Letter 27 - May 08, (1919)

Zionist Commission to Palestine

Dear Sisters three*,-

I first want to thank you for your self sacrifice – I know only too well how hard it is to have to write letters you don’t want to and have nothing to say. But I really enjoy your letters lots.

I’m going to Jerusalem again in a day or two. Its gotten to be a sort of weekend vacation with the vacation left out – except the ride, which is beautiful. For the first hour we pass thru orange groves and plantations – the country’s level and fertile. As the roads turns to the east it passes Bevel Waad which in Arabic means the entrance to the valley. Then the road starts to climb. There are three great “climbs” on the way, each one bringing you into more desolate country. The final effort is amidst hills absolutely devoid of growth – nothing but rocks and bits of dried grass. Here and there are little flocks of goats trying to find enough to live from. Their herds boy sits on one of the boulders playing a homemade flute – one can hear them for miles.

May the closing days of school be a success and may all your speeches, Amalie, be as effective as yours was last year. I’m sorry I’ll have to miss them.

Lots of love to all of your friends male and female (an extra kiss for each of the latter) and heaps for yourselves

Your brother,

(‘Rudolf’ written in Hebrew text)

*Katharine “Kitty” Falk (divorced) nee Sonneborn:-b. Baltimore 1905; Second sister

*Josephine “Pheeny” Ross (divorced) nee Sonneborn:-b. Baltimore 1910; Youngest sister