wednesday, january 13, 1943

dearest kitty,

this morning i was constantly interrupted, and as a result i haven't been able to finish a single thing i've begun.

we have a new pastime, namely, filling packages with powdered gravy. the gravy is one of gies & co.'s products. mr. kugler hasn't been able to find anyone else to fill the packages, and besides, it's cheaper if we do the job. it's the kind of work they do in prisons. it's incredibly boring and makes us dizzy and giggly.

terrible things are happening outside. at any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. they're allowed to take only a knapsack and a little cash with them, and even then, they're robbed of these possessions on the way. families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. children come home from school to find that their parents have disap peared. women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their famthes gone. the christians in holland are also living in fear because their sons are being sent to germany. everyone is scared. every night hundreds of planes pass over holland on their way to german cities, to sow their bombs on german soil. every hour hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in russia and africa. no one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though the allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight.

as for us, we're quite fortunate. luckier than millions of people. it's quiet and safe here, and we're using our money to buy food. we're so selfish that we talk about "after the war" and look forward to new clothes and shoes, when actually we should be saving every penny to help others when the war is over, to salvage whatever we can.

the children in this neighborhood run around in thin shirts and wooden shoes. they have no coats, no caps, no stockings and no one to help them. gnawing on a carrot to still their hunger pangs, they walk from their cold houses through cold streets to an even colder classroom. things have gotten so bad in holland that hordes of children stop passersby in the streets to beg for a piece of bread.

i could spend hours telling you about the suffering the war has brought, but i'd only make myself more miserable. all we can do is wait, as calmly as possible, for it to end. jews and christians alike are waiting, the whole world is waiting, and many are waiting for death.

yours, anne