inNorrköpingand Södertälje, losing touch with her former friends, receiving ng her nursing certificate and working in an insane asylum. Hanna returned to Denmark in 1945 because she heard that she was entitled to Danish citizenship which was not true. In Copenhagen she worked in a restitution office for Danish Jews. She returned to Prague in 1946 and lived with relatives whileearning a degree from Charles University, then returned to Denmark on a Nansen Pass in 1947. After a lengthy illness, she went to Sweden and worked in a factory owned by the Nobel family, as a translator. In 1950, she emigrated to the United States under the Czech quota.

Elie Wiesel writes a concise and appreciative letter to Professor Fouad Ajami, dated June 27, 2002. In the letter, Wiesel commends Ajami's essay published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), calling it a "masterpiece" worthy of a Pulitzer. He highlights the essay's exceptional qualities, specifically mentioning its style, integrity, and courage. Wiesel expresses a hopeful sentiment that the essay might influence "untrue leaders" and concludes by thanking Ajami for being "a voice that speaks the truth." The letter is signed by Elie Wiesel.