Lodz, 15 August 1923 Devoted and beloved nephew, I received your first letter, as well as the second in which you enclosed a newspaper. I am answering both now. In your first letter, you write that you and your uncle, that is, your partner, have had a business conflict and that he ran bearing tales to your father. You put me in mind of an old story. A son-in-law was living in his in-law's house (in the traditional kest arrangement), studying Torah. All of a sudden, they noticed that the young man was not going along the proper path, as it were. The mother-in-law scolded her husband: "Fool, why are you silent? Why don't you do something? Why do you sit with your arms folded? Why don't you turn the world upside down (and do something about it)?" So the father-in-law went to the rabbi, may he be well, and told him the whole story. The rabbi was no fool. He berated the father-in-law, his ardent follower, saying: "It serves you right! You should have consulted a rabbi when you were first thinking of mak- ing the match. Now it's too late." When he returned home with his answer, his wife really let him have it. It's the same with you. Your uncle should have consulted your father before he went into business with you and not run telling tales now that he has some objections to the way things are going. Show your independence, although I am certain that this matter will end satisfactorily, that is, that you will resolve all your differences, questions and conflicts in a peaceable way. I advise you, dear child, to buy your uncle out and to remain in the business yourself. If not, then your uncle also has the right to buy himself an automobile and not insure it. However, the car which carries the fur- niture can belong to the business and should be insured. As soon as you settle the matter, let me know; I am interested and want to help you in any way I can--if only with good advice. In your second letter, you write, dear child, that I am strong enough to saw through iron bars, to break through-- and that you will give me a sharp saw for that purpose. That is very nice of you, dear and devoted Shloymele. In response to your consistent and clever words, I have oh so much to write. I must, however, content myself with a few words. First of all, let me thank you for your good heartedness, for your encouragement and for the helping hand that you are always ready to offer your uncle. I consider everything, and each of your words is holy to me. I read your letters thirstily. The plans that you suggest, my dear child, serve as preparatory work. I agree with you that I am unable to find a decent living here in Poland, so I really must give that some consideration. I am quite like the bird who is constantly looking for a nest for himself and his family. I believe that these matters will be taken care of in time. Meanwhile, I thank you, dear child, and give you my word that in two cases I will yet want to see you with my own eyes. If things once again go well with me, I will send for you or I will take a trip to visit you there. In the second case, if things go badly for me, I will surely want to see you either in Poland or in America, which one I cannot say. Time will tell. To continue, Shloymele, I can tell you that you elevated my prestige quite a bit with your last letter, that is to say that my partners give credentce to your letters. Lately, as you know, I have been quite depressed. I accepted everything that came my way with equanimity, not being able to find anything better in terms of livelihood, although I must say that the relationship among us partners has improved a bit. We have come to some sort of an agree- ment. I am devoting all my energies toward finding a solu- tion to the problems which dog my existence. I live with the hope that I will ultimately succeed. As a last resort, G-d forbid, I'll saw wood for a living. Conditions in the land simply do not permit one to establish himself properly. The times now, for example, are so abnor- mal that they are impossible to describe. If you really want to see how things stand, get a German newspaper and read about what's going on in Germany, where everything is sinking into the ground It's like it was in Russia. If the German economy falls, it drags Poland with it. Infla- tion is sky-high, and wages are miniscule. Unemployment, lack of normalcy, neglect, etc., are the conditions which predominate. This is the reason that it is difficult to settle down in Poland. Dear and devoted Shloymele, in your last letter you mention that my brother-in-law, Lazer, had written you a letter and that you had answered him. So I want to let you know that two weeks ago my brother-in-law made a bris on Shabbos Nachmu. Since my mother, your dear grandmother, is not in the best of health, I went to the bris and at the same time paid a sick call to my mother. The whole shabbos, we talked about you and your letters and about your sainted mother, may she rest in peace. I asked my brother-in-law what had possessed him to write to you for money. I didn't get a straight answer. They wanted me to write you a letter on behalf of my mother. I did write to you, but not the kind of letter which they had intended. They wanted me to write a letter which "would speak for itself." I don't know whether or not they sent it to you. I have made a thorough study of the small town mentality, and it has become increasingly difficult for me to get along with that kind of a person. There are some types who don't care, are not real workers, have no sense of responsibility, (live) without a schedule, seeking only to do the next one out of his piece of bread. Instead of going out to make a living, they attempt to undermine the other fellow's liveli- hood. I don't refer specifically to my brother-in-law. On the contrary, he isn't that kind of person. He himself is easily satisfied, but it has become a sort of habit that if anyone has a relative in America, he always writes for sup- port, whether he needs it or not. A poor man writes to America for dollars and, as soon as he receives them, he becomes a Polish millionaire--something which everyone longs to be. And believe me, there are plenty of millionaires around these days. So, dear and devoted nephew, don't feel bad if someone writes to you asking for money. Just be aware of the custom of the country. Dear Shloymele, if you want to know who is truly in need and to whom it is merely a custom to write to America for dol- lars, I will be glad to let you know. Elderly parents write to their children for dollars; families who don't have the wherewithal to survive and those who have to marry off a child write for money. Some write because they have to rent an apartment; others write when they want to send their wives to a spa for a health cure; still others write when they feel like trading in their furniture for something newer, more stylish. Some write for money when they want to refurbish their business and some when they need to have their teeth capped in gold. Some ask for money because somehow it doesn't seem right that everyone is getting money except for them. Some are plagued by their wives that they are not taking enough advantage of their relations in Amer- ica. Even if one want to have a suit made today, he must turn to American money. In a word, dear Shloymele, you Americans have exposed us for a pack of beggars, beggars plain and simple. We are the "millionaire beggars" and you are the givers. It's about time that people should not lust so after money. It's about time that people should be aware of the fact that every dol- lar that is sent here from America for bread, for suste- nance, for gold caps and for fine furniture is earned in America by the sweat of the brow. Will these people's char- acters ever change? Will they ever tire of taking or Ameri- cans ever tire of giving? I send you, my dear child, warm and loving regards. My wife also sends you warm regards. My daughter, Balcia, will write to you herself. Until then, she sends regards as does the rest of the family. Send regards to your father, your sisters, your uncles, (Aaron) Isaac Anker, et al.j With respect, Wolf Lewkowicz Wolczanska 168 Lodz, Poland P.S. Regards from your dear grandmother, from my sister and brother-in-law, et al. Please write soon. All material Copyright 1995 by Marshall L. Zissman and Sol J. Zissman.