Lodz, 20 February 1938 To my dear and devoted brother, as well as nephew, niece, and sisters, Although one letter is en route to you, I am nevertheless writing a long letter to you now, first of all because I have enough time (since) I am still not working; secondly, in my previous letter I promised to answer with a long letter. I recently read your letter to me, along with your profit and loss statement for 1937, as well as the letter to Aunt Estherl in Opoczno which they sent to me in Lodz to read. I am more than pleased that business was better in 1937 than in 1936, and I am also pleased that you are not working hard, have hired an employee, etc. As to your writing me that you attended a wedding (given) by your Uncle David Isaac, so I wish you and him congratulations. I knew your uncle personally when he was still a youngster in Slovne, i.e., on the farm where they once lived. He delivered milk to Opoczno together with your father; Uncle Gershon was in the same business. I still have a fifteen-year-old photograph in which you are standing with your uncle (David) in the store (where) you sold beds, mattresses and stoves; I think it was on Fullerton (sic) Avenue. I don't know his son, the groom, i.e., your cousin. Nevertheless, I congratulate all of you. With the help of G-d, may we enjoy celebrations of your and our sons. Further, I can write you that I was also at a wedding (given by) a cousin of mine whom your father surely knows. She is a daughter of Aunt Dina Raisel of Opoczno. For the last two years she has lived in the Land of Israel. Now she has returned from the Land of Israel and this Saturday, February 19, there took place the marriage of her son who works together with my Joseph in a factory, although he is a worker and my Joseph is a messenger boy in the warehouse. My cousin is a divorcee. On the photograph that I am sending you, she is marked No. 6. Her son, the groom, is marked No. 3. The bride is No. 4. The younger son, the groom's brother, is marked No. 5. The photograph was taken at Pinya Lewin's apartment three weeks ago when Aunt Estherl came to Lodz to see the cousin from Palestine in order to hear regards from her son, Wolfche. The photograph may not be very good because several people are missing, e.g., Moshe Zilberspitz and his family, Shmiel Zilberspitz and his wife, as well as Uncle Eliezer, Shmiel Lewin, Aunt Breindel's children, et al... If we were to gather together all of Eliezer Feivel's grandchildren and great grandchildren, the photograph would have to be four times as large, and not of twenty people but, perhaps, of 100 people. However, as it is, they are scattered around the world, including America, Palestine, Belgium, London, Paris, etc. So content yourself with the photograph which I am sending, and I am adding the sort of circumstances which permitted me to have the photograph taken. Three weeks ago, my sister came to Lodz to see a doctor. Practically the whole family came to see her, and we spoke a great deal here about you and your sisters. I also read for them your latest letters concerning bringing Joseph over to you. That same evening, we visited Pinya Lewin. He lives not far from me. We spent a pleasant three hours there. These were the circumstances under which the photograph was taken. Examine it carefully. You will notice that I am reading a letter of yours to me, and everyone is listening. I want to acquaint you with all the people in the photograph; show it to your close ones there. From the left, Nos. 1 and 2 are Pinya Lewin and his wife. Nos. 3 and 4 are the groom and bride who were married yesterday. No. 5 is a brother. No. 6 is their mother; she is a cousin of mine, Sarah Lehrer, Aunt Dina Raisel's daughter. No. 7 is Aunt Poria Lewin. I am No. 8. No. 9 is my daughter, Rivkele. No. 10 is my son, Joseph. No. 11 is Aunt Estherl of Opoczno. No. 12 is Uncle Emaniel Lewin. No. 13 is Esther Goldberg, Uncle Maniel's daughter; No. 14 is her husband, Ezer Goldberg; No. 15 is their daughter; No. 16 is their other daughter. No. 17 is also a daughter of Uncle Emaniel Lewin whose name is Hendel Lewkowicz; No. 18 is her husband, Herschel Lewkowicz. No. 19 is a third daughter (of Uncle Emaniel Lewin); her name is Sarah Titanowicz; No. 20 is her husband, Joseph Titanowicz. Another daughter, her husband, and child are missing from the photograph. All of them send you heartfelt family regards and very much regret that they don't know you personally. All of them are workers and are fascinated by your letters and by your love for me and for the whole family. Separately, Uncle Emaniel sends regards for you and your family and for your sister and your father. Further, dear brother, you surely want to hear some news of me and of Joseph. So, dear brother, I write you that there is nothing of importance as far as I am concerned. I have not been working for about two months. The owner of our factory has become quite impoverished so that he is not able to start up work (at the factory) because they have eliminated his credit. They don't want to make any more loans to him. If he doesn't open by March 15, I will be forced to go on relief. Further, I write you that Joseph is working at the same place. He's waiting for a contact from the consulate, but the consul is in no hurry. I inquired privately of parties, and they informed me that all the documents that we sent to the consul in Warsaw have been forwarded to Washington to be examined. If this is true, they will certainly investigate your situation there again and inquire as to whether everything conforms to what the documents provide. In any event, dear Sol, there is nothing more for us to do but to wait for the consul to respond. Futher, Rivkele is well, thank G-d. She runs our household. She looks very bad on the photograph because she worries a great deal about her future... Further, everything is as it was at Aunt Estherl's in Opoczno. Their bride-to-be is in Lodz today with a sister of hers who will leave for Argentina right after Passover. They're discussing having the wedding take place at about the same time. My sister and I will write you more about it. Well, I have nothing more of importance to relate. I send heartfelt and loving regards to you. I also send regards to your dear Esther and your dear son, Leonard. Heartfelt regards for your sisters, Ruchel and Bryndl and her family. My children, Rivkele and Joseph, send heartfelt regards to you. In addition, everyone in the family, without exception, sends heartfelt regards to you all. Separate regards for you from cousin (Esther) Goldberg, her husband and children. I send you separate thanks, Sol, for the newspapers which you send regularly which give me spiritual pleasure. Sol, are you reading there the latest serialized novel, "Chaver Nachman" by I. Singer? If not, I would like you to read it and become familiar with the story. Your uncle, Wolf Lewkowicz To my dear and devoted niece and nephew, Ruth and Marshall, I received a long letter from you four weeks ago in which you write that you are surprised that I hadn't answered your husband's letter and ask whether I received the photograph from you. So, dear Ruth, I write that, at that time, a letter to you and your husband was en route to you which you surely received some time ago. The fact that I made you wait for a response to your long letter is quite simply due to my figuring that another letter would arrive. However, since no additional letter has yet arrived, I will try to answer your letter today. I can tell you, Ruth, that your letter did not give me any pleasure. More than once I have had the experience of hearing bitter words concerning your father. His treatment of you all is well known to me... Unfortunately, I can't blame him for everything. He has been completely influenced by his wife...just like the lion who permits himself to be influenced by his circus manager to do tricks in order to attract business. Even though he's a lion, he's not embarrassed to permit himself to be lead about on a leash, and he does everything that the circus manager tells him to do... Believe me, Ruth, if you knew how much pain you cause your uncle by your writing about your father, perhaps you wouldn't write about it. However, I think that when you write to me, you feel better about your troubles which are reawakened from time to time. I once wrote to Sol and write to you too that your father will one day arise from the "drunken" slumber into which his wife has lured him. Then, when he sobers up and is not drunk, it will be possible to talk to him. So long as he is drunk, it's better to speak with him as little as possible... Well, how are you feeling? Are you working? Are you well? Are you making a living? Heartfelt regards for you and your husband and sisters from me and from my children and family. Your uncle, Wolf Lewkowicz All material Copyright 1995 by Marshall L. Zissman and Sol J. Zissman.