The Ghetto Fighters' House Museum has unveiled for the first time a collection of postcards, letters, posters, and handwritten notes offering New Year’s greetings. These items, written by Jews in Europe before, during, and after World War II, were donated over the years to the museum's archive. Some were part of the estates of Holocaust victims, while others came from survivors who chose to entrust their memories to the museum.
The unique online exhibition, titled “Our Heart Responded with an Old Prayer,” presents a selection of these greetings. By placing them along a timeline, next to other New Year’s greetings, an interesting picture emerges. The wishes span several decades, including the pre-Holocaust era, during the war, and the years following. Some of the greetings also include traditional and ideological symbols, as well as reflections on major events affecting the Jewish people.
Most of the greetings from the Holocaust years were found in letters sent to family members and loved ones, expressing a deep yearning for a better future and prayers for brighter days ahead. As one letter poignantly put it, they hoped “the clouds above us will soon disperse.”
Anat Bartman-Elahelal, the director of the Ghetto Fighters' House archive, remarked: "As we examine these postcards, we see how present the longing for peace was. The New Year's wishes exchanged by Jews during the Holocaust deeply move us today. The writers expressed a desire for days of peace and calm. These postcards reflect immense resilience and hope for a better future. Even now, in completely different times, we still long for peace, quiet, and the hope that they will soon return to our lands. May the blessings and wishes we exchange with one another this year, during these difficult times, come true so we can rise from this devastation and rebuild our lives."
One of the letters donated to the archive was written by the parents of Moshe Rapoport from Poland:
"To my dear and beloved son Moshe, now, with the New Year approaching, our longing for you, our beloved children, only grows stronger… I wish you all the best, a happy and blessed New Year, and that we may hear good news soon… Please, write to us often. How is the child? Wishing everyone a good inscription and sealing for the New Year. Your father, Tzvi."
"Dear children, Moshe, Hinda, and Yitzhak-Chaimel, may God bless you with health, happiness, and long lives in this New Year. May the Almighty help bring the war to a swift end so we can be reunited. Your mother."
Moshe later married Hinda Berenstein, and in 1933, they moved to Tel Aviv. In 1938, their son Yitzhak was born. The rest of Moshe’s family remained in Poland. During the 1930s, World War II, and its aftermath, his relatives sent him letters detailing their experiences. After Moshe’s death, his letters and postcards were stored in the attic, where they were later discovered by his son, Yitzhak, preserved in a cloth pouch. Yitzhak donated them to the Ghetto Fighters' House archive.
"May the clouds above us disperse, and humanity experience a life worth living," wrote Sala Geppert in another New Year's message dated September 6, 1941, from London:
"Dear ones, how are you? Is everyone well? And how is Aunt Fanny? … It’s impossible to make plans for the future, and it’s best to live in the moment. I hope these words find you in good health. By the way, how is little Yehuda? … On this occasion, I want to wish you all a happy New Year. May the clouds above us disperse, and humanity experience a life worth living. I hope to hear from you soon. In the meantime, sending my best wishes to all of you."
Another message, written by Klara and Max Friedman in Brussels on September 27, 1939, was sent to their children, Edith and Martin Friedman, who were sent to England as part of the Kindertransport and placed with Jewish foster families. They expressed their longing and hope that the family would be reunited in the coming year:
"Dearest Edith, I always enjoy reading your letters. Let’s hope that next year, we’ll all be together again! That we’ll be able to sing like we used to and gather around a long, grand table! For now, I’m sending you, my dear daughter, best wishes for the holiday and a peaceful Shabbat… And don’t forget – after the rain, the sun will shine again. Sending you lots of kisses and all my love. Your father."
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