I have included a small family tree at the end of the post.
As noted previously, translation is an art. Any comments or clarifications by Yiddish speakers/translators are welcome.
Postmark
[This is the Julian calendar date, which was in effect in the Russian
Empire at this time. The letter was written two days earlier than posted, on Wednesday, 3 August. The equivalent in the Gregorian calendar (in use
in the United States, then and now) was 16 August 1911. The Hebrew calendar date was 22 Av 5671. As noted in the beginning of the text, the Torah reading for the week was Re'eh. ]
Addressed to:
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]
Wednesday, Parshas Re'eh, August 16 English, 1911, Anopol
My dear, beloved son Mr. Moshe-Shalom, should live,
I am currently home and traveled for two days. Happens to be, I already received your closed letter, as well as your card from the eve to Tish B'av [9 Av], the second of August in English.[2] I also received on yesterday, August 15 in English. I was very happy to read your lines, but the news in the card of your troubles made me sad, and it rang in our ears. Especially mother, should live, she cried.
You ask when your time is with the [prizev] [Russian word, призыв, means military draft], and we should write to you of our opinion about the [prisev] [draft]. We discussed it amongst ourselves to try to understand what you mean by that. And the bottom line of your words was that after we write our opinion to you, you will then write what you think about it. And so, my dear son, I will hurry and move forward and wish you as it's written.
First write to us, what is this news that you suddenly brought? I will ask you a question that you brought forth [?] because _____ "Why did it change," but in spite of all this, I will respond _____ that your [prisev] [period of being subject to the draft?] is 2 years, meaning the year 1913.[3] And I will go to Polonnoe and the ____ [hoprova] to _____ well and will write a second time.
We are asking and crying to God. I wish we should still see each other in this life. You should be a Jew [Yid] and be freed from non Jewish heroes and we should see much nakhas from you with our own eyes and we should have the merit to bring you pleasure. And my son, say Amen.
[Right margin]
From your card, I am writing Faiga'n, Zeidel'n.
[Upside down]
Moshe - nu, why don't you write to Faiga'n, Shachna'n a single letter?[4] They are kind of angry at you.
[Side 2]
I received a letter from Mottel'n.[5] He excuses himself that he, from his side is behaving correctly, but Nachum'n is at fault. And the _____[letter?] that was sent to _____ Avraham Abba, there is no letter. The entire time he sent one letter and he has no ____ is waiting that he should have _____
...brother in law received your letter.[6] I am blessing you to be loved/accepted, and many thanks. I am wishing you and your wife and children happiness. _____ to my beloved and sweet son Moshe'leh. Moshe'leh _____ Neshama. Give honor to my son _____ Moshe. Moshe'leh, it's worth it to honor and serve. God should help him, amen. Freidel will write a letter to you one of these days. Greet [?] the honorable father Moshe'leh [?].[Upside down]
Yakov Baba, Baba Yakov, children, watch over our jewel, our diamond Moshe'leh, I don't think _____, another. You have the mitzvah of your own flesh and blood, such gold. Sadly, he is far away from his parents, overseas. Other than this, woe unto us.
Yakov Baba... In this merit, we are wishing you that you should be healthy and have nakhas from your children.
Also Yosef, if you can see if it could be better for him. He should be able to work at a better job [?].[7] It is more than a year since he got to America, and there is no point in that whatever he earns is used on himself right away. And what are his expenses? I have him _____ cash. I am greeting you, my dear, _____ I and my wife, your only sister Breindel [? or Freida, but it looks like Breindel] and our Sarah'leh.[8] Everyone wants to know how you are doing and thank you that _____ [cut off on bottom].
[Left margin]
Do good, you have the opportunity.
Notes:
1. In 1910, Benjamin, age 20, lived with his parents and siblings at 55 Broome Street, NY, NY. He worked as a clerk at, perhaps, a drug store. Based upon the post cards to Morris Liderman sent care of the Simbergs, they lived at 55 Broome into February 1911 (this is the last postcard sent to Broome Street). Sometime in February, they moved to 134-136 Cannon Street (see this post). I have not found city directories that included Simberg family members. By the 1915 New York State census, the Simbergs had moved to the Bronx and lived at 1428 Crotona Park East. For their 1910 address, see 1910 U.S. Census, NY Co., pop. sched., Manhattan, e.d. 781, sheet 10A, dwell. 11, fam. 188, Jacob and Anna Simberg family; images, Ancestry; NARA microfilm pub. T624, roll 1029. The family was recorded in June in the 1915 New York State census, Bronx Co., NY, enumeration of inhabitants, the Bronx. A.D. 34, e.d. 33, p. 19, Jacob and Anna Simberg family; images, Ancestry; citing New York State Archives, Albany.
2. There were several pieces of correspondence that were letters rather than postcards. The letters, enclosed in an envelope and not available for prying eyes, were sent when Moshe/Morris and his parents felt the need to speak freely and confidentially.
3. Russian laws required that men complete their military service before they could be approved for emigration. "The family of a Jew who has evaded the fulfillment of his military duties will have to pay a fine of 300 rubles." Since Morris was inquiring about when he was to be called for military service, it seems he had not completed military service in the Czar's army. If this was the case, then his departure from Russia was not done legally. (for further information about the Russian requirements for military service among Jews, see United States, Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a report of the Commissioners of Immigration upon the causes which incite immigration to the United States (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1892); images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/letterfromsecret00unit_0/page/n6/mode/1up )
4. Feiga, Moshe's older sister, was married to Shalom Shakhna Grinfeld. They lived in Baranovka with their three children.
5. In his letter of 21 June 1911, Levi Yitzkhak asked his son to contact Mottel Garber (Levi Yitzkhak's nephew/Moshe's 1st cousin) about the fraught relationship between Mottel and his brother Nukhim and their parents, Avraham Aba and Khana Garber. In response to Levi Yitzkhak's pleas, Mottel sent his uncle a letter trying to explain the situation. From this letter from Levi Yitzkhak, it appears that Motel blamed the intra-family problems on his brother, Nakhum.
Motel (Max) and Nakhum (Nathan) Garber were my great uncles: my grandfather Jack's brothers.
6. Levi Yitzkhak's brother-in-law was Jacob Simberg, later referred to as Yakov in this card.
7. Thus far I have not been able to determine who Yosef was. I have not located a Joseph Simberg in New York.
8. In prior post cards, Frieda (Moshe's mother/Levi Yitzkhak's wife) was identified as Jacob Simberg's only sister. So, the name noted here must be Frieda. Sarah was one of Levi Yitzkhak's and Frieda's daughters.
Posts in This Series
"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 18 January 1911"
"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 4 February 1911"
"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 21 February 1911"
"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 8 March 1911"
"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 27 April 1911"
I read some of the very long archival letter you cited in footnote 3. Fascinating!! Haven't gotten to the section about the draft but there is so much material in this document.
ReplyDeleteYes, some of the letters are pretty mundane. This one has lots of juicy info. ;-)
Delete