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Welcome to the World of Trudel Adler

Welcome to the World of Trudel Adler

Trudel Adler, my mother, came to the United States 1934 when she was 21 years old. She frequently wrote long letters home to her family in Germany and asked them to save her letters and they did — over two hundred handwritten pages.

Trudel was an amazing young woman who grew into a fascinating warm wonderful woman, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was funny, serious, forthright, and considerate. She worked hard all of her life and gave to the world more than she ever got. The tale of the rest of her life was full of challenge,sadness and joy. These early years are more than that. They reveal the strength of character, the chutspa, the love, that helped her through all those years. Preparing her letters for this blog has been like entering a conversation with her and getting to know the young woman I never met.

Trudel as in Strudel

When asked how to pronounce or spell her name, Trudel, would reply, “Trudel, as in strudel.” She always said the “s” in strudel was for sugar and she was sweet enough without it. But all was not sweetness and light. In 1933, Trudel wrote in her diary, “There is no future for Jewish youth in Germany. I think I shall go to Palestine.”

Now in Chronological Order

On May 8, 1934 she sailed for the United States. What happened next is told in her letters which are now posted in chronological order. If you are on the home page just scroll down. Otherwise, start here.

(Note: Because the usual order of posts in a blog is latest first, the navigation links at the bottom of each screen are reversed – “older posts” will take you to the next set. “Newer posts” will take you to the previous set. I’ll find a way to fix that later. An alternative method would be to use the month by month archived posts.)


Here is a link to the most recent post:

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Trudel on the ship

Trudel on the S.S. Manhattan, May 1934

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For more information about this blog visit the About Trudel’s Truth.

News about Trudel’s Truth

 

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September 7, 1937 – The Last Letter.

September 7, 1937 – The Last Letter.

The last letter

This the last of the complete letters in the set of some three hundred pages Trudel translated, some 90 letters originally written between May 1934 and September, 1937. I hope to post additional materials in the weeks and months to come – some information on her life for the next 60 years, perhaps a new photo gallery and other things. For a special treat, don’t miss the continuation of this note and the recording linked there, just below the letter and above the video clip.

Leonard
One of Trudel’s Sons

.

Papa

Papa

September 7, 1937

Happy birthday Papa! Wish we could celebrate with you.

Leonard went with me to the German service** Sunday evening and I saw many people I know.

Monday morning we went to services at Temple Sholom and Leonard was very enthused about the rabbi, who he heard for the first time. Actually, he had not been in a synagogue in four years, but saw so many people he knew.

Temple Sholom

Temple Sholom

Binstock

Rabbi Louis Binstock – Temple Sholom



We saw another excellent movie, “The Life of Emile Zola.”

Love,
Trudel


The last letter – continued

Trudel was an exceptionally positive woman, and she constantly expressed gratitude throughout her life. A few years ago I came across a recording of her practicing the “Sheheyonu” for my bar mitzvah in 1956. It is a Hebrew prayer offered at every happy occasion and every holiday and celebration. It is a difficult tongue twister. Over the years it became her prayer. At every occasion we would ask her to recite it.

Listen to Trudel recite it, in Hebrew and then in English. Let us celebrate with her.

Press or click here to hear the recording.

Leonard
One of Trudel’s sons.


The Life of Emile Zola

Trailer


** In this letter and her previous one Trudel writes about going to the “German service.” I have been unable to identify the specific congregation she was referring to. However with the assistance of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society, I have learned she may have attended a service at the North Side Jewish Center Congregation that was started around 1936-7 by German Jewish refugees and about 1946-7 changed its name to Congregation Ezra and later Temple Ezra. If she went to her friends in the Hyde Park neighborhood, she could have attended the Habonim Congregation, or one of the established congregations that were started by German-Jews — Sinai Temple, Kehilath Anshe Maariv, or Isaiah Israel.

Shortlink to this post: http://wp.me/p1yA95-pc

 
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Posted by on September 7, 1937 in Chicago, immigrant experience, Judaism

 

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August 27, 1937 – Lunch in the Park by the Lake

August 27, 1937 – Lunch in the Park by the Lake

August 27, 1937
“Le Shono Tauwo.”

