Lodz, 7 June 1929

Precious, beloved brother, as well as nephew, and niece,

I have received your letter of May 11 and also a letter of May
20.  Don't be angry with me, Sol, for answering two of your
letters with only one of mine.  I'll write you the reason for
it.  Ten days ago, I received several letters from my
brother-in-law, Lazer, from Opoczno, saying that I should come
to Opoczno without delay for purposes of business.  I couldn't
imagine what sort of business matters were awaiting me there in
Opoczno.  I made a decision, and rode over there on a Saturday.

First of all, we had a good time together due to the fact that
the decree to shut down Uncle Lazer's bakery was deferred for a
year.  I am enclosing the announcement in the newspaper.  This
was really an unexpected relief for my sister.  Secondly, Lazer
bought a store for $300 as "insurance."  In case, chas
v'cholilah, the bakery should be shut down, he will open a
general store.  It wasn't a bad idea, but now that the decree
requiring mechanization has been deferred for a year, there's
talk that in a year's time it will be deferred again...  This is
an indication that Poland is in "good shape" looking at it from
an industrial perspective...  

Whatever the case may be, dear Sol, for the time being it's of
great benefit to my sister and brother-in-law because if, these
days, they are assured of bread, there's no need to search for
butter.  And, in fact, my brother-in-law wanted me to become a
partner in the store that he bought or to run it myself because,
after all, he is once again a baker and is assured of a making a
living, and I am in no way certain of bread.  He wanted to be of
assistance to me in so far as possible.  However, the problem is
that I can't make the decision to move from a city like Lodz is
to a wilderness like Opoczno.  Besides that, under no
circumstances will my wife agree to such a proposition.  It's
true that I have nothing in the big city.  However, it's 100%
worse in the small towns.  The life is no life; the people are
not people; etc.  

To be brief, I returned home with nothing, and found your letter
in which you write me that you haven't yet cast your vote in
favor of my sending an 18-year-old girl to Canada where her
uncles in Toronto will be her mentors...

My dear and devoted Sol, in your letter you "hit the nail on the
head," just as if you had a window to my heart and looked in and
saw everything going on there.  You know, Sol, you may think
there that your uncle is a gossip who loves to talk a lot and to
write a lot.  No, and again, no.  In fact, as to these few words
that you write to me that my brothers-in-law don't possess 100%
of the moral principles (required) to be mentors to my child, in
fact as to these words I have much, very much to write to you,
but we have to discuss this face to face.  My own wife really
doesn't know what I am writing to you now because it would
certainly aggravate her if she knew that I am being critical of
her family...  

However, let's look at the situation from a practical
standpoint.  Devoted and beloved Sol, three years ago, when your
father-in-law was here on vacation, I sat down with him and
asked his advice as to how it might be possible for me to
emigrate from Poland.  He answered that if my brothers-in-law
were willing, I could go to Canada.  "Ah," you will ask, "why
did you delay leaving for so long?  Is there a shortage of
people living in Poland, and are they well off?"  

The answer is that a person has to think about the consequences
of what he does.  I can convince myself that I was the "wise man
who anticipated the consequences."  I realized that there was no
possibility for me to exist here; all of life consists only of
torment and what will the outcome be?  To write letters of
complaint to Shloyme again?...  Today I need help for a place to
live, tomorrow for a business, the next day for a ritual
circumcision.  And children grow up from day to day; the
expenses in the house increase.  So, life continues to become
more difficult.  

And what will happen if one needs a dowry for a child?  We'll
write to Shloyme.  To pay for a wedding?  Again, Shloyme.  Oy,
Shloyme, Shloyme, if you knew how much truth lies in these
words.  If you knew how degraded I feel whenever I take a dollar
from you, although I know very well that, among millions of
people, I would not be able to find such a one as Shloyme who
would interest himself so with an uncle of his as you do.  But
there is a saying that one swallow doesn't make a summer.  You
are too weak, Shloyme, to be able to pull your uncle out of such
a quagmire.  Therefore, if I had brothers-in-law who were really
devoted, such as, e.g., you are devoted to me, then obviously my
plan is not such a bad one.  For example, my Balcia leaves now,
is there for several years, works, earns money.  And later, if
she is able to bring us over, fine; if not, it's not so
terrible.  At least she will be able to get a better job than in
Poland...

