Lodz, 30 April 1929 Beloved and precious brother, as well as nephew, Sol Zissman, Your short letter bearing a mazel tov that your dear wife had given birth, as luck would have it, to a son, I received today, the third intermediate day of Passover. Dear brother, if I had you close to me, I would take your hand in mine, press your lips to mine, and then you would understand immediately what your uncle wishes for you on the birth of your newborn son. However, since you find yourself a bit too far away from me, I will have to content myself with my steel pen in order to express my wish to you. First of all, I wish you and your worthy wife that your newborn son arrived with good fortune and that he will prove to have brought good fortune for everyone. First, may he be easy to raise. May you be deemed worthy of rearing him to the Torah, to the wedding canopy and to good deeds. Amen. As to your writing that your dear Esther would have preferred to have a daughter, so I can write you that she thought about it too late...because if you studied the Five Books of Moses once upon a time, I am sure you remember where it reads: "If a woman be delivered, and bear a manchild..." Explain what this means to your wife... Furthermore, promise her that the second one, if G-d wills it, is not barred from being a girl... I and my family are very pleased that your first child is a little boy, one, after all, who asks questions (at the Passover seder), an occupant of the throne, a representative, a sort of vice president. With a girl, you merely are called up to the Torah on the Sabbath, she is given a name, and that's it. But it's completely different with a son. The joy is much greater. Preparations are made for the ritual circumcision, and you are proud. Just a few years ago, you yourself felt like a youngster, and now suddenly you understand that you have become the father of a child. You have assumed new responsibilities. Bit by bit you will put aside your youthful ideas and will slowly increase your family ties. Yes, I see that you already love your newborn son very strongly. You are already identifying his good traits. He takes after you a bit with his laughter, with his good nature, with his joyfulness. Yes, I really see a good and fine little boy worthy of receiving a present from me, but how...and what?... Right now, I can send him nothing more than my blessing, the same blessing that our ancestor, Jacob, gave to his children: "May the angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be declared upon them, and the names of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the land." As to your writing that it was a difficult birth and that the little one wanted to be coaxed and didn't want to enter our little world, this gives me the opportunity, dear Sol, to remind myself of how many tears I shed when your mother, may she rest in peace, sat on the birthing chair from Tuesday night until Saturday afternoon. How many chapters of Psalms do you think that I and your father and grandfather, may he rest in peace, recited on your behalf. By all means, inquire of your father if I am telling you lies. However, it saddens me when I am reminded that my sister, i.e., your mother, may she rest in peace, throughout her years never enjoyed life but she always, always, suffered and was troubled. And now when, perhaps, she would have had a bit of pleasure from you children, she has parted from us so early. However, may she rest in peace. Neither you, Sol, nor I ended her life. This is the way G-d required it to be! Further, you are anxious to learn how Passover was. So I write that it was difficult, very difficult, for us to prepare the house for Passover this year. A crisis exists now in Poland in general and in Lodz in particular. The manufacturers are closing down one after another and hundreds of bankruptcies are taking place weekly. There is no season (for business). It's still very cold. A heavy snow fell on the first day of Passover as we were reciting Hallel. We don't see the sun shine. Currently, a severe state of poverty exists in Lodz. There is no way to make a living. Tens of thousands of unemployed have nothing to do. My Balcia has been out of work for two months already, and she is disgusted at being idle. I recently appealed to my wife's brothers in Toronto. They wrote that the only thing they can do is to bring my Balcia over and, in time, our Balcia will be able to take us out. The result was that we made a decision, because we can see no other way out for her, and we wrote to Berish that we are prepared to send our Balcia in order to provide an existence for her future. With great impatience, we awaited an answer to our letter. After a long wait, we received a letter during the intermediate days of Passover which I am now enclosing, and I ask you, devoted Sol, read every word that he writes carefully because I'm not smart enough. You are smarter than I and perhaps can accomplish more than I. I would want to send my Balcia; I would also want to go. But what can I do when I see that there are such difficulties? I have already discovered their big secret there, that they are poor and cannot help in any way. Shia doesn't want to write a letter this time. The old folks are helpless; they want to help, but can't. Only Berish; I don't know whether we can rely on what he writes... In any event, dear and devoted Sol, I am now enclosing their letter and ask you not to show them the letter, i.e., not to let them know that I have sent you the letter. If I knew that going to Toronto or Welland would not involve time and money and expense, I might perhaps ask you to acquaint yourself with the situation on the spot. However, I know very well that it is further from Chicago to Toronto than from Kinsk to Gowarczow... Therefore, I can't ask you, my devoted one, something that's not possible. However, dear and devoted Sol, since you are already well acquainted with your uncle's economic situation and have already invested so much time and money in your uncle, perhaps you'll make a "visit" by reading through the enclosed letter, reflecting upon it thoughtfully, and expressing your idea as to what should be done. Don't think, Sol, that I am sending you the letter just because Berish writes that I should appeal to you to cover the security (requirement). You know very well, Sol, that I am alone and have no one (in whom to confide) and no one whose advice I can ask, except you. And whatever (opinion) you write me, I will follow. If I had $200, I would send it to them in order to determine if they really mean to make my plan come true. However, since I don't have it and since I want to improve my situation because I no longer have any strength to be tormented here in Poland so, dear and devoted Sol, I am writing to you and asking you to inform yourself well or even to correspond with Berish about the situation. Perhaps it will turn out that I and my Balcia will be able to go together and, if not, at least my Balcia might be able to go alone and, in time, she would be able to take us out. At this point, I am not even thinking about where she will live there, whether with the in-laws or with Berish, but hope that she won't regret it because the sort of good fortune that she has here she'll also be able to get there, and the opportunities that she can have there in the future are better than in Poland! Take carefully into consideration that if a father and mother have decided to send their 17-year old child out into the world because they don't have the ability to assure her future here, you must be able to understand what a heartache it is!!! However, what's to be done? We have to "fish or cut bait;" we have to make a complete break with our present life. Perhaps we'll be successful. In any event, devoted Sol, I am impatiently awaiting your prompt reply and also your advice concerning the situation. Simultaneously, I am writing a letter to Berish and to the in-laws. I hope that my letter will find you all well. I end my letter with heartfelt regards for you and you dear Esther and dear son, Leonard. My wife and children send you their heartfelt regards and wish you a lot of luck on the occasion of the birth of your newborn son. Further, regards for your sisters, father, in-laws, uncles, aunts, grandfather and grandmother. The whole family in Kinsk and Lodz send regards to you all and wish you much good fortune. Separate regards from your Uncle Lazer Chmielnicki and Aunt Esther from Opoczno. Why didn't you answer their letter, Sol? I recently received a letter from Lazer. He's a bit angry with you for not answering him. Why didn't you answer him? I am enclosing his letter to me. I ask you not to make an issue of it, but to answer him because he is going through a crisis, and a word of encouragement is sometimes as good as money. I had occasion to let him know that you sent me the good news. In any event, you should write to him, and also don't make me wait for an answer because I am anxious to hear your advice. With respect, Wolf Lewkowicz Lipowa 44, Lodz, Poland Berish's address is: B. Smith, Crowland, Ontario, Canada, or Berish Smith, Welland, Ontario, Canada. All material Copyright 1995 by Marshall L. Zissman and Sol J. Zissman.