I will go to the German services for Rosh HaShona.
[Rosh HaShana was on September 5 in 1937.]

Machzor

Hebrew-German Machzor


I have changed jobs again, much nicer place and nicer people. I managed to get a job for Trudel Batzner there too, and we are working together since Monday. We eat our lunch sandwiches in the park by the lake, across the street, as long as the weather is so beautiful.


Trudel and Trudel

Trudel and Trudel – not on a lunch break

thirsty

Thirsty

Trudel and Trudel 1

Trudel and Trudel go out.


Lunch

Lunch in the park


Enclosed are more photos.*

Saw a very good movie on Saturday: The Wandering Jew with Conrad Veidt. [Scroll down for a clip from the film.] Then to Old Heidelberg Rathskeller for dinner. They play and sing only German songs there.

Old Heidelberg

Old Heidelberg Dining Room

So sorry about Erna’s appendix. Good riddance.

Love
Trudel


*Many of Trudel’s photographs from Summer 1937 were included in earlier posts. However, Trudel’s album has a page with a few scenic few photos taken that summer in Ottawa, Illinois. Here is one of them.

Ottawa, Illinois, 1937

Ottawa, Illinois, 1937

The notes in Trudel’s album do not indicate why she was in Ottawa. But it was at about that time when her husband, my father, began to work on the Radium Dial Poisoning case in Ottawa. See the Case of the Living Dead Women for newspaper stories about the case. The case consumed their lives for over a year, which may be one reason why Trudel wrote only a one or two more letters in 1937.
New Attorney

LJG to Represent Living Dead.

The Wandering Jew (1933)

 

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July 30, 1937 – I arranged for a little party

July  30, 1937 – I arranged for a little party

July 30, 1937

Dear ones,
As you know we finally moved to a 2½ room apartment on the 19th floor of the LaSalle Towers.

La Salle Towers

La Salle Towers

On Leonard’s birthday, July 4th, I arranged for a little party, the first time in my life alone and in my own home. Leonard, who always told me he won’t have anything to do in the kitchen, has been a very big help since we moved here.

Although the apartment is cleaned by the building – maid service is included in the rent – he uses the carpet sweeper frequently and most of the time washes the dishes. He also went shopping for his party, going out 3 times and coming home with help since he could not carry everything, including a stepstool, carpet sweeper, can opener, etc. Besides enough food for a regiment instead of just a buffet dinner, well, we had enough to eat for a week. He is really very neat and clean except for his cigar ashes.

First Party

Trudel’s First Party

Doddo’s recipes and cookbook arrived just in time since I am preparing a big dinner every night and as you know I never cooked at all. Last week I had 10 people for dinner which consisted of the following:
Appetizer: tomatoes stuffed with egg salad, topped with anchovy and a little parsley, followed by real homemade chicken soup, then wiener schnitzel with white asparagus, Cucumber salad made with sour cream which is very hard to get here.

Franks on the beach

Best Tasting Frankfurters

73rd St Beach

Flora, Madge and the Welches at 73rd St. Beach

For dessert I tried to make my favorite chocolate cake. Since I did not do my shopping in advance, I used a cigar box instead of a cake pan, lined with plenty of wax paper. Also I forgot to get plain wafers and had to use salt crackers, besides without a kitchen scale I had no idea of the difference between a German or an American pound. Well, by that time I was so tired and angry at myself that I just made a Jello, too. And the cake did come out so well that Madge asked for the recipe. I made It again when the Weils had dinner with us. I never thought I would enjoy cooking so much.

73rd St. Beach

73rd Street Beach

Madge gave me the recipe for Leonard’s favorite while driving, but I remembered enough to look it up in my new (old) cookbook. I made it that evening and Leonard emptied the whole platter of bread Krimselchen without leaving even a little crumb for me. I never taste my food while cooking.

The next evening we were at the Welches on their beach. Enclosed sending you 18 photos, most of them on the beach at Welch’s building. One day we went to the South Shore Country Club, one of the biggest, most elegant country clubs in the U.S. We had lunch there as guests of Aunt Flora.

