[3] [P.S.] To the letter to Mr Maximilian Jezierski of 8 June 1942
The catastrophe of PENTSCHO¹³³⁸ affected Jewish emigrants. The voyage
was organised by greedy, unscrupulous Jews who did not have the fate of
their fellow believers at heart, but who were blinded by foreign exchange. For
months, 512 unfortunate people, en route to Erez,¹³³⁹ were drifting on different
seas. Finally, they ran aground and were rescued by the Italian navy, whose
help could not be overestimated. Those who survived were transported to
Italy, placed in a special camp, and provided with the best care. The catastrophe
happened in 1940. On board Pentscho, there were Gdańsk Jews: Konrad
Silberstein with his wife and Bruno Damm. As I have mentioned, I have
a detailed report before my eyes, which I will enclose with this letter.
I do hope that you, your dear wife and the rest of your family are in
good spirits. With a heavy heart, I have noticed your spiritual depression
in your last letter. Your state of mind is, of course, understandable; however, it
would be a great pity if you lost your temper and did not control the situation.
It is true that the dead find peace when they go the way of all flesh, but
as long as one is still alive, one must fight and cannot lose hope.
I am ending this letter, so as not to deplete the ‘material’ for future letters.
As always, I anticipate your prompt reply.
My best regards to you and your family, one and the same
David Jonas
1338 The correct spelling is Pentcho. It was one of the last ships with Jewish passengers fleeing from Europe at war. It had 510 refugees on board. Its destination was supposed to be Paraguay; passengers had Paraguayan visas. In reality, it was heading towards Palestine. Pentcho was an old river boat which had difficulty floating. As a result of an explosion on board, it ran aground and then sank near the desert island of Camillanisi (Greece). After several days on the island, survivors were rescued by the Italian ship Camoglio. On 12 February 1942, 200 castaways were deported to the camp Ferramonti di Tarsia in the Province of Cosenza, Calabria. On 27 March 1942, the remaining 294 were also sent there.
1339 i.e. Eretz Israel.
