The Werynski Files – Folio 17

Jonas Trompeter (1938 to 1950)

Cases #15/48, 32/48, 51/48, 454/48, and 105/49

Overview

Jonas (Yonah) Anatol Trompeter was born December 16, 1916 in Mielec, the oldest of seven children of parents Jacob Isaac Trompeter and Gitel Blima Trompeter (née Grunberg). He was raised in an orthodox religious family, studying Talmud and helping his father in the grain business before the war.

Jacob Isaac Trompeter and his family, circa 1938. Top row from left: [unknown daughter], Sarah, Roza, Jonas, Naftali, Tauba. Middle row: Gitel Blima, Jacob Isaac. Bottom row: Miriam, Esther (Esti). Photo courtesy Toby Biber via her book “The Choice”.

When the war broke out in 1939, Jonas went with his maternal uncle to Lviv, likely to get away from the Germans. (Many Jews from Mielec fled east to Lviv and other towns with relatives; this was a common trend in the fall of 1939). Not much is known of Jonas’ travels after departing Mielec except one report that he was later sent to Siberia.

Jonas survived the war and somehow ended up at a DP camp in Munich, Germany. He was one of only three survivors in his family; his brother Naftali and sister Tauba (Toby) survived the concentration camps. Jonas’ parents and his sisters Roza, Sarah, Miriam, and Esther were all killed.

After the war, Jonas and Naftali resettled in Palestine (later Israel). And like many survivors, he attempted to recover his family’s property lost in the war. In 1947 he hired Dr. Werynski to represent him legally in Mielec and this correspondence continued until 1950 when Werynski asked to no longer represent him due to poor health and increasing challenges with managing property in communist Poland.

Below is Werynski’s Folio 17 concerning his legal transactions with Jonas Trompeter from 1947 to 1950.

Documents and Translations

November 18, 1947 – Handwritten letter to Werynski. Not yet transcribed or translated. Full size images: envelope front, envelope back, letter front, letter back.

August 28, 1948 – letter from Werynski to Mielec Liquidation Office. Full size image.

Transcription and Translation:

District Liquidation Office
 of Rzeszow
Regional Office
 to the district of Mielec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
L.dz. 454/48

Mielec, August 28, 1948

Settlement
----------

made between the Regional Bureau of the Regional Liquidation Office and Dr. Weryński Wojciech, lawyer in Mielec, acting under the name of his principal Jonas Trompeter, as a result of a call by the bailiff of the Municipal Court in Mielec to settle the administration of the abandoned property, in respect of which the Municipal Court in Mielec by decision of June 5, 1948 Case #32/48 ruled to restore possession to Jonas Trompeter.

This settlement covers income and outflows from abandoned assets, and these are properties lwh. 674, 1617 ks.gr.gm.kat. Mielec for the time these properties remain in the administration of the T.Z.P. in Mielec until April 30, 1946.

Based on the rent file, it was found that income from the listed abandoned assets amounted to 985 zloty, expenses 985 zloty. therefore the settlement is negative.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the attorney of Jonas Trompeter pays the account of the Regional Liquidation Office in Rzeszów using a P.K.O. check the following amounts:

a / a fee for general administration costs 6% of the 1939 value of the abandoned property described above is 300 zloty / in words three hundred zloty /.
 

Accepting settlement:
Dr. Weryński Wojciech
full. Jonas Trompeter

Performing billing:
Olimpia Mroz (?)
Ref. Buira District OUL

December 31, 1948 – bank transfer receipts. Full size images: receipt 1 front, receipt 1 back, receipt 2, receipt 3, carbon 1, carbon 2

December 31, 1948 – List of settlement items. Front image, back image.

Transcription and translation:

L.15/48 - Partial settlement from December 31, 1948 for Case #15/48 up to Cases #31 and 32/48 from December 31, 1948 revenue items for December 1948. -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
From the amount of 15,400 zl. - sent to me on February 3, 1948. to be settled by S. Silberberg from Częstochowa, ul. Garibaldi 19 m.7 from Jonas Trompeter from Mielec, ul. Sandomierska 13 or Tel-Aviv, Tarzat Str. 5:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

I. I incurred cash expenses:
a / - August 5, 1947 full stamp - 50 zl.
b / - August 23, 1947 airmail letter - 46 zl.
c / - March 28 and 31, 1948 costs of mortgage statement 325 zl.
d / - April 5, 1948 - fees for the Case #32/48 application for restoration of possession - 303 zl.
e / - April 5, 1948 - airmail letter half - 150 zl.
f / - April 5, 1948 - Polish letter S. Silberberg - 35 zl.
g / - June 2, 1948 - fees in the Town Hall for personal data - 225 zl.
h / - July 13, 1948 - court fees for the application for death declaration Case #51/48 - 20 zl.
i / - July 16, 1948 - port recommended from a letter from the requisition up to General 200 zl.
j / - July 24, 1948 - fees for the class application Case #32/48 - 75 zl.
k / - August 3, 1948 - application fees for property Km (?) 157/48 - 320 zl.

