Lodz, 16 September 1932

My devoted and beloved brother and niece, Sol Zissman,

Last week, I received your dear letter to me, dated August 20,
along with $5.  I thank you, dear brother, for your good letter
and also for your generosity which you show your uncle.  You ask
me, dear Sol, to write you a long letter about everyone and
everything. 

Yes, devoted brother, I would very much like to inform you of
some good news, but you know that your uncle is a simple worker
who works from early in the morning until late at night, right
along with the machine so that I am completely unaware of
politics.  Furthermore, the newspapers are also deceptive, so
that each newspaper contains only those things that the readers
want to see.  Besides that, it's nauseating to read (them).  All
the newspapers write that the crisis is great, poverty is
spreading, the hunger of the poor and unemployed is
indescribable.  And in real life we witness enough tragic and
terrifying scenes in the large cities...   The suicide epidemic
has not halted...huge companies that have been in business for
80-100 years go broke and disappear...  However, one gets used
to all the things that one observes.  The most important thing
is that it gets worse every day, and there is no prospect for
improvement.  It's just as you used to joke, Sol, that "Things
will be difficult until the 15th, and then it will get worse..."
 However, dear Sol, it would be better not to occupy ourselves
with political matters because neither you nor I can cause a
quick improvement in the world...

Further, dear Sol, as to your writing that your father has
liquidated his furniture business and has opened a butter and
egg business, well, may he have good fortune. 

Further, you write that you are going to open the second store
in your own building.  May you also have good fortune; may the
Blessed One help you to succeed.  

As to your writing that Bryndl and her husband are not working
and that you have to help them out from time to time with
several dollars, so I write you that it is very unfortunate and
very unpleasant to come to a brother constantly for help. 
However, what can one do?  If fate decrees that one is to be
poor, nothing helps!!!  It's true that you observe the verse: 
"If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter in
your proximity, you shall strengthen him..."  And yet it
irritates you that your sister took $10 from you at a time when
her husband was working...  Taking all of this into
consideration, one comes to the conclusion that a person can't
incur expenses greater than his income is.

Now, devoted Sol, you are surely anxious to hear something good
from me.  So, my devoted brother, I write you that I have no
important news to communicate to you.  I work a little, earn a
little.  Whether it's enough or isn't enough isn't important, as
long as one is alive and survives a day, a week, a month, a
year, and so on, always closer to (death)...  However, however,
when one looks about, devoted Sol, one begins to see that it
isn't worth living and suffering in G-d's little world...  The
only thing that I would still like to accomplish in the rest of
my life is, at least, to raise my two children, may they live,
and to rear them and to steer them toward a proper path, e.g.,
to make them menschen.  And here, dear Sol, there is a question:
"What sort of upbringing can a poor worker give to his child?" 
No appropriate education; no appropriate culture!!!  

My Rifkele, may she live, will be eighteen years old next month.
 She is a fine, clever child, not a fool, beautiful as the day,
and yet without any sort of work and without any sort of life. 
Last year, she was learning to be a tailor.  However, when they
took advantage and had her do other things, and so on, since she
is sickly, her mother removed her (from training) and didn't
allow her to train any more, insisting that it is too difficult
for her.  I dare not say anything about this since I will look
like a bad father because I want a child of mine to learn a
trade and have some sort of existence in the future...  This
summer she was in Opoczno for two months, together with my
Joseph.  They didn't have a bad time there.  There was no
shortage of food and drink there.  Now they are back in Lodz. 
Joseph is going to school, and Rifkele passes the time without
anything to do.  I can't come to any understanding with my wife
with respect to this matter.  My wife is too nervous and too
frantic a mother.  It's true that we are parents who have been
"burned..."

Nevertheless, the dedicated responsibility of parents doesn't
consist of a glass of milk or an egg.  No, no, the
responsibility of parents to a child should consist, according
to my way of thinking, in setting the child up on so high a
standard, on such a well balanced basis, that the child will be
an example for the world.  First of all, one has to raise a
child to be a mensch, not an animal...  And most important of
all, one has to see to it that the child has the ability to make
a living, not the way our parents raised us, dummies,
good-for-nothings, losers...etc.  

Therefore, dear Sol, I am worried about Rifkele.  I don't know
what sort of trade to train her for, tailoring, hatmaking,
manicuring.  My sister, i.e., Aunt Esther, of Opoczno, writes
me, in fact, that I should send her to her and she will have her
learn a trade there.  But I don't know.  I don't have any great
enthusiasm for this even though she feels better in Opoczno than
she does in Lodz, as far as her health is concerned and
otherwise.  And yet I would prefer it if my child lived in my
home and I, as the father, were able to see to and satisfy all
the requirements.  My sister is very devoted to me and wants to
be very helpful to me in this matter, and yet I would feel
fortunate if I, as the father, were able to make some sort of
living for a child of mine with my own hands. 

However, dear Sol, let's put aside the whole issue of educating
children until after the Holidays, if G-d wills it.  Calling to
mind that two weeks from now it will already be Rosh Hashona and
that, this time, my letter will not manage to arrive by Rosh
Hashona, I therefore don't want to bother you about raising
children because you have enough worries of your own.  However,
however, I wish you for the coming new year, 5693, a happy,
healthy year.  We hope that you and your wife and dear son,
Mendel Leib, will be inscribed for a year of life, a year of
sustenance and success.  May every path that you take give you
contentment.  May joy and happiness fill your home.  May good
fortune seek you out.  In a word, your uncle and aunt as well as
my children wish that you will be inscribed and sealed for a
good year and a successful year for you and your family, and
your sisters, parents, friends, uncles, et al. 

Nothing further of importance to relate.  Heartfelt regards for
all of you, without exception, from me, from Aunt, and from my
dear children. Joseph sends his own regards and thanks you
sincerely for the $5 you sent.  They happened to be needed to
buy books and writing tools for the school year.  Additional
regards from Aunt Poria and Pinya Lewin.  Shmiel Lewin lives in
Tomaszow and has a general goods store.  Wolf Lewin lives in
Belgium, is a barber, has his own barber shop.  Pinya is not yet
married.  He has a job and lives with his mother.  Aunt Estherl
and Uncle Lazer send their regards to you.  Their son, Moshe, is
going to school here.  He eats and sleeps with us.  Finally, the
whole family sends regards to you and wishes that all of you
will be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

         With respect,

         Wolf Lewkowicz 

Please answer.


All material Copyright 1995 by Marshall L. Zissman and Sol J. Zissman.