South Shore Country Club

South Shore Country Club

SouthShore from above

South Shore Country Club from Friend’s Apartment

Luncheon at SoSClub.

Luncheon at South Shore Country Club

One evening we had dinner at an old beautiful farm house a few miles outside Chicago.

I do not play any cards and have no intention to learn it. I rather sew and find many other more interesting things to do. After Leonard’s family left I spent an evening at Samuels again. They know of so many people who have come here lately.

Fortunately I am on a 3 week unpaid vacation. Otherwise I could not do all that.

In 6 weeks I will be a citizen!!

Please send me a silver toothpick for Leonard, but no electrical appliances – they are better and cheaper here.

Love,
Trudel

Beach Party at the Welshes

73rd street and the lake

Parties at the Edgewater Beach Hotel and the South Shore Country Club


Movies from Trudel’s Sumter trip

In March, 1937, Trudel wrote a letter about her trip to Sumter, where she first met members of LJG’s extended family, many of whom came to Chicago and are included in the photos and video above. My cousin, Al, recently found the film I included in this post and a film of some of the events Trudel wrote about in March. I have added that video to the March letter.


Trudel originally began this letter by asking,” How do you like my new stationery?” Unfortunately I don’t have a copy of the original stationary.

http://wp.me/p1yA95-p9

 
 

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June 6, 1937 – “Yesterday I went for my citizenship papers”

June 6, 1937 – “Yesterday I went for my citizenship papers”

June 6

Yesterday I went for my citizenship papers. Since I had studied very hard I had no trouble answering all questions. It will be 90 days before I get my papers.

Citizenship Prep

Studying for her Citizenship Exam
Click to enlarge image

We are now looking for an apartment. In the last 2 weeks we have seen about 50. Some furnished and some unfurnished. So far we can’t make up our minds. What we like is too expensive and what would fit our income we do not like and some places Jews are not welcome (here too).

cost of living

Cost of Living – U.S. 1937

Sunday we will go to a German frankfurter evening by a sports club, and tomorrow I will go to my first meeting of the Business and Professional Women’s Club. Grace Gray is president. Maybe I wrote you 2 and ½ years ago that I made my first English speech for that group.

Madge and Edith will come to Chicago for 10 days in July. I am very much looking forward to their visit. Aunt Flora will probably come here at the same time.

Erna’s papers should be ready soon.

Love,

Trudelchen


LJG

LJG enjoys the ride

Trudel Rows

Trudel Rows.

 

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May 20, 1937 – Just a quicky today. Back from Sumter. Very busy.

May 20, 1937 – Just a quicky today.   Back from Sumter. Very busy.

May 20, 1937

Just a quicky today. I have been very busy since I got back from Sumter.

zeppln

Hindenburg Zeppelin

Too bad about the Zeppelin. Of course I did not receive the mail sent with it.



Trudel and Madge

Trudel and Madge

Leonard’s grandfather on his mother’s side, Maier Hochster, came from Alsfeld, Germany about 100 years ago. Aunt Flora’s inlaws came from Essingen and Germersheim. The Grossmans from Dusseldorf. Just found this all out lately.

Do you want me to send you a box of men’s clothes etc? What you can’t use you could give to a poor house.

Enclosed are a few photos from Sumter.

 

 Love Trudelchen


Scenes from Sumter in the 1930s

 

 Sumterold pres 02 Sumter=old pres ruins sumter-melton field gates sumterstewards hall no3 Sumter=wade hampton original sumter=flinn hall 1920s sumter libraryscl 1940s



Note: The information Trudel reports about my father’s ancestry differs to some extent from details I have learned recently on Linda Scheffler’s HOECHSTER-HOCHSTER-HEXTER Family from Storndorf, Germany site on MyHeritage.com I must express my gratitude to Linda for the help she has given me with this site and her enthusiasm for family geneology.

It seems Trudel sent most of her photos from the Sumter trip to Germany with her letter and didn’t save many. So I have inserted some photos I found online. See a few photos of the people and places from that trip in Trudel’s previous post.

 
 

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