II. I charge myself a fee:
a / - August 23, 1947. - 300 zl. per letter.
b / - March 28 and 31, 1948 for the mortgage examination - 700 zl.
c / - April 5, 1948. for the application and several replacements Case #38/48 for restoration of ownership - 2,500 zl.
d / - April 5, 1948 for letter - 300 zl.
e / - June 2, 1948 for applying to the magistrate for personal data - 500 zl.
f / - May 21, 1948 for an application for declaring deceased deaths Case #51/48 - 700 zl.
g / - July 24, 1948 for the application for the application class Case #32/48 - 200 zl.
h / - August 3, 1948 and td. for filing an application property Km. 157/48 and other activities 1,400 zl.

To be transferred 1749 zl.
Total 6,600 zl.

From the transfer:
from I. expenses 1749 zl. from II. fee 6600 zl.
l / - August 26, 1948 port from letter to T.A. - 120 zl.
ł / - August 28, 1948 I paid cash at the Oblast Office in Mielec Case #454/48 for the settlement of 320 zl.
m / - October 30, 1948 by check for announcements to Case #51/48 for recognition of the dead 1000 zl.
n / - December 31, 1948 in the Town Hall costs of various housing copies - 50 zl.

Total: I./- expenses 3239 zl. II. / - honorarium - 6600 zl.

Summary

Therefore, after deduction from the above total amount of 15.400 zl. - a total of 9839 zl. / of which 3239 zl. for various expenses, and 6600 zl. for my above fee / - there remains with me in favor of S. Silberberg or Jonas Trompeter only 5561 zl.

Mielec, December 31, 1948. -

Lawyer
Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

December 31, 1949 – List of settlement items. letter front, letter back, receipt, carbon.

Transcription and translation:

I. The final settlement of December 31, 1949 Case #16/49 incoming sums and up to Case #9/49 billing totals for December 1949 from December 31, 1949 / - as the end of my previous partial settlement from December 31, 1948. to L. 15/48 item billing sums and up to Case #31 and 32/48 of December 31, 1948. revenue items for December 1948. - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
From the amount / residual / - 5,561 zł.- the remainder to be settled from my previous partial settlement from December 31, 1948. from S. Silberberg from Częstochowa ul. Garibaldi 19 m.7 for Jonas Trompeter from Mielec ul. Sandomierska 13 - I incurred the following cash expenses:

1 / - May 31, 1949 court and tax fees
a / - to application Case #104/49 / for Jakub Izaak Trompeter / - progressive decline - 660 zł.-
b / - December 28, 1949 supplementing court fees to Case #104/49 - 60 zł.-
2 / - May 31, 1949 court and tax fees
a / - to the application Case #105/549 / after Gitla Blima Trompeter / - progressive decline - 660 zł.-
b / - December 28, 1949 supplementing court fees for Case #105/49 - 60 zł.-
3 / June 1, 1949 postal charges to the Consul General of Poland in London and Tel-Aviv - 400 zł.-

on the appeal for declarations of inheritance / - Case #104 and 105/49 -
4 / December 28, 1949 postal charges for requesting an appeal to the Polish Consul General in Tel-Aviv Case #104 and 105/49 - 250 zł.-
5 / - December 28, 1949 stamp duty and admin. for 2 abridged copies of Jakub's descent acts - 260 zł.-

Isaac and Gitla Blima Trompeter at the Registry Office in Mielec as requested for Case #104 and 105/49 -
6 / - May 3, 1949 I. installment of property tax - 1350zł.-
7 / - May 4, 1949 insurance fee from buildings / from 6 and 7 for 1949 / -190zł.-

which is the total amount of 3890zł/
/ in words three thousand eight hundred and ninety zlotys /. -

II. - I count my title for my fee (missing) for applications Case #104 and 105/49 and for running (missing) inheritance cases the total amount - 1671 zl. - / in words one thousand six hundred and seventy-one zlotys /. ---
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Summary.

I - the above-mentioned cash expenses - - - 3890 zł. -
II. - my fee - - - 1671 zł. -
in other words the above - - - 5561 zł. -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Therefore, from the above amount - 5561zł. -
- Nothing is in my favor with S. Silberberg or Jonas Trompeter. -

Mielec, December 31, 1949 -

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

January 4, 1950 – letter from Werynski to Jonas Trompeter. Front image, back image.

Transcription and translation:

Mielec, January 4, 1950

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

To
Jonas Trompeter
in Tel-Aviv
- - - - - - - - -
c/o Fass
Tarzat Street 5 Boulev.
- Israel - Palestine -

Sir!

