"It's Cold and Crowded Here, and What About in Israel?": Chilling Letter from a Jewish Child in the Ghetto Revealed

David Shpielman was a Jewish child from the Lodz Ghetto in Poland. During the Holocaust, he wrote a special letter to a "child in Israel," to which he attached a map of Israel and a drawing of a sailing ship. The letter, dated December 23, 1940, is currently being auctioned to museums and has become a topic of conversation among collectors.

The letter, written on two notebook pages, was found in a basement in Poland. It is unclear how it got there, and it is unknown if Shpielman survived the Holocaust. His name was not found, suggesting he may have been murdered by the Nazis. It is estimated that he was of elementary school age.

Shpielman describes the ghetto as a crowded place with 200,000 Jews. "A letter to the child in Israel. Hello, child! My name is David Shpielman from Stefana Jaracza 6 in the crowded Litzmannstadt," he wrote. "We are learning to speak Hebrew and to write. We are also learning to sing in Hebrew. Tomorrow is the Chanukah holiday, and we are singing Chanukah songs. I have prepared a beautiful map of Israel for you."

"How are things in Israel? And how are you? I am waiting for you to write to me and receive a letter from you, and that will make me happy. Also, let me know from which city or settlement you are, what the weather is like in Israel, and your name. Here the weather is very cold and the streets are crowded. Soon we will go to Israel, and there will be enough room for everyone. Write to me about Israel and about Chanukah. See you in Israel, David Shpielman."