In these letters, Vishniac describes the horrible conditions of his internment in France after his arrest in September 1939, and also expresses disappointment that the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has not provided the assistance necessary to facilitate his release. October 16, 1939: “There is a whole agricultural Kibbutz of boys up to 17 years here, many Jews, passengers from the unfortunate St. Louis, people from Dachau and Buchenwald. If I had a healthy stomach and knew there was peace outside the camp, it would even be interesting.”

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