This picture was taken before my uncle, mother’s brother Adolf Fajner left Germany in the 1930s.

My uncle is second from left, and there are his friends, but I don’t know their names.

My mother's maiden name was Fajner. Her parents' names were Maurycy and Roza Fajner, but I don't know the maiden name of my grandmother.

This is a picture or my oldest brother Karl. He was born on January 12, 1906, and was twelve years older than me.

In 1933, he had finished his studies and he had even completed an internship at the Virchow-Hospital in Berlin.

He was a general practitioner, but later he only did scientific research.

My brother Karl was a fervent Zionist. After his internship, Karl left Germany and went to Palestine. My parents were ok with it, they were very modern. It wasn’t easy back then:

I always was dressed very well, with coat and hat.

I also took dance lessons. For my first ball, I got a wonderful ball gown, made from light blue taffeta.

It was tailor-made for me.

This picture was taken by my brother. I sit in the Gentlemen’s Room, wearing the ball gown.

This is a picture of me sitting on the balcony of our apartment at Eschenheimer Anlage 30 in Frankfurt.

I returned home from school at 1pm. Then our maid served lunch, and we all ate together.

After lunch, my mother used to take a nap, or would sit next to me and help me with my homework.

In the afternoon I went down to the street to play with my friends. Sometimes we played hopscotch [Hickelkreis].

We would draw different forms onto the street and hop on one leg from one box to the next.

Moshe also sent me a postcard with a swastika from Dessau.

It says: “National Holiday 1934.” It was May 1, 1934. On the post stamp it says: “Fight unemployment, buy German goods.”

What I’ve always appreciated is the fact that we all got here together, and no one stayed in Germany.

You know, the family staying together. You don’t find that very often. And thank God, I left early.

But the whole thing is still close to me, as if it were yesterday. The older I become, the more it gets to me.

Moshe went to Palestine in 1934. He visited me frequently between 1933 and 1934.

And when he was not in Frankfurt, he would write me. On a postcard, from Dessau, he wrote:

“Dear Erna,

I can not thank you for your letter, because there was none.

Above all, I want to wish you a fine Seder. Ask ‘ma nichtane…’ [ma nischtanen haLeila hase is a Passover prayer from the Haggadah [11], which is recited by the youngest member oft he family.

Moshe went to Palestine in 1934. He visited me frequently between 1933 and 1934.

And when he was not in Frankfurt, he would write me. On a postcard, from Dessau, he wrote:

“Dear Erna,

I can not thank you for your letter, because there was none.

Above all, I want to wish you a fine Seder. Ask ‘ma nichtane…’ [ma nischtanen haLeila hase is a Passover prayer from the Haggadah [11], which is recited by the youngest member oft he family.

I sent this telegram to Moshe (Martin) Goldmann, who was my boyfriend back then and who would later become my husband.

I wrote it in 1937 to tell him that I had received my certificate for Palestine. Moshe had already left Germany in 1934.

My mother got her certificate first, mine came a bit later.

Because the certificate had to be used before a certain date – otherwise it would have expired – my mum had to leave without me.

I stayed in our house, in a room in the attic. We had already abandoned our apartment. I was alone for two, three weeks.

Here you can see a promo photo of Adolf Goldmann’s purses. It even includes his slogan:

“If you’re smart and on the top, buy a purse in our shop” (“Bist du klug und auf der Höh’, trag dein Geld im Portmonnaie.”).

My father-in-law emigrated to Germany from a Polish small town when he was 19 years old. He didn’t have anything.

But over the years, he established a big leatherwork factory, got a house and a car with a chauffeur.

Before the war, he even presented his products at the Leipzig Trade Show.

Here you can see a promo photo of Adolf Goldmann’s purses.

My father-in-law emigrated to Germany from a Polish small town when he was 19 years old. He didn’t have anything.

But over the years, he established a big leatherwork factory, got a house and a car with a chauffeur.

Before the war, he even presented his products at the Leipzig Trade Show.

Lotte, his oldest daughter, also worked in the factory.