Lodz, 10 October 1933

To my dear and devoted brother, as well as nephew, and niece, S.
Zissman,

I received your dear letter on the eve of Rosh Hashona. 
Further, I received $10 from you on the eve of Yom Kippur.  I am
seated now, devoted brother, and am wondering about how to
answer your dear letter to me.  It happens to be the evening of
Hoshana Rabbah when they are busy in heaven distributing the
supply of tickets to everyone.  Not an insignificant piece of
work assigned to the Master of the Universe.  Just call to mind,
Sol, the number of prayers for forgiveness, pardon, atonement,
the number of calls for help.  And then, during Succos, the
cries to please save us.  Thanks to the blessed G-d that we have
gotten this far.  I tell you, Sol, that if the HIgh Holidays
were to last for three months, everyone would be a pauper
because (during the holiday period), to the surprise of no one,
expenses increase fourfold and income is reduced by half! 
However, be that as it may, Sol, I am more than certain that,
this year, all of us will have, by our prayers, brought about a
year of happiness and a year of good health so that we will
receive good reports of comforting help from each other.  

Further, dear brother, I beg your forgiveness for not answering
your letter promptly.  First of all, a letter was in transit. 
Second, dear Sol, you certainly know that business comes first. 
When my injured foot healed, I immediately returned to work at
the factory.  By chance, it was the height of the season duing
which the work put us under pressure.  I had to work twelve to
fourteen hours a day.  I wanted to catch up for what I had
missed.  

Now the season has ended, and since October 1 we have been
working on a normal schedule, four days a week.  As to eating, I
believe that we eat seven days a week.  However, whatever the
case may be, we thank G-d that we are well and that we work a
bit, so long as nothing out of the ordinary takes place, chas
v'cholilah.  

Dear and devoted brother, I pick up your letter and read it a
second time and a third time, and I want to ferret out whence
arises the love between the two of us.  No, devoted brother, my
mind cannot grasp it...  I have a friend, a Lithuanian Jew.  He
works with me in the factory.  He visits me often and, in fact,
sometimes reads your letters.  He says that the money that you
send is not important.  Your letters are important.  He senses
from your writing that your love for me is extraordinary.  He
says that this is not a "love based on sensual attraction" but a
"love which is not based on sensual attraction."  He tells me,
"Wolf, consider yourself lucky to have such a nephew who expends
so much energy, time and money for you..."  And truly, Sol, if
my friend, the Lithuanian, says this, I really have nothing to
add.  Right?  And you, Sol, certainly have nothing to object to.

I can only say to you, dear brother, that among all my prayers
and requests this Yom Kippur, I included a prayerful request of
the Master of the Universe that I might yet have the honor in my
lifetime to see and talk, face to face, with my devoted and
beloved brother, as well as nephew.  What do you think, Sol?  Is
it possible for my request to be realized, or is it only a
dream, a sort of fantasy, a vision?

Really, devoted Sol, explain to me in a letter what it is that
binds you (to me) so that your letters are filled with so much
love for me because it's really not understandable.  It seems to
me that my letters never bring you any pleasure since, pardon
the expression, what is there that is pleasant that I can report
to you.  Another person in your place would spit at all these
letters, send a few dollars once in a while, enough, without
writing a word...  And you, Sol, you act differently.  You send
consoling letters to your uncle.  I gulp down your words like a
thirsty person yearning for a drink.  I could kiss each of your
words.  

I don't know, Sol, whether there are anywhere in the world two
such brothers, friends, who understand each other as we
understand each other.  It's a shame that we are a little too
far from each other.  We should have been closer to each other
(and) perhaps it would have been a consolation for both of us. 
And when, the day before yesterday, I passed by the office of a
passenger ship company and noticed in the display window that
for 600 zloytes, i.e., $120, anyone can take a pleasure trip
from Poland to New York, round trip, with all expenses paid for
three weeks, i.e., the sort of excursion that tourists take to
see the world, I thought to myself, "How lucky I would be if I
could make such a trip and, at the same time, see my devoted and
beloved brother who is filled with so much love for me, who
means more to me perhaps than a brother!!!"  Nothing remains,
Sol, except to sigh and to hope that there will yet come a time
when our dreams will come true...

Further, dear Sol, I can thank you for the generosity you show
me by sending me a few dollars from time to time, although the
dollar has fallen quite a bit in value in Poland.  It was once
8.90 (zlotys to the dollar) and it is now 5.60.  Nevertheless,
it comes in handy because my income is far from covering my
expenses.  In particular, I had a difficult summer because of my
foot.  

Further, dear Sol, I thank you for the newspapers that you send
me every week.  I read through everything and become quite
familiar with Uncle Sam's country.  After finishing the
newspapers, I send them to Uncle Lazer in Opoczno.  Dear Sol, I
suspect that I burden you too much with such silliness.  First
of all, it costs you money; second, it takes time.  I will be
content if, once a month, you send me a few Saturday and Sunday
issues because it would be too much trouble for you to send me
newspapers from America all the time...  

Further, dear Sol, what's the latest news with you as far as
business is concerned?  Are things going better with the N.R.A.?
 After all, you accepted the Code.  As far as I can see from the
newspapers, Roosevelt, your President, is conducting a variety
of experiments to revive the economy and to reduce unemployment.
 Whether he will be successful or not is a question that the
future will answer.  For the time being, we will have to wait
patiently and see what improvement the Code will bring to the
world.  In any event, Sol, as a businessman you have to be on
guard and decide, since the dollar is falling in value, how to
cover your assets with merchandise that can be exchanged for
gold, i.e., at a time when the dollar falls in value by 50%,
merchandise must increase in value by 50% (sic).  However, Sol,
I don't have to teach you what to do because you are much
smarter and more nimble than I am.  Write me as to how the
season is going there for you.  Although it's still quite warm
here in Poland, nevertheless you are surely prepared with your
stoves, and I reckon that by the time you receive my letter
there, a wind will blow and it will get cold...

Further, how is your wife feeling.  Is she well?  And how is
your dear son, Leonard?  Is he well?  Is he a fine little boy? 
What's new with the family, with Bryndl, with Ruchele, with
Rifchele, with your father, with the in-laws, with the uncles
and aunts?  Are they all well?  How are they doing as far as
business is concerned?  I send heartfelt regards to all.  I am
enclosing a post card which I received today from Kinsk from a
son-in-law of Aunt Chaya Rifke.  When you read the post card,
you will see what's going on.  

Something is quite strange with Chaiml Marianka.  From time to
time, he stops writing to his family so that each time he has to
be "revived," just as if he had fallen down in a faint.  Dear
Sol, I ask you to call him up and give him the needle and tell
him that he's not dealing with his mother in a tactful manner
when he doesn't write to her.  If he has a new address, please
send it to me.  She is very worried about him...

Well, nothing more of importance to relate.  Regards to
everyone, without exception, from me and from my wife and from
my children, as well as from Aunt Estherl and from Uncle Lazer
of Opoczno. 

		With respect, your uncle,

		Wolf Lewkowicz


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