Correspondence between the Leaders of the Jewish Community of Vienna, the Authorities in Nazi Germany and Jewish ...

Correspondence between the Leaders of the Jewish Community of Vienna, the Authorities in Nazi Germany and Jewish Aid Organizations – Attempts to Find a Harbor to Accept Two Ships of Jewish Refugees, SS Caribia and SS Königstein – January-June 1939
Approx. 45 letters that were exchanged between the leaders of the Jewish community of Vienna and the authorities in Nazi Germany, the maritime travel company and Jewish aid organizations, during the voyage of the refugee ships SS Caribia and SS Königstein to the Caribbean, their wandering from port to port and finally – their safe arrival in Venezuela. The letters document the stations of the journey, the transfer of money and names of dozens of the passengers. Vienna, Paris, Hamburg and elsewhere, January-June 1939. German (one letter is in English).
During the late 1930s, the Nazi party promoted a policy of forced Jewish emigration out of the Reich. The Central Office for Jewish Emigration, headed by Adolf Eichmann, organized several "transports" to foreign countries, these being funded by means of the passengers' travel fee and money from Jewish aid organizations. The Jewish community of Vienna, whose leaders recognized the danger the Jews of Germany and Austria were in, mediated between the Jewish organizations and the German authorities and did its best to safely lead the ships of refugees to other countries.
The ships SS Caribia and SS Königstein left the port of Hamburg in the months of January and February 1939, with approx. 85 Jews on board of one and approx. 165 on board of the other. Their original destinations were the Island of Trinidad and British Guiana; however, during the voyage, the passengers were notified that the entrance to these destinations was forbidden. Subsequently, the ships were forced to wander for weeks from port to port, being rejected by various authorities time and again and the crew blackmailing the passengers in each and every station.
In an effort to prevent the return of the ships to Germany at any cost, the Jewish community of Vienna tried to raise funds for the continuation of the journey (whose price increased daily), locate a country that will agree to accept the refugees and collect money for the entrance of each and every passenger to a safe harbor. Despite the aid organizations being angered by the heavy costs and the order given by Germany to bring the ships back to Europe, the Jewish community eventually succeeded in bringing the SS Caribia and the SS Königstein to a country that agreed to receive them – Venezuela.
Before us are approx. 45 letters and copies of letters, typewritten or mimeographed, documenting the activity of the leaders of the Vienna community during the weeks of the journey. Among the letters: • Letter from 24.1 to the Central Office for Jewish Emigration – report about the terms that were agreed on with the Red Star Line travel company and about the change of destination from Trinidad to Barbados. Enclosed with the letter is a list of passengers, with 77 names (in two copies). • Letter from 24.2, by the representatives of the Joint organization to the leaders of the Jewish community of Vienna – an update on the situation of the two ships: the SS Caribia was forbidden to dock in Trinidad and received permission to enter Venezuela while the SS Königstein was forbidden to dock in Barbados and was voyaging at sea. • Letter from 6.3, by the Jewish aid organization HICEM to the community – an update on the situation of the ships: the passengers of the SS Caribia were permitted to disembark the ship in Venezuela; the SS Königstein, however, was still at sea and might be allowed to enter Ecuador. At the end of the letter there is an announcement: additional funds will not be transferred by any Jewish organization even if the passengers were brought back to Germany. • Copy of an urgent telegram from 6.3, by the community to the HICEM organization – warning against the immediate danger the passengers will be in if they are brought back to Germany. • Letter from 13.3, from the HICEM organization to the community, announcing that, due to the telegram, a temporary permission to dock in Venezuela was given to the SS Königstein and that a representative was sent to prevent the captain of the ship from bringing it back to Germany. • Two letters from 15.3, which were sent by the passengers of the SS Königstein after they disembarked the ship in Venezuela: a letter of complaint to the Red Star Line travel company, detailing the exaggerated price they had to pay, the violation of agreements and the terrible treatment they had received by the crew (English); a letter of appreciation to the leaders of the Jewish community of Vienna, with a report about the situation of the passengers and the help they were receiving. • And more.
Some of the letters were sent after the arrival of the passengers to Venezuela. These letters document the attempts of the Red Star Line company to extort additional money from the Jewish organizations and the work relations between the Jewish community of Vienna and The Central Office for Jewish Emigration (one letter is addressed directly to the head of The Central Office for Jewish Emigration, Adolf Eichmann).
Several letters are signed and dated by a stamp of the Jewish community of Vienna, and in several letters, there are lines or passages marked by hand. Some of the letters are signed in print or addressed to the head of the Jewish community of Vienna, Josef Lowenherz; possibly, the complete correspondence was managed by him. Some letters appear in several copies.
Approx. 45 letters and copies of letters and one telegram. Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition. Stains and creases. Small tears along edges. Open tears in some of the letters (most of them small, along edges and not affecting text). A long horizontal tear to one letter. Filed in a cardboard folder (old, with stains, creases and open tears in the corners).