Lodz, 12 August 1929

Beloved and precious brother, as well as nephew, and niece,

About ten days ago, I received a letter from you in which you
ask me to write you a long letter.  My devoted one, if you knew
how difficult it is for me to fulfill your request, perhaps you
wouldn't write this to your uncle.  I sit now and think what
sort of answer I should really send to my devoted and beloved
brother when there is nothing good of which I can inform you,
and I don't want to inform you of anything bad; and you, my
devoted one, ask me for nothing else but a long letter.  If, at
least, I knew that you would read my letter objectively, that
you would not read too much into it, I would have much, very
much, to write...  However, I know you too well, my devoted one,
and I recognize that each time that I have unburdened myself to
you and sought nothing other than simply to ease the pain, you
have been accustomed to finish reading my sorrowful letters and
to reach into your wallet...you have made it easier for me or
made my life more manageable with a check for several dollars.

However, this time, my devoted one, before I go any further, I
want to have an understanding with you that I will fulfill your
request, I will write you a long letter, but you, my devoted
one, are also to fulfill my request that you are to send me
nothing because I require nothing of you other than to write me
a long letter every two weeks.

Dear and devoted one, I have already written you in a letter of
mine that I am working in a factory.  I'm really surprised at
you, Sol, for not having inquired in your last letter as to what
caused me to go to work in a factory and to put aside all my
business interests.  Now I will explain it to you.  

When I returned to Lodz two years ago after the liquidation of
the mill in Opoczno, I managed to rescue $150 of your $200 which
you had sent me at that time.  There was no way for me to start
a business with such an amount.  I became involved in a business
deal with a partner.  We brought potatoes in from the
countryside and promptly lost $60, so that, all at once, I had
no more than $90.  Seeing that I wasn't able to get into any
business and that we were going to eat up the money to the last
cent, I once again began to sell items on credit.  I bought an
item on the street and sold it, although I never thought of it
as a business because, every day, I had to climb hundreds of
stories of steps.  If someone gave me a payment, it was just as
if he donated it, as if it were charity he was giving me.  Life
became disgusting.  I had to remain an honest  man with the
person from whom I bought the item; I had to cover what I owed
on a timely basis, to the minute.  However, the person who was
obligated to me didn't take it seriously.  If he had work, he
paid; if not, I was the first (creditor) to suffer.  

In addition, a terrible crisis has existed in the country for
ten months.  Seventy-five percent of the factories are standing
idle; tens of thousands of workers are unemployed and dependent
on the government.  In short, my devoted one, every bit of
capital which people had, mine and other's, has disappeared.  I
pawned everything that I owned, borrowed, and felt obliged to
pay my indebtedness in order to remain an honest man.  And at
the point where I had no other alternative, because I was left
without money and without credit, the businessmen would no
longer give me credit.  After expending a great deal of effort,
I found a job in a factory where I work very hard from 6:00 a.m.
to 8:00 p.m. for $.80 a day, five days a week.  So I make about
$4 a week.

You will surely assume that one can can get along in Lodz with
$4.  So I write you that I can't get along with less than $12 a
week.  The idea was that I would earn $4, my Balcia would also
earn from $3 to $4, and perhaps Malke would also do a little
business so that we would get along somehow.  What happened was
that the crisis continued without abatement and grew worse from
day to day.  Balcia is not working, first of all because the
factories are standing idle so there is no work for her. 
Secondly, she is ill, that is to say, etc.  Malke was at the
doctor's with her.  He said that she has an inflammation of the
lungs and that she has to leave Lodz immediately to recover a
bit.  Perhaps if the doctor were familiar with my situation, he
would not have counseled her to leave.  However, however,
unfortunately he doesn't know what's going on in my wallet.  

So long as I was involved in a business, they couldn't assess my
situation because no one could tell "whose lunch I was eating,"
my own or the storekeeper's.  However, now that I'm not in
business anymore, have abandoned all my business deals, have
given up the whole business, I have become a simple worker and
work with all my remaining strength in order to earn enough for
a piece of bread to fill me, so that I don't have to appeal to
anyone, chas v'cholilah, so that I don't have to ask anything of
anyone, chas v'cholilah.  This is my intention, to work and to
live on the wages.  The problem is that I have intentions, but
my companions don't want to understand me.  Even now, the
household has expenses which far exceed the income.  There is no
one to help bring more income into the household.  On the other
hand, everyone helps to create expenses...  

In a word, life is difficult, very difficult, and no relief at
all can be anticipated.  I have received no letter at all from
Toronto.  Furthermore, I read in the newspaper today that Canada
is closed to immigrants so I am not doing anything more about
that.  I have long said that it's a shame to waste a postage
stamp on a letter to them...  

So, what else should I write to you?  As to the headache that I
wrote to you about, I write you that it has improved by 50%.  I
had an inflammation of nerves in my head.  I hope that I will
recover completely.  Further, as to your writing that I should
give the addresses to a certain Kisrael Rabin, so I did as you
asked.  I am really surprised that a person such as Mr. Rabin
makes appeals to America.  He himself is a baker, has an
attractive bakery and makes a living.  It would be interesting
to learn why they are so anxious to know the addresses of their
family.  Perhaps they also need a subsidy???  What is there to
say?  In any event, whatever the case may be, I delivered your
addresses, and Mr. Kisrael Rabin thanks you very much for your
effort and friendliness in sending him the addresses.  As to the
second Jew, I showed him what you wrote, but he wept profusely
as he remarked that his brothers are not brothers, but
murderers.  But of what help can we be, Sol?  Is there a
shortage of poor people in the world???

So, nothing more of importance to relate.  I send heartfelt and
loving regards to you, and I also send heartfelt regards to your
worthy wife.  I also send separate regards for your dear and
only son, Mendel Leib.  Regards to your sisters, father,
father-in-law, family, et al.  My family and also Uncle Lazer
and Aunt Esther send heartfelt regards to all of you.  From me,
your uncle, who is waiting for a prompt answer from you.

		With respect,

		Wolf Lewkowicz    


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