I inform you as follows:

Still with my airmail letter from April 4, 1948. I managed to communicate with gentleman because I received him on April 26, 1948. Your letter to me from April 15, 1948.

However, already on my letter to the gentleman from August 26, 1948. I have not received any message from you or the local court appeal Case #104 and 105/49 to the General Consulate of Poland in Tel-Aviv for the interrogation of Mr. and your brother Naftali in order to collect from you a declaration of inheritance from your parents from May 1949. has not been taken care of yet and has not returned with any news at all.

As a result, I am very worried, because I don't know how to understand it, your strange silence.

Because in those days the local Court left the reminder to the Consul General in Tel-Aviv to arrange your declaration for this inheritance, so please, together with your brother, please report to the Consul General as soon as possible and propose to this inheritance, especially that the assurance under Article 70 of the Inheritance Decree that there are no other heirs except you brothers and sisters Tauba from London, may validly submit only the heir himself and not by proxy.

However, almost simultaneously in May or in June 1949 the same appeal went to London, also to the Consul General of Poland to receive such an inheritance declaration from your sister, and although she soon returned with her declaration of inheritance, despite this, somehow, you can't wait for anything until then.

At the same time, I am explaining to you that, after the validity of leaving the Town Court in Mielec of June 8, 1948 Case #32/48 by a relevant enforcement application to the court case in your name I was brought into possession or in the management of real estate property lwh. 74, 1617 the commune of Mielec with a house standing on these properties at ul. Sandomierska Nr.13 /hip.458/ and 10/50 cz.real.lwh.673 commune of Katowice. However, this property has no use, since the store from October 1, 1948 still stands empty, because today private shops are disappearing in favor of cooperative trade or there is no reflector for your shop, and the Bilinsky teacher displaced from the east pays only 110 zl. per month, which does not even cover a small portion of taxes, which for 1949. totaled 4,523 zl. and which I had to pay with money from Mr. Silberberg.

Please find attached my detailed account of December 31, 1948 and from December 31, 1949 to show you that I don't have anything left of 15,400zl. sent to me on February 3, 1948 by P. Silberberg from Częstochowa, ul. Garibaldi 19 m. 7. In addition, I explain that for rents from your above reality for the period from September 1, 1948 at the end of January 1950 I received a total of 3070 zl. from Mr. Walenty Bilinski's teacher and tenant. 600 zl. each from the store 
for September and October 1948. and 110 zl. each monthly from the apartment for the period from September 1, 1948 until January 3, 1950 i.e. for 17 months because of this amount of 3070 zl. I paid on December 9, 1949. Second installment of the property tax for 1949 in the amount of 1620 zl. in other words, in the amount of 2983 zl., therefore, in your favor, according to today, only 87 zlotys would remain with me for these rents.

However, because I also have to cover the postage from this letter to the gentleman in the amount that will be visible on the postage stamps on this letter, and in a much larger amount than these 87 zlotys, so in practice nothing will stay in your favor and I will have something else belonged to the gentleman.

Therefore, I declare to you, especially that we have various troubles and difficulties with the administration of real estate here, and that I have no money to continue to deal with your affairs not only for myself but also for the State Treasury, and in addition now every legal case is being shown by our offices and authorities, and especially through the judge to the tax offices, that I will not be able to continue your affairs and management of your property and please immediately try to get someone else in my place such as Antoni Droba, Mgr. Marian Włoszkiewicz or Dr. Feliks Kralisz, attorneys in Mielec, or I can ask someone private from ordinary residents of the local city or in Poland in general from your friends to give a general power of attorney to deal with all your matters in the local area and maybe even through me or one of the above attorneys deal with your case in court or in the offices here.

Your parents, Jakub Izaak Trompeter and Gitla Blima Trompeter, were declared dead on December 31, 1942, during the war and in accordance with the law by the decision of the Municipal Court in Mielec of March 21, 1949. Zg. 51/48, and on this basis, as a result of my further conclusions, inheritance proceedings are pending after them, up to Sp.104 / 49 after your father and up to Sp.105 / 49 after your mother before the local Town Court in Mielec.

In conclusion, I send warm greetings to you and your brother Naftali, and I wish you both a lot of happiness, health and good luck in this new year, especially since I feel very ill myself and all this under the influence of my various war and post-war transitions.

