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Letters to Sala

First line of play

Mother! Mother, it's time to go

I wrote you a letter to read at the hospital

I've got all your paperwork

Are going to play spill and spell at the hospital?

I haven't seen that game in years. I thought it was lost

You'll be at summer camp

Mother I'm packing your blue sweater. Your room might be chilly

I'll miss you Bubby

Is your grandfather ready??

Poppa's in the car

Mother I'm packing your medicines. Just in case. It should have it on your chart, but just in case. I'll be with you most of the time, anyway.

I'll write you letters while I'm gone for the summer

Would you rather have your brown sweater?

However long God wills me to be in the hospital, that's how long I'll be in the hospital

Mother! Where's my jacket?

I'll play spill and spell with you when I come home from camp

All set?

Go on. Your mother and I will be down in a minute

Mother, the car's waiting

You should have these

What is it?

My letters from camp

Mother, we have to leave

Come here sit down open the box

I don't understand

This is something I never discussed with you before. I was in a labor camp

A labor camp?

During the war

A concentration camp?

Previous scene: I'll write to you

Here's your name

What?

This envelope has your name on it

Yes

Geppersdorf. Where's Geppersdorf

It was Geppersdorf. A camp

A concentration camp?

No. A labor camp. you don't know anything

How should I know about something you never never mentioned? Not to me, not to the girls

You knew I was in the war

Yes, but this is different from any of the stories you've told us

So now I tell you

There are hundreds of pieces of paper here

I never counted

Who wrote all these letters?

Ala wrote me for a very long while

Who was Ala?

A friend from the camps

Camps? More than one?

Three or four. I don't remember

You are in three or four different camps?

Maybe five?

Five?

It was a long time ago

You were in five different labor camps

No. It was seven

Seven!?

Yes. Let's go

Wait. How did you save all these letters?

I hid them

I can't want my mind around this. How did you get mail? You got letters? In a camp?

yes

And you save them? How did you-

They were important to me

So important you never told me about them? Where are these people now

Your Aunt Rose is in Brooklyn

Yes, of course. But what happened to the others?

I'm tired now. Let's go

Okay. We'll look at these later

The letters are yours now

We can talk about them later. After you come back home from the hospital. Do you have everything?

I don't need much

Mother!

What?

Stop worrying

Who's worried?

They do bypass surgery everyday. It's a common procedure

Take care of the letters

Mother

Araus. Araus! (Previous scene)

The letters are in three different languages

I don't know if I can read them

I've been finding translators

Polish German Yiddish

It's taken all winter

Mom's been busy

I've had about half the letters translated

I've been renting the translations

I'm working on the rest

That's my handwriting

It's dated October 28th 1940. They jumped out at me. that's the date you went away from home

That's father

Yes! Here's the translation

Bobby we thought you'd be happy

I tried to keep a smile on my face as best I could, but my eyes are filled with tears. Onr must go on bravely and courageously even if the heart is breaking

Everything is different since we got the letters

What do you mean?

Bubby never says how cold it was in the camps. But it must've been very cold

Yes. It must've been very cold

I wanted to take a taxi. But I know Bubby wouldn't. She never complains about the cold.

No, she doesn't

Bubby's getting old

Yes

Men aren't allowed in the women's barracks(previous scene)

Aunt rose won't answer any of my questions. I try and try

Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it

She has to talk about it

Why? Why make her remember those times if she doesn't want to?

She knows things. Horrible things that she won't talk about

So? I had it easy

I didn't mean that. You're just like aunt rose. You don't answer my questions either

I gave you the letters

After 40 years!

You wanted them sooner?

Why didn't you ever tell us about being in the camps?

I didn't want you to hate other people because of what I went through

But the letters. Hidden away. Didn't they mean anything to you?

Bubby's crying

Again?

It's your fault.

Mine?

She cries a lot

She's remembering things

It's making her cry

Sometimes bringing up the past does that

You're like interrogating her

I'm doing research. I think I'm going to write a book.

A book about bubby?

A book about the letters. I'm trying to find out what happened to everyone she knew. Everyone who wrote to her. I'm making new discoveries every day. It's exciting

She's not letting on but it makes her sad thinking about it

It's good for her. It's good for her to remember. I find out about something in my research, and I ask her about it, and she remembers things she hasn't thought about in years. It's all going to be in the book

You're like a vulture

Caroline!

Why do you tell her everything?

Well, wouldn't you want to know? If you were bubby?

Have you asked her?

Wouldn't you want to know what happened to your friends?

She's afraid bubby's gonna die before she gets all the answers

Just stop it, you two

You care about the letters more than you care about us!

These are important documents. These letters have to be preserved. Researched

I want things to be the way they used to be

Things can never be the way they used to be

I find a better hiding place (previous scene)

Miss ala cheers us up every day. She's a terrific and courageous woman. She adjusts to the circumstances without fighting them. What's more, she gives us hope. She gives us hope. Do you remember these diary pages?

We miss you! Write to us. Sara.

Sala! Finally a letter from you. It's hard to believe you are so far away from us

I hear you left behind a few broken hearts. Write to us!

There is nothing new here. Write to us!

Write to us!

Thank God all is well. Be strong! Frymka

The letters. The letters. Always about the letters

What did you expect, that day, when you gave them to me, what did you expect?

We can keep them in a safe deposit box

Like a prison?

Annie.

People should have access to them. This is an important collection.

I'll finish my life in obscurity and I shall not share my tragedy with anybody

Was machst du hier?

I'll write you again to find out if you spoke to him without a chaperone. Rozia. (Previous scene)

Throw it away. I know you got a letter. I was there when they handed out the mail.

It's from my cousin.

I don't care who it's from

I've never seen you get a letter

If I did get a letter I'd read it. And memorize it. And throw it away. That's what you should do

I'm sorry you don't get any mail.

Don't you understand? If you're caught with mail, we'll all be punished. You've got to obey the rules. it's better for everyone. Read your letter and throw it away

I can't

Of course you can. Who do you think you are, putting the entire barracks in danger, just for a few pieces of paper?

It's all I have

You get packages from your family too

A blanket. For my sister. I'm allowed to keep that

For now. You're very lucky. You have a blanket. You have a boyfriend

I don't-

I haven't heard from my husband in months. I don't know where he is. I didn't keep his letters but I know them by heart

Ala ays we shouldn't lose hope

Ala! If I'm seeing you hide your papers, the guards are seeing you hide them too. You need to be more careful. And don't take them with you if you're sent to another camp

I thought we were going to go home soon

Regarding my strip you insert you. And if they find letters or photographs they will beat you

Ah, my little Salusia(previous scene)

The New York public library wants the letters

I thought you wanted some of them to go to a Jewish museum

It's a dorot Jewish division of the library. The collection will be available to a broader audience.

She's telling us

Chairman of the board is very excited

You already talked to-

They want to do an exhibition

A what?

An exhibition. In conjunction with the donation. And a big opening

A party?

A benefit. In march. The board needs a decision immediately. There's an opening in their schedule. For an exhibition. The letters you'll be on view to the public. Aren't you excited?

It's kind of a surprise, mom

It's been in the works for a while

And you didn't tell us

I've been exploring lots of options. You knew that

You didn't say anything about an exhibition

I didn't know it was going to happen this quickly

So you're just giving the letters away permanently?

That's what a donation means