Letter sent by Estusia Beitner from Sosnowiec ghetto to Irena Wygodzka

This is a photocopy of a letter my cousin Estusia (Estera) Beitner sent me from the ghetto in Sosnowiec to the camp in Horejsi Stare Mesto. It is dated 13th February 1943.

We were allowed to write letters once a month at the camp, we could also receive letters. Estusia used to write to me, all the letters were in German. We had arranged a kind of code, so we could tell each other things.

I found out that a ghetto had been created in Sosnowiec in the following months, after I had been sent to camp. The ghetto was in Srodula, between Sosnowiec and Bedzin.

My family was moved into the ghetto. I remember that I kept writing about how horrible the camp was and my Estusia would write me back saying that I should be glad and should not complain, but she didn't tell me about Auschwitz.

Fewer and fewer letters came to the girls at camp. Only when a transport from Auschwitz arrived, did we find out what was happening. That was in late 1943.

Photos from this interviewee