Lodz, 29 January 1923 Esteemed, Devoted, Beloved Nephew, Sol Zissman, Your dear letter and enclosed check for $150 were received a few days ago. I sent you a postcard immediately. Now I'm writing to thank you for the good heartedness you have shown your uncle. My dear, devoted nephew, is it possible for me to express my heartfelt thanks on paper? Absolutely not! I can tell you only this much, that you have completed your task perfectly. You have fulfilled the job you set out to do on behalf of your uncle. Now, as a patient who has just had an operation, I come to give thanks to the Almighty, who does not neglect anyone on this earth, and to thank you, devoted nephew, who has healed me and saved me from so dire a disease, so that I can rise from my sick bed. Shloymele, in my present letter, I will describe everything to you as if it were a photograph, a picture, according to your desire and request. According to what people have told you, I was a wealthy man in Poland, and I just wanted to extract money from you. There is a Yiddish proverb that says in effect "Don't try to defend yourself to G-d, because G-d knows your thoughts." But before a person, one must defend oneself. Dear and devoted nephew, you already know from my previous letters my whole biography during the last 7 or 8 years before I came to Lodz. I suffered right along with all the other victims of the war. How much I suffered only heaven and earth can testify. One time, my in-laws came to Konskie and, seeing how I was struggling there, resolved once and for all not to let me go on living in Konskie and to make me move back to Lodz. It is possible that they sought to improve not really my lot but that of their own daughter and our children. Once in Lodz, they wanted to help me in any way they knew how, but how can one poor man help another? If I had had a trade, I would have taken a job, but, unfortunately, my parents never taught me a trade. Having only 70,000 marks and owing 80,000, I looked around and speculated for some- thing to latch onto. I thought "If only G-d would send someone my way, anyone, I'd become partners with him." My wife, Malke, has two brothers. The younger one suggested to me that we should become partners and deal in slacks. He would make them, and I would sell them. And so it was. I traveled to various marketplaces, and he sewed. It was all right, I suppose, but from the money we made we still couldn't afford to eat, since we earned less than it cost to buy food. The whole business reminded me of the story about my Uncle Yankl Lewin, of Konskie, who once wanted to help your father out. He gave him two dozen aprons, one slip, one pair of underpants, two scarfs, two children's dresses and one lit- tle pair of pants to sell at markets. In the city it was thought that Yankl Lewin was providing Shmiel Meyer with a living so that he would be able to support his family when, in truth, there wasn't a penny to be had from the whole business. (To return to my story,) after dealing in this fashion for three or four years and seeing no future in it, I started looking around for other means of making a living. My in- laws wanted to help me to the best of their abilities but, unfortunately, with what? Meanwhile, it was no joke to wander around without a means of support at a time of such inflation. It so happened that my older brother-in-law started a time-payment business with a partner, another tailor. They sell suits and coats on the time-payment plan. I went into their business as a collector for 40,000 marks a month. I even thought that I might want to become a partner. But how? With what money? The work is very hard. Eighteen hours a day I have to be in the street, running stairs three stories down and four stories up. To top it off, I am also forced to do work that is really unsuitable for me, such as closing the iron gratings, sleeping in the store or removing bastings. My wages were determined according to the inflation, and I was always 29 groschen short on the gilden. The suit jackets they gave to a tailor to do, and the vests and pants they would bring home to my father-in-law. But since my father-in-law is already, G-d bless him, an elderly man, 75 years old, and really unable to do the work himself any more, and since we need the money and he couldn't help, he suggested that I hire someone to do the work. I would pay the man from my pocket, and we would split the profits. This was approximately at the beginning of the month of Elul. Being an employee didn't bother me. I earned a living wage of five, six, seven or eight thousand marks a week. But, dear Shloymele, you can imagine how I felt when they kept throwing it up to me that I was a burden on their backs and they didn't have the energy to carry my weight any more. To show you that I was not and am still not a partner in my father-in-law's business dealings, I am sending you some of his labels. You see that everything is still in his name and I was only