Opoczno, 3 November 1928 My most devoted nephew, I have received your letter and thank you for writing. I received your letter two days ago, and I am answering you right away. I learned two things from your letter. First, that you have given up your plan to visit Poland, and this troubles me greatly because I was counting the days to your arrival in Poland. I was very anxious to see you and to have a good time with you after so many tortured war years. And when, with the help of G-d, we survived everything and endured everything and were more or less standing on our own feet, I hoped to celebrate with you after all the years of suffering. And since you have given up your plan, in connection with your becoming a father in a short while...so I wish that it may happen at the right time with good fortune. And may you be a rich father and may you guide the child to the Torah, to the wedding canopy and to good deeds. From our side, I can write that we are well. Our oldest son is working in Lodz in a patisserie. He is already earning 10 zlotys a week. Moshe is going to school. He is a good student. Yosek and Bruchele are also going to school. I work at night. I prepare rolls and bread, and your Aunt Esther has to sell all this during the day. And this is the way we spend our lives. Now I have already written you everything from my side. Now I will write to you about your dear Uncle Wolf. Two weeks ago, I was in Lodz because of my son, Wowche. I was at Uncle Wolf's and read a letter from you that you wrote to him on the eve of Yom Kippur. I read the letter in which you wrote that you want to bring him to Canada and that this will cost up to $1,000. So, I write that, as far as I understand, it's very nice that you are ready to spend $1,000 to take your uncle out, but the result will be that he will only be able to be in Canada, not with you. I have another plan. As you know, your Uncle Wolf entered into a business in Opoczno with the millers. At that time, you sent him $200, and he was in the business for about two years, and it wasn't too bad. He didn't make a fortune, but he made a living. When we recognized that the business was going downhill, I said, "Wolf, it's enough. Take your money out while there's still something to take out." He did just that. He took out the money and went back home to Lodz. Later, I realized that I had foreseen the future. If he had not hurried and taken out his money and had waited for a couple of weeks, he wouldn't have had a penny left. He went to Lodz with 2,200 zlotys and returned to his credit business. I was in Lodz this summer and asked him, "Wolf, how are you doing?" He showed me in the book that 200 zlotys that he had eaten up were gone, because the sum was too small for a credit business. Then I realized that your $200 were still there, but that he couldn't make a living on the basis of such a small sum. I then went back home. Since I buy flour on credit these days, I don't need any money. I sent your uncle 1,000 zlotys so that he could enlarge his business somewhat and would be able to make a living. Two weeks ago, I was in Lodz and read your letter in which you write that it will cost $1,000 for him to go to Canada. So, I write you, dear nephew, that I am not in agreement with this plan because, first of all, your uncle will be in Canada, his family in Lodz, and you in Chicago, and the steamship company and the travel agent will have taken the $1,000. Then your uncle will have to start out in a new world. Do you think that his brothers-in-law will help in any way? Not at all; they won't even help pay for one meal. Secondly, this is no longer a time when your Uncle Wolf can leave. He's no longer a young man with a working skills who is in demand in America. Thus, my solution is if he had $500-$600 in the clothing business, he would make a good living. And the business is a very good business; one can net a 30% profit. If he sells a piece that costs 100 zlotys, he charges 130; he merely needs a lot of money in order to be able to sell more in order to make more profit. For example, each week he receives five or ten zlotys from each customer. If he had a lot of customers, he'd sell more goods and be able to make more profit. Therefore, my solution is that, if you are in agreement, you should send him $200 or $300 to enlarge the business, and I would hope that he will make a living in full measure. This is my advice. All that remains is for you, my dear nephew, to consider it and to make a decision respecting it, i.e., the money, because the person who has the money makes the decision. Therefore, dear nephew, perhaps you remember that King Solomon said, "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." Get a small loan from Rockefeller or Ford, certainly they wouldn't refuse you, and send it to your Uncle Wolf so that he can enlarge the business, and I hope that he will make a living in full measure. And because of this meritorious deed you will never be in need; G-d will repay you many times. But one thing I ask of you, dear nephew. Don't reveal to your uncle that I wrote this to you. I close my letter with the hope that you will give consideration to what I have written and will carry out my request, more or less. Many regards to you and to your dear Esther, and I kiss you from afar. Regards to Ruchele, to Bryndl and her husband and child and to Rifchele. Your Aunt Esther and the children send regards to you all, and we send regards to your in-laws. From me, your uncle, Eliezer Chmielnicki Kaluzna 11 Opoczno Please respond. All material Copyright 1995 by Marshall L. Zissman and Sol J. Zissman.