Einstein letter offering emigration advice to Jewish refugee to be auctioned

1938 letter penned by Albert Einstein offering advice to a German-Jewish woman seeking refuge from Nazi persecution goes up for sale.

By World Israel News Staff

A poignant 1938 letter penned by Albert Einstein, offering advice to a Jewish woman seeking to emigrate from Europe to the United States, will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions this week on Thursday.

The typed letter, signed “A. Einstein,” is addressed to Mignon Lion, a young German-Jewish woman in France hoping to escape Nazi persecution.

Lion, whose mother’s maiden name was Einstein, may have been distantly related to the famed physicist.

An immigrant himself to the U.S., Einstein had fled Nazi persecution, cancelling plans to return to Germany in 1933 while visiting the U.S. following Adolf Hitler’s ascension to power.

Residing temporarily in Belgium, Einstein and his wife, Elsa, moved to Britain amid fears of an assassination plot by German agents in Belgium. In the fall of 1933, Einstein and his wife emigrated to the U.S., after which Einstein was granted a position at Princeton.

While Lion and her fiancé eventually relocated to Brazil, her mother tragically perished in Auschwitz in 1945. Her father survived the war and died in New York City in 1964.

Dated May 26, 1938, on his personal Princeton stationery, Einstein’s letter provides a realistic assessment of employment prospects in the U.S.

He cautions Lion about the difficulty of finding specialized intellectual work, while suggesting possibilities such as domestic service, nursery school teaching, nursing, and handicrafts.

He stresses the importance of her fiancé acquiring a viable trade.

Einstein also regretfully declines Lion’s request for an affidavit, explaining he had already written too many.

This letter offers a glimpse into Einstein’s tireless efforts to assist vulnerable Jews fleeing Europe during the Nazi period.

While unable to provide direct assistance in this instance, his response demonstrates his concern and willingness to offer practical guidance.

The single-page letter, written in German, measures 8.375″ x 11″ and is accompanied by its original envelope, postmarked Princeton, New Jersey, May 26, 1938.

Bidding for the letter begins at $5,000.