“Dear Jenö:
(…) You know that, these days, Mr Bunzel was here from you ... he said that he, too, spoke of my visit to you (in Hungary), there is no further danger at our end and that the purpose of my visit to you was to fundraise as our Council is no longer able to do so because of its unpopularity. (...) The meeting held in my office was attended by about ten gentlemen. In the end, Mr Bunzel said: “It was a mistake that you sent a woman as a delegate, for she cannot effectively influence especially the Orthodox”; he closed by saying that it was very wrong to send a woman to the lions.
You know that I enjoy the trust of all groups, from the extreme Orthodox to the extreme assimilationists. On the other hand, you know that, within the options available and in the short time, we achieved maximum. (...) I therefore ask you to inform me briefly and clearly about the matter. (…) If I have to undertake the journey, in no case would I wish to do it alone (…) For in no circumstances I am willing to bear the responsibility alone, and to expose myself to the intrigue and destructive criticism.”
From a letter to Joel Brand, 12 February 1943