HAVANA

January 22, 1939

Dear Malka,

These are the prayers that come to my lips and I whisper them to myself.

I pray the sea is calm and you are not seasick.

I pray that every now and then there is a smile on Mama’s face and she becomes filled with hope for the new beginning awaiting her in Cuba.

I pray Bubbe knows how eagerly Papa, her only child, waits for her. Just like a little boy.

I pray Moshe, Eliezer, and Chaim are behaving and not fighting with one another and being kind to you. It’s not easy to be the only sister. When you’re here, there will be two of us!

I pray you will soon gaze at the seagulls flying over the beaches of the Caribbean islands surrounded by the turquoise sea.

I pray you will come to love Cuba and its people as much as I do.

I pray the distance that has kept us apart melts away the moment we meet again.

I pray we will meet again.

With all my love,

ESTHER