Therefore, my devoted Sol, my plan was quite simple.  Rather
than, chas v'cholilah, my having to write to you for financial
assistance for a dowry or a wedding, chas v'cholilah, I decided
it was better to send my child away to a foreign country with an
unfamiliar language.  Although whoever hears and whoever reads
your letters says that I should not hesitate but should send
her, but, but, you surely know, dear brother, in whom I cannot
confide, but I must tell you the truth, I don't have confidence
in my brothers-in-law to the extent of 1%...  It's simply that
all the financial help we might receive (from Canada) would be
from the grandparents.  So we're faced with another question. 
How can the older folks be of assistance when they themselves
are dependent on the help of their children?  

If, at least, I felt that my Balcia were mature enough to
acclimate on her own.  I don't think so.  I must tell you
frankly, my devoted one, that my Balcia is still quite immature,
not bright, not well-read.  Most importantly, she is
inexperienced with worldly matters.  On the other hand, she is
capable at work.  She wants to earn money when she is able to
find work, although in many ways it would be better for her if
she left and saw the world with her own eyes.  She herself wants
to leave; she is tired of being idle, of not having a job!  

To be brief, Sol, at some point a person has to make a complete
change in his life, a transformation, however it may turn out. 
I am deciding to send my child out into the world in order that
she might achieve whatever she can on her own so that, chas
v'cholilah, she will not have to appeal to anyone for help... 

Reading your second letter, of May 20, about your being prepared
to cover the $200 security requirement that Berish wrote of, so
I inform you that you should correspond with Berish with respect
to it.  In addition, it's quite practical and logical of you not
to send them the money but (to make it available) through the
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (H.I.A.S.) or through a bank.  It
seems to me, Sol, that the money can remain in an account with
your name on it and, in two years, you can get it back. 
However, I am not familiar with the arrangements to be made
there in Canada.  I will only write that I mailed three letters
today, one to the in-laws, one to Berish and one to Shia.  I
informed them that the security requirement will be attended to
by you and that they should determine what else they have to do.
 And you, my devoted brother, I ask separately to correspond
with Berish and also with the in-laws and, perhaps, with Shia
too, to consider their ideas about my Balcia going to them. 
And, in fact, not as they, but as you will indicate, that is
certainly (whose advice) I will follow because your ideas and my
ideas have a common ground.  It's just the opposite with them...

I also ask you to write to the Bureau of Immigration that
informed you that (Berish, et al) can bring relatives into
Canada; are there any new developments respecting this?  In a
word, devoted Sol, whatever you do, whatever you have done and
will do for us, but I beg that you be on guard as to money
matters because, I needn't remind you, 99% of people are
swindlers and intend only to snatch money out of someone else's
pocket.  Therefore, I am sure that you, as a person with mature
good judgment, will not rely on anything insubstantial, but
where money is concerned you'll be careful about whom to give it
to and under what circumstances to give it.  

Well, dear Sol, perhaps you hesitate to write a letter to me
because you don't want to hurt Aunt Malke.  So, you can write
with a hidden meaning or you can write to my cousin's address:

   W. Lewkowicz

   c/o S. Lehrer

   Piotrkowska 19

   Lodz, Poland

Now, you will surely want to hear some news from me.  So I can
write you that I have absolutely nothing of importance to relate
to you.  Everything is as it was.  The crisis in Poland is
intensifying from day to day.  Factories operate two days a
week; massive unemployment; no commerce; no income.  Thank G-d,
all of us are well, may G-d be blessed.  Balcia is not working. 
Rivkele and my darling Joseph will be on vacation from school in
two weeks; they will go to Opoczno for four weeks of rest after
the school year.  Rivkele is going into 6th grade, and Joseph is
going into 3rd grade of the elementary school.  

You have already asked twice why I inquired whether you are in a
partnership with your father-in-law.  So, I tell you that I did
not mean to step on your toes.  It's simply that you once wrote
that your father-in-law was running the second store, so I was
sure that he was your partner there.  However, now that you
write that you gave up your second store, everything is
answered!  

As to your having lost money on the value of the house, don't
aggravate yourself about it because circumstances change.  Just
as the value of real estate has fallen, it can increase. 
Everything is dependent on the times.  Certainly these are not
good times in America if the price of real estate has fallen. 
Would that you had ten houses and that they were were worth a
million dollars less, but they'd have a basic value, after all. 
It seems to me that real estate is worth more than second hand
beds...  I hope that you won't take offense at my remark.  So,
Sol, don't worry too much about your house because they say that
America has not yet gone bankrupt...

So, I close my letter with heartfelt regards for you, for your
worthy wife and for your only dear son, Leonard, to whom in your
writing you promise to be a sincere and devoted father.  May G-d
help you so that all your plans may be actualized.  Heartfelt
regards from everyone to everyone.

		With respect, 

		Wolf Lewkowicz


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