Letter 26 - May 05, (1919)

Zionist Commission to Palestine

Dearest Am*,

Today’s mail brought me three letters from you which I must acknowledge forthwith. In one you pictured me drinking frosted sarsaparilla. Alas – word frost ain't in the Hebrew language – ice is unheard of. When one is thirsty one can only eat an orange or choose one of the 57 local varieties of wine. Yet it is strange I don’t miss our own ice cream sodas or cold milk shakes.

I’m sitting in the office waiting for the dinner bell to ring. I’ve been writing you all such voluminous letters that you must already know Palestine as well as I, which is not very well. You see now I’m working at this secretary job which keeps me busy all day here and gets me only occasional visits to Jerusalem. But then, I have constantly been promising myself a real vacation as soon as my successor arrives – tho he hasn’t even been chosen yet.

I’ve met some fine girls here – girls who work and think and do things. Most of them talk English –but with some I must resort to German. And it is very funny to hear me whisper sweet phrases in horrible German as we walk arm in arm thru the palm is the moon light. Some day my diary will be an interesting document.

Well schesterlein – Shalom. Lehitra Ot.

Your brother,

R. G. Sonneborn

*Amilie “Am” Katz nee Sonneborn:-b. Baltimore 1902; Oldest sister