02 July 2020

Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 25 March 1911

This post continues translation from Yiddish and analysis of letters sent by Levi Yitzkhak Liderman to his son, Morris, who was settled, initially, in New York City starting in 1910. For further background, see the first post in this series

For links to other posts in this series, scroll to the bottom.

As noted previously, translation is an art. Any comments or clarifications by Yiddish speakers/translators are welcome.

As an aid in understanding, I have included a family tree at the bottom of this post.



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25 March 1911, Polonnoe, Volin [Volhynia Gubernia]
[This is the Julian calendar date, which was in effect in the Russian Empire at this time. The letter was written one day earlier on 24 March 1911. The equivalent in the Gregorian calendar (in use in the United States, then and now) was 6 April 1911.]



Addressed to: 

Mr. J. Simberg
134-136 Canone Street [should be Cannon Street]
fur Moris Lidermane
in Neu-york
America

Translation


Translation by Esther Chanie Dushinsky

[Notes in blue as well as those at the end of the post are mine. Levi Yitzkhak tried to squeeze as much on the card as possible and did not break the text into paragraphs. For ease of reading, I have added paragraph breaks in the translation.]

[Side 1]
[Dates in Russian] March 14, 1911
                        April 6, 1911
My beloved son Mr. Moshe-Shalom-Mordekhai, should live. I received you letter to my house, where they send it. And _____ read them and respond with my soul. I am grateful to you and thanking you and thanking God for your health and everything God gives you. He should give you life and peace and everything good, always. Mother, should live, writes to me that she sends you letters very often and imagine what a _____ mother feels from your letters. I wanted your card [photo]. You write that your costume is very nice and you enjoy it.[1] I wished you in the past and wish you now again that you should wear it well and you should tear it will and the blessing should be fulfilled that you wrote. That we should live to make you silk clothing for your wedding.

I don't have any news to write. Everything is as it was. Pesach is coming, it should be His will that we should have - and you too.[2] You should have a healthy and happy and Kosher Pesach, and the same should be after Pesach, and forever.

I read that on Chol Hamoed Pesach you want to travel to Hershel Kluger.[3] Did you go? And what did you do there?

I will travel home on Tuesday to be Bodek Chametz [to check the home for leavened foods before Pesach].

Moshe'leh, Moshe'leh ____ I wrote a few times to you, you should write to Mottel'n and ask him he should help Avraham Abba'n with something.[4] He sadly cried that he doesn't send him money and no letters and it's already 15-16 weeks that he didn't get any sign from him. And so, what is this that he's quiet? After Shabbos I will write to you from him, on Wednesday before Pesach.

[upside down]
_____ writes Faiga'n and Shakhna'n and the children.[5] Most likely they will be in _____ [our/your?] home for Pesach, we will have letters from you. You also wrote that you will send us photos that you had done.

[sideways]
Send to Faiga'n a photo as well, and to Avraham Abba'n too, Perle'n.[6]

[Side 2]
Praise to Reuven as when you were in danger [?] before that, you wrote to me every time about the praises of his kindness that Reuven bestowed upon you. Also Shaul [or Shmuel?] got married thank God and ____ that you won't mention even a hint about me.[7]

My son, my son, write because you have to. I wish we could see each other with great pleasure and Nakhas, Amen. Your father who talks about you a lot from the depths of his heart, true words from a place of love, I promise you, my son, _____ [signature]

My brother in law is sending his name, as well as his family, blessings to you for this Yom Tov to you and your household. Your father _____.

Moshe'leh, send regards in the name of Nakhum, Mottel, Reuven, _____, friendly and loving. Loving and friendly.[8]

Notes:
1. In previous letters (21 February 1911 and 08 March 1911), Levi Yitzkhak mentioned that Moshe was planning on purchasing a new suit for $12.

2. The first seder of Passover (14 Nissan) fell on 12 April 1911 in the United States and 30 March 1911 in Russia.

3. Chol Hamoed Pesach refers to the intermediate days of Passover. The most important days of the 8-day Passover are the first two dinners (seders) and the last day. The other days would be Chol Hamoed. Hershel Kluger settled in New Haven, Connecticut and was identified and discussed in a previous post: 10 December 1910 (see note 11 in that blog post).

4. One must always be good to one's parents! Here we see - more than 100 years later - admonishment for my great uncle Mottel (Max) Garber (Moshe's first cousin) who had left Russia for New York City in 1910 and, apparently, at this point not been a dutiful son. His father (my great grandfather) Avraham Abba (who was also Levi Yitzkhak's brother) needed money and craved contact.
  Seriously, one thing I have noted about these letters is that the distance and situation was difficult for everyone. Letters sometimes took months to get across the ocean and some were likely lost. Those who came to the USA hoping to help their families in the old country found out that the low wage jobs they could find did not provide much opportunity to support oneself and send money home.

5. Faiga was Moshe's sister and Shakhna Grinfeld was her husband. They lived in Baranovka with their three children: Leah, Raya and Wolf (called Leah, Ray and Robert after immigration in the early 1920s).

6. Faiga and Avraham Abba were noted previously. Perl was likely one of Avraham Abba's daughters who married Itzik Zabarsky in Labun.

7. Since this paragraph was confusing, the translator asked another to take a stab at it, as well. The second translator provided the following:
Reuven that you mentioned to me and each time praised the kind acts Reuven did for you. Also _____ got married, thank God, found a husband ____  ____. And you won't mention even a hint from me.

8. Mottel and Nakhum Garber (my great uncles) were sons of Avraham Abba who had immigrated to New York - Mottel in 1908 and Nakhum in 1910. I am not sure of Reuven's identity. I have a hunch - but I cannot yet prove it.



Posts in this Series
 

2 comments:

  1. What amazingly precise handwriting for the Yiddish and beautiful calligraphy for the addresses. It is also interesting that the postcard was received with that street address and New York, America. I don't know if that street exists today in NYC or was it mispelled? Canal Street? Do you know where he lived?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Funny you should note that about the handwriting. I thought the same until I showed cards to three different Yiddish translators. They all pretty much said the handwriting is very stylized and difficult to read. That plus he throws in Hebrew and Russian (written in Hebrew letters) here and there.

    I should have noted this in the post (I will add it) that the street address is Cannon Street. He just misspelled it.

    ReplyDelete

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