This collection (24 items) contains correspondence that Jewish Private Jacob Walter Feigenbaum received from his sister and mother while he served with the United States Army during World War II. Jeanette Feigenbaum, Walter's sister, wrote most of the letters, often with brief notes from her mother Rose, who sometimes sent letters of her own (frequently in the same envelopes). The women discussed numerous political and personal topics, often related to the 1944 presidential election and domestic politics. Jeanette frequently expressed her frustrations with the political landscape, including her skepticism about Harry Truman, reaction to the Dewey campaign's tactics, and views on legislation related to the military. She commented on the progress of the war in Europe, reports of German atrocities against the citizens of Warsaw, Poland (August 30, 1944), and the political situation in Nazi Germany, including the failed plot to assassinate Hitler (July 21, 1944, and July 23, 1944). Her letters also mention Zionist newspapers, contain references to Jewish holidays, and discuss Jewish nationalism (September 5, 1944). Rose's letters focus more prominently on social news of family members and friends.
Each letter is accompanied by an envelope bearing a colored illustration of a soldier eager to receive mail. The soldiers depicted include jeep drivers, paratroopers, and machine gunners, and the envelopes belong to the same artistic series. Many of the letters also feature patriotic letterheads or watermarks, and two from September 1944 have panels from the cartoon "Private Buck," drawn by Clyde Lewis (September 5 and September 14, 1944).
Jacob Walter Feigenbaum was born in Missouri on April 2, 1911, and had at least one sister, Jeanette. Their mother Rose was a Russian immigrant and their father was born in Austria. Jacob, most frequently addressed as "Walter," enlisted in the United States Army before February 1944 and trained at Fort McClellan, Alabama, before being deployed to Europe in the summer of 1944. While in Europe, he became a member of Company C of the 117th Infantry Regiment. His mother and sister lived in Washington, D.C., during the war, where Jeanette worked for the Federal Communications Commission. Jacob Walter Feigenbaum died in Montgomery County, Maryland, on February 25, 1995.