Marie Schmolková devoted the last months of her life to trying to get her friends, especially Hanna Steiner, out of danger. To no avail.
The following text comes from a letter written by Schmolková's London collaborator, Leo Herrmann. Between the lines, it captures the growing frustration with the condescending behaviour of representatives of the future Jewish government in Palestine. In this letter to Moshe Shertok, head of the political department, he responds to Shertok's complaint that even his boss, the future first president of Israel Chaim Weizmann, was writing to him about Steiner. The representative of the Rescue Committee in Istanbul, Chaim Barlas, for his part, did not understand why Hanna Steiner "does not simply go to Switzerland".
"Dr. Weizmann sent his telegram partly on his own initiative and partly on the initiative of his wife, Mrs. Vera. Their special interest was due to Frau Marie Schmolková, who intervened on behalf of her friend Hanna Steiner. Mrs. Schmolková felt a special responsibility for Mrs. Steiner. She told me, and I presume Vera Weizmann too, that she would ask Her Majesty the Queen to intervene specially on behalf of Hanna Steiner. I know that Mrs Schmolková had direct contact with the Queen through certain friends of hers and was sure that the Queen would help her to save Mrs Steiner. On Tuesday evening she told several friends that she would not rest until she had achieved this goal. She died on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. In view of these circumstances, Dr. Weizmann called me and asked me what he could or should do, and I told him of our conversation and that he could do nothing more than call you and perhaps Barlas, and that he could not intervene only on behalf of Mrs. Steiner, but would have to concern himself with the whole group. As I read a certain reproach between your lines, I hope that these explanations will relieve me of your suspicions."
Two portrait photographs of Hanna Steiner.
(The photo on the right was dedicated to her co-worker Katerina Rychnovska, who after the war was accused of organizing a Zionist conspiracy and espionage group in Jewish old-age homes, which was supposed to subvert the republic and bring back capitalism... but that's another story, which you can read in the IWalk dedicated to Hagibor.)