Thea Heymann to Siegfried Katz

The 34-year-old Thea Heymann

was a trained office administrator. She worked for many years as a secretary for the Jewish community in Hamburg. Little is known about the rest of her life. On 23 June, 1943, the Hamburg Gestapo, with the help of the Reichsbahn, deported Thea Heymann to the Theresienstadt Ghetto. From there she wrote postcards, like this one to Siegfried Katz. In it she asked about her parents. They had already been deported to the Minsk Ghetto in 1941 and were later murdered. It was not possible for her to establish contact with Hamburg. Post was strictly forbidden in the Minsk ghetto. The regulations in Theresienstadt were different. Thea Heymann was then deported by the SS to Auschwitz-Birkenau. She did not survive.

Postcard transcription:

Sender:
Thea Heymann
Hauptstrasse 22
Theresienstadt
Post Bauschowitz
Protektorat

Mr. Siegfried Katz
Hamburg 13
Dillstrasse 15, III.

My dear Fritz,

Today I received your package from 6.9. which I was very pleased about. I give you and your wife my most heartfelt thanks for your loyal friendship. At the Moment I have a very demanding workload with a lot of responsibility, but as a result there is also a certain satisfaction. Unfortunately, I am still without news from my dear parents, I always hope you could tell me something. The autumn holidays are coming already, I don't like to think about being alone, that means I can always have company, but you know what I mean. Write to me again soon, you can regulary write once a month via the Reichsvereinigung. I am also worried about Lotte, I haven’t heard from her since the middle of July, hopefully she is well, visit her and give her my warmest greetings and wishes. 

Heartfelt wishes and greetings to you and your wife

Yours, Thea. 

11. September 1944

^{*For the benefit of readability, amendments were made in transcription}
 

Further research options:

TikTok video: Thea Heymann´s postcard
Stolperstein-Initiative: https://www.stolpersteine-hamburg.de
Arolsen Archives: https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/de/search/person
Mia Greßmann talks about this postcard (German language): Video