Yours sincerely

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

P.S. I would also like to inform you that according to the new legal regulations currently in force, / Dz.R.P.Nr.45 Case #333/49 on the extraordinary tax on war enrichment, the Tax Office in Mielec will soon demand a more serious amount of up to 52470 zl. from you due to the so-called war enrichment tax due to the fact that the law of the pledge for the benefit of the Municipal Savings Bank of the Mielec powiat in Mielec is imprinted on your property will give a bail sum of 330 US Dollars. to ts. Lhip.2350, November 25, 1926. on the basis of a bail record from the date Mielec, November 24, 1926. Lr. 1989 established by the spouses Rafael and Debora Trompeter. You could be exempted from this only in the event that you had somewhere in the year an original extabulation receipt notarized legally from the date before July 1, 1945. and if you could show him here to the Tax Office in Mielec. Otherwise, this tax obligation exists even if it turns out that in reality you or your predecessors repaid this debt even before September 1, 1939.

It is also in this state of affairs that I think that you will also better understand that I had to and must give you your power of attorney for me from Tel-Aviv July 16, 1947.

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

January 5, 1950 – envelope with writing. Not yet transcribed. Link to image.

June 20, 1950 – letter from Werynski to Mielec Municipal National Council. Front image, back image.

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, street Hetmańska 32


To
Presidium of the Municipal National Council of the City of Mielec
in Mielec

No. Fr.. bier.552.-

Because, despite my repeated oral statements and notifications, that I am no longer an agent and administrator of the property of my client Jonas Trompeter staying in Tel-Aviv c / o Fass Tarzat Street 5 Boulev. Israel / Palestine /, which has its property in Mielec at ul. Sandomierska 13 / L.hip.458 /, because still with my registered letter from the date Mielec January 4, 1950, sent to the post office in Mielec January 5, 1950 as registered airmail for No.596, I severed his power of attorney completely as of January 4, 1950, which I had from him on Tel-Aviv July 16, 1947 and I gave up any further conduct of his property matters, and thus the administration of his property, and I advised him to try for any other representative, and because, despite my statements that I refuse any further receipt and delivery to me of any other letters there, especially in tax matters regarding that Jonas Trompeter, during my absence from home the local authority, despite this, on June 19, 1950 he left in my apartment, the local order for payment of property tax on the above property for the 1950 tax year No. 522 of the book, therefore hereby attached, I return this payment order as completely wrongly and in breach of applicable law, served to me, and at the same time I explicitly declare that for the above reasons I refuse to be Jonas Trompeter's representative and administrator of his property, and that if necessary please communicate with that Jonas Trompeter directly at his address above in the State of Israel or with this new other person, who may show a new power of attorney from him. Only a side note that I wonder how it was possible to measure the rent or rent from the above property tax for the 1950 tax year according to the alleged rent of 7,520 zl., since I clearly testified as the then administrator that this rent for the whole year was only 1,320 zl., since the only tenant Walenty Biliński pays only 110 zl. per month. from the flat and the store has been empty since October 1, 1948, because there is no reflector on it.

Single.
1 app. payments.

Mielec, June 20, 1950

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

July 12, 1950 – letter from Werynski to Jonas Trompeter. Front imageback image.

Transcription and translation:

Mielec, July 12, 1950

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32

To

Jonas Trompeter
in Tel - Aviv
c / o Fass
Tarzat Street 5
Boulev.
- Israel - Palestine -

Sir!

I would like to inform you that, however, my registered air mail from Mielec January 4, 1950 with the postmark Mielec January 5, 1950 No. 596 I immediately gave to the gentleman your power of attorney for me which you gave me from Tel-Aviv on July 16, 1947, and at that time I informed you that I would no longer deal with your matters for reasons in my list.

Despite this simple procedural caution, I expressly once again declare that I fully support my previous termination and further, I hereby expressly express to you the above power of attorney for me and declare to you that I do not want to deal with other matters, especially since now there is all the power of various (covered) connected with conducting such matters and please make anyone else your representative.

Because your various compatriots in recent times have used Jan Kisiel of Cyranka, who is a court bailiff in Mielec, before your departure from Poland to Israel or abroad, you may also decide to appoint him your representative, and therefore, if necessary, you can communicate by post.

Also, Mr. Leib Sussel Feuer, who has recently left Mielec to Israel, can, if necessary, inform you about the relations here and about your property.

I explain that since my previous letter to the gentleman from January 4, 1950, to which you did not write back, I have not dealt with your matters anymore and that in fact I owed you 128 zl., which according to the account from dates from Mielec, February 5, 1949, I spent on buying one padlock from Ludwik Kremer in Mielec to close your store so that it would not open, and the 88 zl. that I get from the previous letter from January 4, 1950, since it cost 175 zl. and for that I had 87 zlotys. the rest of the rents according to my previous letter and the amount that I am entitled to for the postal expenses of the current letter, the amount of which you will have given the postage stamps affixed to this list.

Finally, I greet you with a kind and warm welcome to your brother.

Yours sincerely

Lawyer
Dr. Wojciech Weryński
Mielec, ul. Hetmańska 32