an employee. Lately, I have earned 45,000 marks a week. That is, $1.50. More than once I wished that I were dead. I wanted to escape, as if from a fire. But here, unfortunately, it is impossible to get an apartment for love or money; so I had to suffer in silence. On the other hand, when I met people from Konskie on the street, I told them that I was doing very well, that I had, thank G-d, sustenance and so forth. Believe me, Shloymele, when my own family gathered together for the wedding held by Aunt Dina Raizl, I didn't complain to them either. I didn't open my heart to them. My mother, however, came to see us at my in-laws' and, seeing how I lived, with two iron cots in a narrow room, she cried bitter tears. She thought to herself how awful it was that, after having been married for fourteen years, I still didn't have any real means of support. For my part, I too see that I am not going forward but back- ward. The children are growing, and I earn barely enough to feed them. Clothes tear, and the inflation grows worse daily. It is impossible to improve my lot without money since there are those smarter and more capable than I am (to exploit the possibilities) for speculations and combina- tions. So I proposed to my brother-in-law that he take me into his business as a partner, that is, me and my father-in-law, his father. The answer was money. If we had money, we could talk about it. Since I was already familiar with the busi- ness, I encouraged my father-in-law to write to his son in America so that he, in turn, should influence his brother to consummate the partnership as soon as possible. And I, my dear child, have found a brother in you--a brother who, I was certain even before I wrote, would come through at the moment I needed him. Eight days ago, my father-in- law received $100 in a letter to my brother-in-law. The letter urged him to take as a partner one of the family, not a stranger. In that case, he would support him. Now, dear and devoted (nephew), I have received your check. You can imagine what joy that elicited from us. My wife was happy, the children were happy, even the neighbors were happy. Strangers also shared my joy. I, however, concen- trated on what you wrote in your letter, not on your check. Your letter was more important than anything. The blessings and good wishes that you sent me brought tears to my eyes. Oh, how happy I would have been, Shloymele, if I had had you near me at that moment so that I could embrace you and place a kiss on your lips. I read your letter may times and had a good cry over it. My wife children, seeing me cry, also cried. Now, dear and devoted nephew, that I have told you every- thing in absolute honesty, as you desired, I ask you to tell me who wrote to tell you that I have "America in Europe." I am interested to know. I don't sense that anyone is my enemy. Perhaps you can send me the letter. I am convinced of your devotion to me, and I hope that you will find the truth (in my letter). To continue, I have not yet cashed the check because I want to speculate with it. For example, last week the rate of exchange was firmer and this week somewhat weaker. Today, the rate of exchange is between 28,000 and 28,500 to 29,000 (marks to the dollar). When the rate of exchange reaches 30,000, I will cash the check. I figure to have four and one-half million marks. One and one-half million marks must absolutely go for shoes and clothing, and three million marks I will involve in business. So far, we have not formed the partnership. Of course, as soon as we do, I will write to you about it. You see, Shloymele, what you have done all at once? You have turned your uncle from a poor man into a millionaire. Imagine, if Rockefeller came here to Poland, how many thousands of millions of Polish marks he would have, eh! Oh well, I leave that reckoning to someone else. It has noth- ing to do with me. I have not yet received a letter from your dear father. As soon as I do, I will send it on to you. Dear and devoted child, I write to you now asking that you send me a letter every two weeks telling me everything that's going on there--about you, about your sisters, about Ruchele, about Bryndele, and about Rifkele. Write also about your dear father--how he fares in terms of health and livelihood, etc. Write about the whole family and news from America in gen- eral. I have nothing of importance to report. The first really good deal that I make I will share with you immediately. Heartfelt and loving greetings from my wife, from my chil- dren, from my in-laws and so forth. Your dear grandmother also sends heartfelt regards. She is in Opoczno, but I wrote to her about everything. Lazer, Esther, and their whole family also send you and your dear father warm and loving regards. With respect, Wolf Lewkowicz Please answer soon. My address is as follows: Wolf Lewkowicz ul Wolczanska 168 u Rotberg Lodz, Poland All material Copyright 1995 by Marshall L. Zissman and Sol J. Zissman.