Einstein's Plea to Save Jewish Lives: A Newly Discovered 1939 Letter

A letter by Albert Einstein, dated 1939, appeals to a Jewish social services worker in New York to save Jews from the Nazis. This recently unveiled letter is set to be auctioned in Los Angeles.

Written on June 10, 1939, the letter on Einstein's personal Princeton stationery was addressed to Ms. Sadie Klein of the welfare department.

"The resilience that has allowed the Jewish people to survive for thousands of years relied heavily on traditions of mutual aid," Einstein wrote in the letter. "In these trying times, our readiness to help one another is severely tested. May we meet this challenge as our ancestors did before us."

"We have no means of self-defense other than our solidarity, and our understanding that the cause for which we suffer is important and sacred. This should be a source of profound satisfaction for you to contribute so significantly to the rescue of our persecuted brethren – the Jews – from the threat of catastrophe and to lead them to a better future." The starting bid for the letter is $20,000. A similar letter of his was sold about five years ago for $134,000. In the past, Einstein wrote several letters advocating for the rescue of Jews worldwide, often addressing well-known figures in the United States, mostly Jewish.

Previously, two notes he left with a messenger at a Jerusalem hotel sold for $1.3 million. Reportedly, a messenger arrived at the Imperial Hotel, but Einstein had no money to tip, so he left him a note instead. "If you're lucky, the notes will be worth much more than just a tip," he wrote. Among other things, the note said, "A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness." The second note read, "Where there's a will, there's a way."