Munich 24/7-1960

Clemensstr.15

Tel.334353

Dear Mr Wiesenthal,

"In whichever country we stay, there we will always remember the ‘Heimat’ and the ours".

Your name, Simon Wiesental from Buczacz, Kolejowa street, reminds me of an imaginative, intelligent young person – always of language and spirit with affection and enthusiasm for our people and country. You had another older brother, whose first name I unfortunately cannot remember. One thing I do remember is that your older brother graduated with my brother Bernard in Buczacz in 1920. I myself ran a shoe store in Buczacz. At present my younger son is in Cleveland Ohio in the Sinai Hospital active as Dr. med., and my older son, Josef, is constantly ill, a victim from the Nazi time.

As I see from the press, that you were instrumental in the capture of the murderer Eichmann. This is a unique achievement, which we of course owe to our holy Jehovah.

We owe you a lot for this!

I would be interested to know how you are doing in general. For a message from you, I would be very obliged, and report back to you soon.

All the best, and a further successful activity,

with many warm greetings, I remain

Your Isidor Gelbart

Peace and blessings, Yisrael Gelbart

Jul. 26, 1960

Mr

Isidor Gelbart,

Gewa's coffee shop

Munich 23

Clemensstrasse 15

Dear Mr Gelbart!

I was very pleased to receive your letter. I remember you very well and you will also remember me, for I am married to Fräulein Müller, who worked in the magistrate's office and used to buy shoes from you.

You confuse me in your memory with the younger of my two cousins, whose father had a bakery. Unfortunately, no one from my family or my wife's family is alive.

Too bad, I never knew you lived in Munich, I come to Munich from time to time; I was there just a few weeks ago to negotiate with a magazine.

Well, something important: I am working on a trial together with the examining magistrate of the Regional Court of Saarbrücken concerning the murder of Jews in Buczacz, in Czortkow, Borszczow, Jagelnica. There are already three people from the murder group in custody. Witness statements are urgently needed. The arrested persons are Köllner ,Peckmann, and Stephan.

Please write me where you were during the war and if your sons can testify.

What names of the murderers do you remember? This is all very important and I hope you understand what duty the few survivors have.

Please write to me about this right away, because I would like to write to the examining magistrate before I go on vacation on August 3. I did not meet many people from Buczacz after the war. Do any of them live in Germany?

The addresses would be very important.

Now something about me: I lived in Lemberg, where I worked as an architect, and when the Russians came, my wife joined me. During the war I was in several concentration camps and miraculously survived. My wife was on Aryan papers and then after the Warsaw uprising was led out to Germany. We met later after the war. We have a daughter who is now 13 years old.

I am now a representative of the Joint and the ORT, I also work as a journalist and I cannot complain in terms of money. Of course, I am wholeheartedly involved in the search for the war criminals and, thank God, I have had many successes in this field so far.

My wife is currently on vacation with my daughter, tonight I will call her and tell her about you, she will certainly be pleased.

Hoping to hear from you again soon, I remain

with best regards

Yours

Simon Wiesenthal, Dipl.Ing.