This is a copy of a collection of letters written by my great uncle while he was deployed in Europe during WW2. He wrote these letters to his younger brother, my grandfather, who was in high school in New York at the time. The letters are mainly in response to things happening in my grandfather's life. My great uncle gives him advice and talks about his experiences in the same situations. I found the letter from November 12th, 1944 to be the most significant because it gives a glimpse of my great uncle’s experience at war and also how America was impacting the lives of young men. This specific letter says “I hope this damn war will be over with before April 1946 so that you can be spared the experience of being a soldier.” April 1946 was when my grandfather would turn 18, making him eligible to be drafted for WW2. This demonstrates the American experience during WW2 because it shows how practically all young men were being drafted for the war as quickly as possible. Although my grandfather did end up being drafted for the war, he was never deployed further than Texas, so he fortunately did not have to experience the same things that my great uncle did. As Jews themselves, this war was more personal to my family than many others in America. Although my grandfather and great uncle didn’t tell me much about the war, I know that it was a scary time for our family, especially because a lot of our extended family was still living in Russia at the time.

– Kate Proujansky

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant